Americans loosing early makes a pleasent viewing experience in TV ?

sanimej · May 29, 2012

I am from US..and I do really like this country.. but sometimes I feel there is a misplaced sense of patriotism that really spoils my tennis watching experience..

ok, let me explain..

lets say a US player not even in the top 100 makes it through couple of rounds in a major.. the commentators just go full blown crazy and start giving you every possible stats about the guy, down to how many times his grand father used to fart in a day.. guys like Robby Ginepri, Jesse Witten. And the best of all, Melanie Oudin.

Today's serena's game, did you guys notice the kind of adulation from Linday about Senera ? 'who is left to out grind serena in this year' blah blah..

Once all the US guys/gals are out, they come out of their patriotism dope and just start focusing on the game of tennis which makes a nicer viewer experience..

Defcon · May 29, 2012

Yes. Not to mention the endless replays of the same match that we will now be spared, since US networks prioritize Serena/Venus replays over live tennis between the top men. They also used to hype Donald Young as well! And it's funny how the female commentators never ever give any credit to the opponent.

Dedans Penthouse · May 29, 2012

sanimej said:
I am from US..and I do really like this country.. but sometimes I feel there is a misplaced sense of patriotism that really spoils my tennis watching experience..

ok, let me explain..

lets say a US player not even in the top 100 makes it through couple of rounds in a major.. the commentators just go full blown crazy and start giving you every possible stats about the guy, down to how many times his grand father used to fart in a day.. guys like Robby Ginepri, Jesse Witten. And the best of all, Melanie Oudin.

Today's serena's game, did you guys notice the kind of adulation from Linday about Senera ? 'who is left to out grind serena in this year' blah blah..

Once all the US guys/gals are out, they come out of their patriotism dope and just start focusing on the game of tennis which makes a nicer viewer experience..

A total exaggeration, suggesting that 'patriotism' is harped on ad nauseum throughout the ENTIRE match of all the players you mentioned (and I've watched the matches). Total b.s.

And, Davenport giving Serena (winner of TWENTY-SEVEN grand slam titles btw) props is probably more about the gracious nature of a Lindsey Davenport, something that you might not be able to relate to. But say what you want--this country allows you that right.

sanimej · May 29, 2012

Dedans Penthouse said:
A total exaggeration, suggesting that 'patriotism' is harped on ad nauseum throughout the ENTIRE match of all the players you mentioned (and I've watched the matches). Total b.s.

And, Davenport giving Serena (winner of TWENTY-SEVEN grand slam titles btw) props is probably more about the gracious nature of a Lindsey Davenport, something that you might not be able to relate to. But say what you want--this country allows you that right.

Did you watch the game ? Lindsay could only praise Serena's great game play even in a point that she lost..

Andreas1965 · May 29, 2012

Same experience here. German TV focuses on German players. 2 days ago they showed some German hack ranked somewhere between 100 and 500 instead of showing big tennis on Chatrier.

Good news is that by the end of the week all Germans will be out. Then they can focus on those guys we all want to see. If they only would quit showing women's tennis instead of the men it'll be perfect.

Tennis_Hands · May 29, 2012

Andreas1965 said:
Same experience here. German TV focuses on German players. 2 days ago they showed some German hack ranked somewhere between 100 and 500 instead of showing big tennis on Chatrier.

Good news is that by the end of the week all Germans will be out. Then they can focus on those guys we all want to see. If they only would quit showing women's tennis instead of the men it'll be perfect.

+ 1

It is extremely annoying, that even the sport news do not cover what is going on at the biggest tennis tournament, covering only the matches of the german players, as if Nadal, Federer, Djokovic etc, do not exist (OK, they show the results, at least).

Wuppy · May 29, 2012

I agree with OP, tennis is not a sport based on countries competing (except for the Davis Cup which should be abolished IMHO). I couldn't care less where a person is from. The Peace of Westphalia be d*mned.

Gizo · May 29, 2012

Davenport and Serena are very good friends with each other (Davenport invited her to her baby shower for example) and no player was able to make Lindsay feel quite so helpess on the court as Serena (maybe Henin came close).

