More terrible coverage by Universal Sports

[oldvaultfan]

Univeral sports has done it again. This time with coverage (or lack thereof) of the diamond league meet in Paris. Miles finishes second at 5.70 but does not get a second of airtime. We see Hooker missing and getting a NH and the winner Renaud L. on a number of jumps. This time dumbell Dwight (Stones) pukes all over himself going on about what great technique the French jumps have and have always had. Tell me dum-dum, how many record holders have these great technique jumpers produced?

[KirkB]

We actually got a little better coverage in Canada. CBC showed the best clearances for each of Lavillenie, Miles, and Mazuryk, as well as Hooker's 3rd miss. For a one-hour highlight reel in prime time, I can't complain.

This time dumbell Dwight (Stones) pukes all over himself going on about what great technique the French jumps have and have always had.

Give Stones a break ... what does he know ... he's a high-jumper. Altho I guess if he doesn't understand PV technique, he shouldn't rant about it.

Tell me dum-dum, how many record holders have these great technique jumpers produced?

But to answer your question, 7 WRs by 3 different vaulters ... all in the time period 1980-1984. Thierry Vigneron, Philippe Houvion, and Pierre Quinon. Not a bad run, actually ... but their technique is "dated" (pre-Bubka).

Kirk

[Pogo Stick]

Univeral sports has done it again. This time with coverage (or lack thereof) of the diamond league meet in Paris. Miles finishes second at 5.70 but does not get a second of airtime. We see Hooker missing and getting a NH and the winner Renaud L. on a number of jumps. This time dumbell Dwight (Stones) pukes all over himself going on about what great technique the French jumps have and have always had. Tell me dum-dum, how many record holders have these great technique jumpers produced?

This is general problem with T&F in USA and we can spend years discussing about chicken & egg problem - does T&F need to be more attractive to TV or need better coverage first. In my opinion if baseball can be one of the top TV sports in USA and is profitable for TV companies and teams, then any sport can be. It is matter of having plan, good management and pouring enough money. Of course, as a guy who is coming here from "old world", my opinion about baseball is totally subjective due to lack of understanding of this sport caused by different cultural and sport background.
I do agree that T&F coverage in North America is bad, but in this particular case Universal Sports was just taking video feed from French TV. It is normal that they were showing his guy who has, by the way, the best result in the world this year. Hooker is current olympic and world champion and deserve coverage even if NH.
Regarding French jumpers and their technique, although I am not big fan of them, in last 30 years they've set world record 7 times. This is exactly 7 more than USA vaulters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_pole_vault_world_record_progression)

[UWvaulter]

Please take my short 9 question US televised meet broadcast survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GZTPQPM

[dj]

good morning

you are so right about baseball and track!!! even though i "played" both i have never figured out how some guy scratching his privates in center field was more marketable than head to head dog eat dog competition!!! Or a sport where 30% was good enough.

USATF has never done their job with marketing... and has never hired anyone that can “think outside the box”..

But I do have to say this.. the “powers” in the news media will not allow track and field, all the way back to when I started coaching in 1969, to get more coverage than baseball, football and now basketball.

Soccer is fighting the same battle.

While at Florida we got a track runner hired at the newspaper and the editor killed 80% of her stories. The Orlando Sentential had one of the greatest track writers ever and 80% of what he wrote was cut by “higher ups”.

If we really want to change things we need to do what we managed to do with the second Manhattan Beach Vault, get the local cable to cover it. If we do that with every Beach, Street and Mall vault, and give them something to fill some of their hours, we will eventually get sponsors that want to be involved.

The sponsors will demand a better job overall. Right now the sponsors must be demanding hours of runners making circles around the track so their shoes can be seen. Or hours of a sprinter/hurdlers “life” so they can sell a product.

Since those early days of Beach, Mall and street vaults the vault has continued to “organize”. The summit being a prim example, but it has to be “forced” onto TV with “black” add space that will create money to move forward. It will continue to be a “nickel and dime”, mom and pop organization until someone puts together a “circuit” like beach volleyball.. to take it from a “step child” phase to getting hype (and sponsors) when it’s in town.

By the way Dwight did the Manhattan Beach Vault, not by my request, but Jan Johnson and Ron Morris did a much better job the year before when it wasn’t on TV.

dj

[oldvaultfan]

With respect to the French records - I stand admonished and apologize. In regard to dumb-dumb Stones, I hold my ground. If he doesn't know anything about it, then don't say anything about it! Get someone who has some smarts and would make a great TV guy. Hartwig comes to mind and I'm sure there are others.