The posts have grown few on the ground lately, but there is a very good reason for this: I am doing play by play commentary on Olympic basketball for the BBC, with the British former NBA player John Amaechi, and we are doing three games each day. Between the preparation, the actual time broadcasting, the fighting through the huge crowds channeled through a gigantic mall before they can get into the Olympic Park, and the trying to care for my grated larynx, there hasn't been time to actually clear my head and write.
If you'd like to hear the commentary, the BBC has shown quite a bit of it on BBC2 and BBC3, but every game is available online and usually via red button. Most of the games we do are also taken by the host broadcast feed, and thus are available to countries without their own commentators at the game. We are also being used by Channel 9 Australia for quite a few games live in Australia. And if none of that works, there are always ways in this wonderful age of the interweb.
I have discovered an unpublished article I wrote with some bitchiness about the reaction to winter olympic coverage ten years ago, and I may be able to publish that, and speaking of bitchiness, I would like to do an appreciation of Gore Vidal, when I have time to do him justice.
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4 comments :
Really enjoying the commentary Mike - It must be tricky to switch from analyst to play-by-play guy but you're doing very well.
I noticed yesterday's Nigeria-Lithuania game was broadcast without commentary though! Any vacancies??? ;) haha.
I would be surprised at that, because they are supposed to have the OBS (host) feed available with comms for every game...most of ours (usually all but GBR games) also go out as host feed (which is why there are sometimes 5-10 sec silences for cue points) and BBC have access to games done by OBS commentators (or Channel 9 Australia sometimes) if we arent doing them
I like doing play by play--have done a lot over the years, and basketball is good cause the field is all within the screen most of the time....
Hey Mike, I would just like to say that I have really enjoyed your and John's commentary for the men's and women's basketball.
I really like how you and John make an effort to explain the rules in offensive and defensive situations , as most of my friends think basketball is played along the lines of the 1996 film Space Jam.
Also, I have just gotta to say that your comment about the Turkish point guard looking like a Smurf made me chuckle, best comment of the Olympics so far.
I hope your head is alright after getting a ball thrown at you! It was actually pretty scary to listen to. I thought some psycho Crads fan had invaded your commentary position!
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