Hey, Fox Sports

[snowkot]

Please give Fanta and Adams a podcast where they can babble all they want and put a real play by play sportscaster and color analyst on your programs. We actually care why a ref blows a whistle and who the foul was called on. Maybe discuss the type of defense being played and let us know what subs have come in. Hire some professionals, for crying out loud

Fanta makes my ears bleed. If he keeps saying UConn has 7 starters multiple times each game, I’m going to put my fist through the TV.

This, though its basically a quote of my post in the other thread, though that was more around our former analyst.

Repetitive verbal diarrhea, featuring the same platitudes over and over while the game goes on in the background. Last night's broadcast was one of the worst national broadcasts in memory. Adams, for me, was similar, rhapsodizing on players' histories and qualities, even as she was missing what was going on in front of her, e.g. exclaiming that Azzi Fudd was so on, her early 3-3 on 3 pointers have touched nothing but net, even as we just saw her third one contact the front rim. The few times she tried to comment (e.g. the ridiculous blocking foul on Strong's defender), Fanta talked over her. The one time there was actually room for drama - Creighton cuts the lead to 14 - they basically ignored it.

Total and complete incompetence.

Ryan Ruocco ("YOU BET!") is probably the best there is at the moment, though I think Beth Mowins is quite good.

 

[Golden Husky]

While I agree with the sentiments being expressed regarding the loquacious Mr. Fanta, I also would like to express my gratitude to The Boneyard faithful for not referring to Fanta as a broadcast journalist. As someone who toiled as an "ink-stained wretch" for 48 years, it's been my experience that most journalists know that the preposition comes before the noun: "Turn over the ball" not "turn the ball over" and that the names of colleges and universities are singular: "UConn will win the National Championship if it..." not, "UConn will win the National Championship if they..."

Although I usually make this point on Veterans Day--and not all journalists agree--I believe the term "veteran" should be reserved for those who have served their country in uniform. Long-tenured ballplayers are experienced. Referring to them as veterans demeans the sacrifice of our military men and women.

Rant over.

Discuss.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Not knowing who the foul was called on is one of my biggest pet peeves . . . in life!

Call the !@#$% game!

 

[Gus Mahler]

Not quite the point you're making, but one of my favorite (not) BB clichés is "she can really score the ball." What does "score the ball" convey that "score" doesn't? You can score a point or score a basket, but how do you score the ball?

It's similar to business people when they say something like "this is a good buy at this price point." Why do you need to add "point"? Isn't a price a point?

While I agree with the sentiments being expressed regarding the loquacious Mr. Fanta, I also would like to express my gratitude to The Boneyard faithful for not referring to Fanta as a broadcast journalist. As someone who toiled as an "ink-stained wretch" for 48 years, it's been my experience that most journalists know that the preposition comes before the noun: "Turn over the ball" not "turn the ball over" and that the names of colleges and universities are singular: "UConn will win the National Championship if it..." not, "UConn will win the National Championship if they..."

Although I usually make this point on Veterans Day--and not all journalists agree--I believe the term "veteran" should be reserved for those who have served their country in uniform. Long-tenured ballplayers are experienced. Referring to them as veterans demeans the sacrifice of our military men and women.

Rant over.

Discuss.

 

[and one]

I would like to hear Kim Adams paired with a better play by play announcer. While she is not as a good as Rebecca (and Kara Lawson prior to coaching) she is better than many! Sarah Kustock is my least favorite

That's the thing - Fanta does not do play by play. That ubiquitous formula of pairing a play by play announcer with a color person who was involved in the sport only works if someone actually does the play by play part.

 

[Steelerone]

It's Fox. What do you expect? I believe the term, "Television is a vast wasteland" was coined to describe the Fox programming.

 

[BBallF]

Please give Fanta and Adams a podcast where they can babble all they want and put a real play by play sportscaster and color analyst on your programs. We actually care to know why a ref blows a whistle and who the foul was called on. Maybe discuss the type of defense being played and let us know what subs have come in. Hire some professionals, for crying out loud

Fanta makes my ears bleed. If he keeps saying UConn has 7 starters multiple times each game, I’m going to put my fist through the TV.

Is there a place to call, write to or e-mail to about this ongoing atrocity?

 

[ME Husky Fan]

He loves the sport and what he does and for me the antithesis of Antonelli so I’m good with Fanta.

 

[Viet Vet]

Does anyone yap more than Steve Lappas or Donny Marshall? And can directors please stop showing us fans, parents and cheerleaders during play?

