For all the complaining coming through on the March to Madness thread, I think you get an idea of what the rest of the world thinks about the HBO series from the NCAA write-up of the first episode. These are the people the series was made for - people interested in sports, and in women's basketball, but who are not fanatic UConn fans. This is an introduction to and a peek behind the curtain of this phenomenon that rules the college game. And they are impressed.
UConn fans forget that the rest of women's sports fans in general and WCBB fans specifically that do not bleed national flag blue are used to occasionally getting their team's games on TV with production qualities akin to HS tournament levels - single camera, local level analysts, bad sound, dead airtime, etc. If they are lucky, they get a game or two broadcast using B team ESPN or CBS crews. They didn't have CPTV for the last 20 years, and they certainly haven't had SNY with its really high quality production values. They have not had the Geno show and the Husky's All Access shows ten times each season to get insights into their team. And they didn't have ESPN produce a series of segments on their team either. So for all those fans, this is BIG NEWS. This is amazing to see a national broadcast with superb production values devoted to any women's sport. This is unique. The only thing to compare it to is things like NFL films programs - it is better than the stuff produced for Alabama football, or Kentucky basketball, and it is all about a women's sports team! That just doesn't happen!
And here we sit criticizing the actual content. We are a little jaded. SNY has spoiled us. And we don't acknowledge just how good SNY has been, or notice it even now. The reason we complain is because we have become used to the really high production values on SNY broadcasts and specials, so HBO is just more of the same, and in their one hour to date, they did not fully cover the past four months in the depth that we already have seen on SNY, and they didn't shoehorn in all the players and coaches, and all the important moments of those four months. And there really weren't enough new insights into the team, because between the print contingent and SNY we know just about everything there is to know about anything to do with the team.
I do think it is worth taking a step back, and realizing how particularly blessed we are. That we follow the best team that has ever been, that is covered in more depth and with more quality by print and broadcast media than any other women's team in the world, and most men's college teams in football or basketball.
. Who plays Erica?
