ESPN DG Broadcast

[tom12003]

I'm sure some of this discussion might be happening on the 2000+ post American Disc Golf Tour thread, which is full of other vitriol. Comments on broadcast issues only, please.

The ESPN-3 broadcast this afternoon had positives and negatives IMHO. Video quality was super, how it was covered shows that the camera-people need to learn more about disc golf which could come with experience. Replays were almost instantaneous.

Commentary was mixed. Billy Crump was very good with those in the disc golf community, however if this ESPN-3 was trying to reach a broader audience terms like hyzer/anhyzer need to be explained--e.g., a right to left shot. Barry Schultz was adequate when he was connected and not playing. I think a 2-person anchor would have had better commentary for the general public.

Can we get the ESPN-3 people to cover an event like the USDGC?

Thoughts?

 

[BraveThrower43]

Pretty sure you could get them to cover about anything if you want to fork over a lot of $

 

[BionicRib]

The op didn't get the memo

 

[JC17393]

Pretty sure you could get them to cover about anything if you want to fork over a lot of $

This.

The "ESPN people" at today's event weren't ESPN people. They were a third party media production company hired by the tournament because they had the (expensive) equipment required to meet ESPN's production standards. According to one of the guys behind the event, they spent "high five figures" to put the event on ESPN (though some of that cost was probably the rental of the course itself). There's no way they are going to recoup that cost, and as a result, it's kinda hard to justify other events going that route.

The broadcast itself fit right in with past efforts for live coverage...some good things (signal quality), some not so good (camera angles, disorganized at times, lots of down time), but clearly limited in what they were able to do. There certainly was nothing revolutionary or groundbreaking about the event or the broadcast...just the glamour of having the letters E-S-P-N attached to the stream. Nothing about it is going to launch the sport into the mainstream nor is it really going to do anything to hurt the progression and growth of the game.

 

[HarkeyPuck]

Is there a way to watch it now? Archived anywhere?

 

[JC17393]

Is there a way to watch it now? Archived anywhere?

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index#type/replay/

Just scroll down to the "Golf" category. Cable subscription log-in is required.

 

[FrontRimBanger]

If only they could have the guys from CCDG commentating future ESPN broadcastings, that'd be amazing.

 

[Reniger]

It looked pretty enough between the delays... Unfortunately, unless you're covering multiple cards, live coverage is VERY difficult... (Ask Terry) You can't keep it interesting with commercials and awkward commentary between shots...

The production level was impressive enough, but the complete coverage was lacking. This isn't PGA. Unless it's archived footage for a compiled show (Thank you Jomez/CCDG), or covering multiple cards with solid commentary from knowledgeable players, this is the same old Salient stuff... Unfulfilled promises.

 

[teemkey]

The camera crew's inexperience with disc golf coverage was perhaps the largest detriment to my enjoyment of the broadcast/live stream. Usually more experienced disc golf crews will show a disc landing, then pan to the basket so the viewer gets a sense of how close the throw got to the basket. At times the ADGT crew wasn't even able to track the drive all the way to the ground even though the 6 holes shown were specifically selected for coverage (they even used the same basket twice with different tees).

I will say ADGT was able to get some higher profile commercial sponsors. That impressed me.

 

[JC17393]

The camera crew's inexperience with disc golf coverage was perhaps the largest detriment to my enjoyment of the broadcast/live stream. Usually more experienced disc golf crews will show a disc landing, then pan to the basket so the viewer gets a sense of how close the throw got to the basket. At times the ADGT crew wasn't even able to track the drive all the way to the ground even though the 6 holes shown were specifically selected for coverage (they even used the same basket twice with different tees).

I will say ADGT was able to get some higher profile commercial sponsors. That impressed me.

If you're referring to things like the Accuweather.com or the ad with Ellie Kemper (no idea what it was for...a credit card?), those are ESPN3 standard fare no matter what the event being shown. ADGT had nothing to do with those.

 

[lyleoross]

The course as played was a disaster. To try and keep the filming in one place, they played around one area. In at least one case it looked like they played the same exact hole. It wasn't, they simply used the same basket, but from camera angles, it looked exactly the same.

As has already been said, the camera guys didn't understand the angles. I'd think that guys that understood ball golf would have gotten this correct, I wonder what the experience of the film company was?

Having Barry comment was a mistake IMO. If he's a Pro golfer, he isn't commentating.

Ball Golfers in the filming. Take a look at St. Judes or the Japanese open for how to do it on a golf course.

Crump's color was, IMO, awful. He speaks smoothly, and has a relatively good style, but that couldn't make up for the bad color about what was happening during shots. He's a bit like Avery, he overdoes it. Terry tells you its good bad or indifferent once, then moves on to something else.

