Surfing the web while trying to figure out how the U.S. lost Sunday:
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Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that Aaron Rodgers isn’t a fan of wearing mics for NFL Films.
From Wolfley:
“NFL and (NFL) Films have the power, I guess you could say, to try and make you do it,” Rodgers said during his radio show. “Not even try. To make you do it. So I’m not crazy about it. I’m really not. I love watching it on TV and watching other people do it, but haven’t felt great about doing it personally because I want everything to be authentic. Often, I don’t think the interaction is going to be the same. This one, I tried not to think about it at all.
“My last two games being mic’d up, counting Sunday and last year’s Denver game have gone pretty well,” Rodgers said. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it more often. There is going to be some good stuff coming out of this one (vs. the Saints). But they can make you do it if they want.”
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Since I was at the Ryder Cup, I didn’t get a chance to watch ESPN and NBC’s telecast. However, I did have a radio on the course and listened Sirius/XM’s broadcoast. I have to admit after hearing the same Get-ready-to-play-golf ads for the thousandth time, I wanted to chuck the radio into the lake.
Apparently, Bradley Klein of Golfweek felt the same way. He thought the numerous commerical breaks ruined the telecasts.
He writes:
The best-televised sporting event of the year – if not the young century – was almost spoiled by the stop-start nature of the action.
Even as all 12 Ryder Cup matches were out on the course at once – by 2 p.m. EDT Sunday – and the action was flying fast and furious, NBC-TV opted to pay the bills and cut six or seven times an hour for commercial breaks. At least the last three-quarters of an hour went without an ad or a break.
Klein then did a breakdown of the commercials. It turns 16 of those Get-ready-for-golf ads. Mind-numbing.
NBC Network Programming: 31
Omega Watches: 16
Get Golf Ready/Tee It Forward/Play Golf America: 13
Cadillac: 10
Mercedes: 10
National Car Rental: 10
Samsung Galaxy: 9
Royal Bank of Canada: 8
Michelob Ultra beer: 7
PGA.com: 6
Scottrade: 4
TD Ameritrade: 4
U.S. Bank: 4
ADT: 3
American National Gas Association: 3
Citi: 3
Geico: 3
Golf Channel: 3
Motorola Droid: 3
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It’s good to be a big-time in football. Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about Oklahoma’s new deal with Fox Sports.
According to Oklahoma’s contract, which The Times was allowed to examine, the university will get $40.1 million in rights fees over 10 years, starting with $3.5 million this academic year, and increasing by about 3 percent annually. In addition, Fox will reimburse Oklahoma’s SoonerVision nearly all of its costs in producing virtually all the programming. Over 10 years, it will get $18.05 million.
SoonerVision started operations in 1997 and recently invested $5 million in its facilities.
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Goose: If you missed it the first time, NBA Network is airing the documentary on Harlem Globetrotters legend Goose Tatum tonight at 9 ET. At the height of his career, Tatum was among the most famous athletes in the world.
From the release:
GOOSE celebrates the basketball legend that was posthumously enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. The film, produced by Mannie Jackson, chairman of Boxcar Entertainment, in association with Chicago-based TeamWorks Media, tells the story of the leader of the Harlem Globetrotters from 1941-1955. A true sports icon, Tatum possessed a rare combination of basketball talent and comedic genius. His impact on the game has transcended generations, as the no-look pass, which he introduced to the game, has become a basketball staple.
A baseball player in the Negro League prior to his basketball career, Goose went on to become one of the most dynamic athletes of his time. In a segregated society, Goose reached across color lines to appeal to fans of all races. At the peak of his international fame and fortune, he did the unthinkable when he left the Globetrotters, pioneering the concept of free agency and establishing himself as an entrepreneur by owning two sports teams.
The film is narrated by film star Anthony Mackie who has appeared in such motion pictures as the Academy Award-winning The Hurt Locker and Million Dollar Baby, as well as The Adjustment Bureau, We Are Marshall, Half Nelson, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
TeamWorks Media’s other documentary projects include The Street Stops Here, the story of legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr.; The Team That Changed The World, which revealed how the Harlem Globetrotters helped to break the color barrier in professional basketball; and Disco Demolition 25th Anniversary: The Real Story, a documentary examining the Chicago White Sox promotion that quickly became an influential moment in music history.