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ESPN- UConn matters

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She's getting on the job training. Again, she is bad, like really bad. Like asking if the coach will go for it on 2nd down bad, but why do we care so much? She's clearly learning the sport. For the BC game we had Aaron Taylor and someone else. Maybe better home opponents will get us better announcers.
 

RedStickHusky

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Some people aren’t fluid speakers. I am not ignorant but I’m not a good extemporaneous speaker. I have some sympathy for Meghan.
I don't think she's bad as a speaker other than an over reliance on a couple favorite phrases... She simply, and obviously, doesn't know what she's looking at on a football field. Her "informed call" on nearly every play, is to ask her partner "what happened?". She's supposed to be telling us. I'd have no problem hearing her call a hoops game, but putting her on football smacks of an executive decision to hire on an identity over merit basis and let the customers suffer for it.
 

RedStickHusky

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In a world that saw Dennis Miller get primetime exposure in front of 16-some million every Monday night for two seasons, this doesn't really matter?

From CBS's POV, the McPeak experiment was low risk/high reward. She is not doing Georgia games on the flagship.
So CBS gets away with saying "it's only UConn".
 
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Yeah, I’m not sure gently mocking your co-announcer for a laugh is a good means towards career advancement. He is in a no win position.
I may disagree only because they are both so bad there is not much of a career path for either of them. Neither will be getting GA v Fl games anytime soon.
 
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Yeah Meghan messed up a bunch, but I mean in a time where "boom goes the dynamite" took off, there's time for her to improve. I still would rather listen to Meghan and Fauria rather than all of ESPN.
 

FfldCntyFan

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I may disagree only because they are both so bad there is not much of a career path for either of them. Neither will be getting GA v Fl games anytime soon.
This may be all the more reason for Fauria to bite his tongue. If he loses this gig there won't be a lot of people knocking on his door with a job offer to announce football games.
 

Husky25

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So CBS gets away with saying "it's only UConn".

Is it so hard to believe that CBS doesn't take UConn as personally as fans do? If they are trying something out, they are probably going to test it on content that there weren't predicting would get too much exposure. ESPN did the same thing with that High School A/V quality production at FIU.

CBS put these announcer teams together in August, but given her performance, I would be surprised if McPeak is back doing football next season. Even if she is (after all, Miller got 2 years), I hope UConn's record would command something higher than the 13th announcer team on the roster.
 

CL82

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People aren’t being fair to him. He is in an impossible position. Most likely some suit at CBS thought it would be great to have the first black female doing football play by play without testing her out (and as I’ve said, she was hired mostly for hoops and I’ve heard her do hoops and she is competent). So Fauria showing her up is showing up a suit, and I’m sure he knows how that will go for him.
Or, I don’t know, maybe he’s just not an asshat and doesn’t want show up his broadcast partner?

I agree he’s in a tough spot. For what it’s worth, I suspect if he was paired with a competent partner, we’d all be complaining about him. He is “good” only in comparison to her.
 

Husky25

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Won’t be a problem this week:


According to her Twitter, her football season is over.

This may be all the more reason for Fauria to bite his tongue. If he loses this gig there won't be a lot of people knocking on his door with a job offer to announce football games.
Christian Fauria's day job is the afternoon drive on WEEI. I also remember him doing preseason Patriots sideline reporting, but I don't know his motivation. He only did UConn games. Maybe he wants to get into the industry full time. Maybe he wants to test the waters in case EEI shakes up their lineup. Who knows, but CBS gave him the opportunity and he took it.

I do recall when Jon Meterparel was the producer of the Dennis & Callahan morning show on EEI, he made no bones about his ambition to do PbP, which he have been doing for Boston College for some time now..
 
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Yeah Meghan messed up a bunch, but I mean in a time where "boom goes the dynamite" took off, there's time for her to improve. I still would rather listen to Meghan and Fauria rather than all of ESPN.
Or “hot like fire”.
 