The repetitive famous disc golfer ads were too much. I liked them individually, but running them back to back took away from the impact. In one sense, they let the rate of play dictate ads. I hate to say this, bring on the hate, but if the producer had said, we're gonna run a spot, you wait to drive till were done, and then broke out those spots and other ads into more spaces, it would have been more tolerable. Did I really say that? On the other hand, in other venues you get that, because the players are walking hole to hole and not forced to play in one area to accommodate cameras.

If I were really trying to teach, some of those spots would be a Pro intro, like what they had, and then a pro commentary on some unique or important aspect of the game, like the one meter rule or OB, both distinctly different from BG.

More ad control, I know this isn't possible, but twenty times of one ad on teenage anxiety was enough to make the audience suicidal.

What a time to have one of their stoopid rules come into play. Yep, this is vitriol. If you're trying to make the sport look good, and you have the worlds second best player try and replay a lie, because that is the norm, and one of the other players has to splain the rules to him, you've blown one of your top goals.

Someone needs to find a better way to say this is hard. Yep it is, but having Crump tell us is bad. He's not the only one who's done this, the Spin guys do it to. "I know that looked easy, but it's hard" stinks guys. Try what Ian does. "OMG, did you see how easy he made that shot look!" BTB, that's the reason Ian compares play to his own, to give a measure of the range on a shot. That isn't ideal, but it's better than what we're getting here.

 

[teemkey]

If you're referring to things like the Accuweather.com or the ad with Ellie Kemper (no idea what it was for...a credit card?), those are ESPN3 standard fare no matter what the event being shown. ADGT had nothing to do with those.

Ah.

Well, you know, I tried to find some aspect of the production to compliment ... OK, how 'bout this: even though the baskets didn't catch well, they sure were pretty looking.

 

[AndyJB]

I cant believe you people watched and supported these people. Disgusting.

 

[hellbound]

Why would anyone support salient in the first place let alone a whole new set of rules on how to play disc golf? I get it some of you have never had a dealing with salient so I will not try to bring you up to speed. You can prob read the first 10 pages of the tour post and get a ruff idea on why they are disliked.

As for the change of rules. Is the pdga right with the rules that we are governed by? Could we change them some. Sure but why would you open a whole new can of worms with new rules that now will be mixing in with what real players know.

the pdga has stated that we could have been on ESPN years ago. Why don't we do it? Did ESPN really bring in the numbers that would be twice the number as other platforms? If and when we are ready for nashional tv broadcast on ESPN I would expect that it wouldn't be on a YouTube type platform that's locked out from 90% of disc golfers that do not have a ESPN passward but do have ESPN in general

 

[armiller]

I'm just excited that there's disc golf on espn at all. But I haven't watched it yet. Maybe I'll be appalled?

But as long as this offshoot of disc golf doesn't somehow ruin the game I love, I figure that any kind of mainstream broadcast is a step in the right direction. Heck, I've watched DOTA, rugby, lacrosse, cricket, and curling mainly because they were on ESPN3. If you want to get people interested in disc golf who have barely heard of it before, I think espn3 is a pretty good option.

But again, maybe I'll change my tune when I watch the broadcast.

 

[AndyJB]

It is NOT ESPN
It is NOT a mainstream broadcast

 

[armiller]

It is NOT ESPN
It is NOT a mainstream broadcast

But available on ESPN3, no? I guess my point is that if you want a bigger audience for any kind of disc golf, something available on ESPN3 (i.e. not requiring a password) was definitely watched by some random non-disc-golfers. But yeah, I could be wrong about mainstream. And I still need to do some homework and watch the thing.

 

[dontBLAMEtheDISC]

But available on ESPN3, no? I guess my point is that if you want a bigger audience for any kind of disc golf, something available on ESPN3 (i.e. not requiring a password) was definitely watched by some random non-disc-golfers. But yeah, I could be wrong about mainstream. And I still need to do some homework and watch the thing.

In my experience the only reason people watch espn3 or on the app is because theres something they specifically want to watch. I know i have never gone to espn3 just randomly looking and scrolling past live events

Sent from my SM-T237P using Tapatalk

 

[willsfc]

I wish they had hired DG'ers that are also camera operators that have worked on live broadcasts, we are out there. It'd make it quite a bit better.

 

[ru4por]

I cant believe you people watched and supported these people. Disgusting.

Because ALL disc golfers should join the grassroots interwebz boycott of Salient....after all there has to be at lease 45 customers dissatisfied with the companies products and/or customer service. :|