NBC should use tech to better explain obscure sports
Written by on August 12th, 2008 in Latest News.
NBC’s Olympics coverage has attracted viewers in record numbers, but the network hasn’t done a excellent job using technology to clarify obscure sports to all the new fans.
Take the men’s gymnastics competition: analyst Tim Daggett repeatedly said that the Chinese gymnasts performed far harder routines on nearly every piece of equipment than their counterparts from other countries.
Given today’s high definition video and powerful video editing programs, it would have been simple for Tim and his producers to place together comparisons that illustrated how Chinese routines differed from, say, American routines and why they were more hard.
It would’ve also been simple to show split-screen pictures of different people attempting the same moves and using those two pictures to illustrate which was better and why.
But NBC didn’t do that, so we just have to take Tim’s word for it that the Chinese did harder routines and did them better than the competition.
The same problem has occurred again and again during the games.
I don’t even really know why Michael Phelps swims quicker than other people.
I’ve heard he has huge feet and is double-jointed, but NBC has never superimposed his strokes against the competitors so I could see how his flexibility leads to more powerful strokes.
Original post by AFP and software by Elliott Back