 

[Zinethar]

I often wonder if they are instructed to go to "color" discussions if one team gets an x (like 20+) point lead to try to hold the audience. UConn fans are rabid and do not lose interest when they are up by 30+. I didn't min them as much as some here but have heard them both do better jobs. My current pet peeve is listening to analysts telling us how good someone is at scoring off the bounce. I guess we just bounce the ball now. We used to dribble it and not palm it (Chen has become very bad at that one).

 

[snowkot]

Not quite the point you're making, but one of my favorite (not) BB clichés is "she can really score the ball." What does "score the ball" convey that "score" doesn't? You can score a point or score a basket, but how do you score the ball?

This, sort of.

What else can one score with? Scoring in this sport necessarily implies it's been done with "the ball." It's nothing more than a redundant, hack intellectual expansion for those desiring to appear erudite.

While we're here, one (among many) of mine is the excessive, superfluous use of "able" (e.g. Rebecca Lobo), most always immediately after the players name. Marv Albert popularized it, properly, however, for some, it's become ubiquitous.

[SAT words leveraged here calculatingly, premeditatedly for sarcasm - referring to professional broadcasters, not those posting on here.
]

 

[JoePgh]

I watched last night's game in person, then I read this thread, and finally (this afternoon) I watched the replay on TV. I was prepared for a much more negative experience with the announcers than I actually observed when I watched the replay. The only thing I would say is that they were a bit too pro-UConn and pro-Big East. They certainly weren't anti-Creighton. It occurs to me that Fox has the contract to cover the Big East and the Big Ten, while ESPN has the SEC and the ACC (and also the Big 12?). So I would not be surprised if the announcers were instructed by their bosses to advertise Fox's "own" conferences and the quality of play in them.

But, as I've said before, you can't realistically expect TV announcers to be focused on the game details when the game is not really competitive, which last night's game was not after the first quarter. I didn't notice much irrelevant talk during the first quarter, but certainly there was more of it as the game progressed. When it's an 18-25 point game in the third and fourth quarters, any "normal" fan will lose interest in the details of who substituted for whom or who committed the last foul. Boneyarders, including me, will always be interested in those details, but we're not normal fans.

There were some extraneous discussion topics that I actually was interested to hear about, such as the graphic showing that the only two teams that are in the top 10 nationally in both offense and defense are UCLA and UConn. I know it's easier for UConn to generate gaudy statistics when it plays in a non-competitive conference, but still this seems like a significant factoid.

 

[KCD]

When I'm watching a game, I want to see the game. I don't want the screen to be frequently cutting away to other things. I want to know who fouls are on and this doesn't just happen later in games. If the announcers aren't talking about the game or showing the game what good are they? If they aren't giving you information pertaining to the ongoing game, I would rather not have announcers. Show the entire game and I can figure it out. At least I get to see the game.

 

[Plebe]

As someone who toiled as an "ink-stained wretch" for 48 years, it's been my experience that most journalists know that the preposition comes before the noun: "Turn over the ball" not "turn the ball over" and that the names of colleges and universities are singular: "UConn will win the National Championship if it..." not, "UConn will win the National Championship if they..."

Grammarphile who's done extensive translation and editing work here.

“Over” is not a preposition in this context. It's an adverb that is part of a “phrasal verb,” and there's nothing incorrect about placing it after the direct object. In fact, such placement is required if the direct object is a pronoun: One would say “turn it over,” not “turn over it.” I have never seen a single style manual that would suggest otherwise.

If the name of the university stands in as a team name, it can be understood as a collective noun, and subsequent references in the plural are perfectly fine: “My team is waiting on me at the restuarant. I suspect they are planning a surprise party.”

 

[Forego]

That's a cool idea. How do you do that?

Better yet, tell Adams how to do that.

 

[Plebe]

Although I usually make this point on Veterans Day--and not all journalists agree--I believe the term "veteran" should be reserved for those who have served their country in uniform. Long-tenured ballplayers are experienced. Referring to them as veterans demeans the sacrifice of our military men and women.

Rant over.

Discuss.

Well, since discussion was invited ... the word “veteran” has been used in non-military contexts dating back to the 1500s (see, for example, here).

Polysemy (multiple possible meanings for a single word) is an integral feature of the language, and I don't believe this inherently cheapens any of the potential meanings. No one is demeaning anyone, IMO, simply by referring to a “veteran athlete” or “veteran employee,” etc.

 

[Dynastic]

Fox/ FS1 need to step up the talent of their announcers.

I really think that at the last moment Fox realized they bought the rights to this tournament and called up a few people in the local area. In college I ran a bar and once a week or so I would air the campus news by the students. In solidarity to where you’re at in life it became a drinking game, so you drink every time they screw up… only a half hour broadcast and people would be hammered.