And You Thought Junior Had a Bad Day ...
FOX withstands some serious criticism for its coverage of the Daytona 500.
Having spent Sunday's Daytona 500 alternating between the MRN broadcast and listening to driver communications, I only occasionally turned my attention to the big screen TV to my left at ESPNZone in New York City.
Judging from the fallout that has continued through the week, I'm apparently glad I wasn't limited to watching the race strictly through the eyes of Mike, Larry, Darryl. And though the overly-caffeinated guys on MRN come with their own vexing habits, if I never have to hear 'boogity, boogity, boogity' ever again, it's fine by me.
Apparently, however, DW's idiotic catchphrase doesn't rank among the top 10 of FOX's Most Annoying Broadcast habits. That dubious distinction belongs to Digger, the rodent that lives near a camera embedded in the track. One writer has Digger being mentioned 20 times to 11 for Kyle Busch during one stretch of the race. And during a David Hill press conference in the days leading up to the race, a beat reporter and Hill exchanged unpleasantness when the writer had the gall to question FOX's reliance on the animated rodent.
At the end of the day, Digger notwithstanding, my greatest issue with these broadcasts -- and I'm certainly not alone nor am I breaking any new ground -- is the start times. Had FOX started the 500 closer to 1 PM than the 3:20 it did, the race might have been run to completion; there have even been some grumblings that FOX was the driving force behind NASCAR's decision to call the race as quickly as it did -- at least on the East Coast, FOX's Sunday night lineup went off without a hitch or any delay.
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WTF Fox? Digger needs to go. the gopher cam is ok but shit, we dont need a comic book and a whole cast of characters!
2nd, having just watched week 2, the pre race was still horrible. The JR interview was pretty good but the rest of the show sucks. Why dont they get in the garages and talk about race strategy/equipment driver strengths (and not just the big 4 or 5 names). I dont need a banjo lesson from Gavin Rosdale.
I think FOX thinks NASCAR fans are dumb hillbillys who are entertained by anything.
I may be in the minority, but in the past I have liked Fox's coverage. Of the TV analysts, DW provides the most relevant information from the driver perspective combined with an obvious passion for the sport. Catchphrases or not, he's entertaining and informative.
That being said, Sunday's broadcast was crap. Having watched much of the Super Bowl-length pre-race, I can't point to a single bit of relevant news or an interview that I even remembered five minutes after it aired. It was a waste of time.
The rest of the broadcast just seemed way over the top. Like someone poured about 15 Red Bulls into the crew's coffee. For a race without a ton of excitement, you'd think it was the freakin' greatest race ever listening to the FOX broadcasters.
And Digger? My kids love Digger. Once. After that, Digger has done it's job, lured the kiddies into the race, and they'd rather watch cars go fast. Maybe FOX thinks an America in recession needs cartoon gophers to accepot motorsports...but we're not that dumb, or broke...
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PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, somebody talk some sense into those guys at FOX! While I'm smart enough to realize that Digger is nothing more than a marketing tool for kids, I'd love to get back to some meat and potatoes pre-race news, DROP THE CARTOONS FOX, you're wasting our time.
Lets get back to racing.
mike