Well it certainly was a fairytale performance from Jelena Dokic at the Australian Open. She won our hearts and took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It's fair to say that there hasn't been an Open this full of drama and intrigue since last year.
God I hate some of the crap that commentators come up with. First off is Alicia Molik, who is putting on a truly awful audition for a long term commentary position. Lucky for her she's only competing against Johanna Griggs, Tracy Austin and Casey Bevilaqua. Did you see her post-match interview of Dinara Safina?
Molik: How many off seasons have you had?
Safina: [blank look]
Molik: How many off seasons have you had?
Safina: What?
Molik:[thinking to herself: god, i'm asking her a supremely incisive question, that demonstrates my ability as a commentator, and she can't speak english]
Molik: [tugging collar] what i'm trying to say is.. er...ah geez... you look great, i mean when i played you, you were a fat piece of shit. What's your secret?
Safina: Shut the fuck up
The other thing I hate is when an Australian player loses and their performance is called 'brave'. This is especially reserved for really bad players, really bad losses and women players. Oh my fuck, that Jelena Dokic is so brave! If I had to go into the forest at night I'd want her with me. Did you see how she made 45 unforced errors? She's so brave. Can you imagine if Lleyton Hewitt's loss to Fernando Gonzalez was referred to as brave? Or Pat Rafter's loss to Ivanisevic in the Wimbledon final? C'mon, what is that?! Let's all try to use brave far more frequently and inappropriately. By the way, I thought Del Potro's loss to Federer was very brave.
Lastly (for now) I hate it that tennis commentators, more than cricket or league or football commentators, always give advice to the losing players. Dokic really needs to stop going for the lines. She needs controlled aggression. If I was her, that's what I'd do, and it would make me win and beat Safina. I don't know why she's not doing it. Just call the game, give us a little bit of insight due to your years on the tour, and leave it at that. BASTARDS!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I saw the 'off season' embarassment also. It was stomach churning, skin tingling, channel-changing material.
What the hell kind of question is that for ANY player, let alone one who does not have strong English? "You played well. How many anvils do you operate?"
I almost vomited at Matthew White's interview with Dokic, where he 'reminded' her, and the audience, that she would soon be representing Australia again, and that this was all part of her general recovery in the sport. What the?! If anyone ever needed to be quietly taken out the back and shot, it's these zombified tv personalities who automatically spew loaded questions, and portray every player as hero or villain.
Someone recently told me that the Australian people don't really have an opinion about anything - they get their opinions from the media. It's a frightening thought with lightweights like Matthew White playing this role. - cw
wow, i've never seen anything quite so purposeful or forceful from you - and yet it's completely in keeping with everything else you've written. and you're completely right.
there is a crisis in sports commentary in this country, and i've alluded to it before. How many sports journalists, in print, radio or television, are required viewing? there is a ginormous, gaping whole in the market, just waiting for someone who knows what they're doing to fill it.
although i haven't seen him in action this year, at least jim courier has the respect of some of the players. Alicia Molik? It might as well be Rachel McQuillan or Richard Stubbs.
Post a Comment