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I posit that UConn games ARE her test. There were 15,000 people in the stands and the bulk of the TV audience was likely limited to Central/Eastern CT and Lynchburg, VA. I haven't seen the ratings, but untested would be doing the 3:30 SEC GotW. UConn/Liberty on CBSSN is practice.

She's fine for what she is...Play by play on the M crew of CBS football. That said, she's probably on CBSSN unless she improves.
She should have had her "practice" done at a much lower level. FBS football broadcasts are not the place to start learning what football is or how to broadcast it. She was clearly placed in her role either without proper vetting or for reasons other than being professionally competent. Either way, the executive who did so will hopefully be in a different position next season.
 
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She's getting on the job training. Again, she is bad, like really bad. Like asking if the coach will go for it on 2nd down bad, but why do we care so much? She's clearly learning the sport. For the BC game we had Aaron Taylor and someone else. Maybe better home opponents will get us better announcers.
This is FBS football. This is CBS! This is not the college radio crew doing tv...with apologies to those guys as they do a much better job than her! For those saying it's ok, she's learning, one has to ask how low your standards are that you find this acceptable? Honestly, it's not like she's just a little off and a little compassion is all she needs. She needs significant improvement before being placed in this position.
 
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This is FBS football. This is CBS! This is not the college radio crew doing tv...with apologies to those guys as they do a much better job than her! For those saying it's ok, she's learning, one has to ask how low your standards are that you find this acceptable? Honestly, it's not like she's just a little off and a little compassion is all she needs. She needs significant improvement before being placed in this position.
Yeah your gripe is with CBS. They hired her. Let them know you don't want her on the games because she doesn't meet your standards.

To me they clearly made a decision they are comfortable letting her work the kinks out on our games. I wonder why.
 
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I didn’t care about the commentary because we were mostly winning.
To me I prefer the quality of the game on my TV versus good commentators. That ESPN3 game with FIU earlier was seizure inducing, but hey the commentators knew football better than Meghan McPeak. I understand it's not an either or type scenario, but for where our program is, wanting exposure, CBS sports network on linear TV is where I want us to be. Who knows, they go 9-3, next year the money gets better.
 
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Got a nice mention on the top 25/CFP show just now and quite a few national radio mentions the last few days.
I love how Coach Mora includes the rest of the University as well pointing out that we have great basketball, hockey and baseball teams too. He is a great ambassador for UConn. He says that he is happy and he looks as if he is happy. I love the Hurley hire but Danny always seems to be in agony compared to Mora. It just drives me nuts that a former ESPN associate like Matt can't get the Jr. thing correct.
 
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Yeah your gripe is with CBS. They hired her. Let them know you don't want her on the games because she doesn't meet your standards.

To me they clearly made a decision they are comfortable letting her work the kinks out on our games. I wonder why.
gender equity

edit: yes, a stupid man states the obvious. Maybe it should be said. This would be unacceptable if this were a man. I was spitting nails the other night because of an ESPN+ male announcer for hockey who clearly had never done PbP before though I was even more furious with "shakes" the camera man more.

I hate incompetence and I hate willful incompetence more.
 

Husky25

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Speaking of awful announcing, I just caught the basketball game off the DVR. Chris Lewis and Steve Lappas were horrendous.

I could be going deaf, but I thought I heard Lewis referred to Tristan "Newtson" on a few occasions.

When Newton got the rebound to round out his triple-double, Lappas asked how the crowd knew? I haven't been to the Civic Center since the 2020 Memphis game, but doesn't a portion of the center court board indicate the lineup on the floor along with point, assists, and rebounds? Am I misremembering?
 
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Speaking of awful announcing, I just caught the basketball game off the DVR. Chris Lewis and Steve Lappas were horrendous.

I could be going deaf, but I thought I heard Lewis referred to Tristan "Newtson" on a few occasions.

When Newton got the rebound to round out his triple-double, Lappas asked how the crowd knew? I haven't been to the Civic Center since the 2020 Memphis game, but doesn't a portion of the center court board indicate the lineup on the floor along with point, assists, and rebounds? Am I misremembering?
Yep , and there was also the time it was said that we had won three titles
 

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