Evening after the LA final in 2004 which Lindsay won convincingly, Serena was all smiles after the game and two players were chatting a lot during the trophy presentation. It's hard to imagine her being quite so cheerful had she only won 4 games in a final against most other opponents on the tour.

Funny that Davenport liked Serena but hated Venus.

I'm not American but I fear for the popularity of women's tennis in the US when the Williams sisters eventually retire.

Being British I often use to like it when Henman and Rusedski were eliminated from slams, and the overly patriotic coverage became more balanced.

I remember watching the Switzerland-Great Britain Davis Cup tie in 2005. When the BBC interviewed Federer after the opening, they kept on asking him question after question about Murray which was embarrasing. Gary Richards (most famous for being the interview who infuriated Kournikova in 2002), asked Baghdatis at Wimbledon in 2006 how much of an honour it would be play the great Andy Murray in a 4th round match on centre court (Murray merely a 19 year old prospect at the time). Baghdatis had to remind the clown that just had year he had reached the Australian Open final beating a sequence of top 10 players along the way.

.

courtking · May 29, 2012

+1 here.. I am supporting all American players but come on.. the commentators just go on & on & on how good are they.. specially the Williams.. Isner and etc.. TC kept replay the same match till death... in a few more days, all American players will be out and we will have a nice, fair FO matches..

Nathaniel_Near · May 29, 2012

sanimej said:
I am from US..and I do really like this country.. but sometimes I feel there is a misplaced sense of patriotism that really spoils my tennis watching experience..

ok, let me explain..

lets say a US player not even in the top 100 makes it through couple of rounds in a major.. the commentators just go full blown crazy and start giving you every possible stats about the guy, down to how many times his grand father used to fart in a day.. guys like Robby Ginepri, Jesse Witten. And the best of all, Melanie Oudin.

Today's serena's game, did you guys notice the kind of adulation from Linday about Senera ? 'who is left to out grind serena in this year' blah blah..

Once all the US guys/gals are out, they come out of their patriotism dope and just start focusing on the game of tennis which makes a nicer viewer experience..

What were the figures?

Wuppy · May 29, 2012

Depends on the amount of roughage he ate that week.

sureshs · May 30, 2012

sanimej said:
I am from US..and I do really like this country.. but sometimes I feel there is a misplaced sense of patriotism that really spoils my tennis watching experience..

ok, let me explain..

lets say a US player not even in the top 100 makes it through couple of rounds in a major.. the commentators just go full blown crazy and start giving you every possible stats about the guy, down to how many times his grand father used to fart in a day.. guys like Robby Ginepri, Jesse Witten. And the best of all, Melanie Oudin.

Today's serena's game, did you guys notice the kind of adulation from Linday about Senera ? 'who is left to out grind serena in this year' blah blah..

Once all the US guys/gals are out, they come out of their patriotism dope and just start focusing on the game of tennis which makes a nicer viewer experience..

I don't think it is about patriotism, but familiarity. The Williams sell, whether it is on ESPN or on QVC. The Donald or Oudin or Fishy is good for a short mention, that is all.

For Lindsay, it is a combination of her memories (which is part of the reason she is paid, don't forget that) and the knowledge that once Serena is retired (assuming she is not already), the two can do a lot for each other, which translates into hard cash. And no, nobody has made enough money and doesn't want more.

jm1980 · May 30, 2012

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

spaceman_spiff · May 30, 2012

I hate to tell you this, but it's like that in just about every country that has any players in the draw.

For example, when a Russian is playing, the Russian commentators don't say the players' names. They always say "our player versus the Swiss/German/American/Spaniard." Here in Britain, it's usually "Murray/Robson/Baltacha versus the Russian/American/Spaniard." Not quite as bad, but still overly patriotic for an individual sport.

It's like that in other sports as well. I once watched a soccer game on Russian TV between a French team and a German team in which the commentators were basically chearing for the referee because he was Russian. Imagine watching the Lakers play the Celtics and hearing someone chear for the ref because he's from the person's hometown.

None of what I've seen in the countries I've lived in has been any less patriotic than what I grew up seeing in the US, unless the country had no involvement in the competition whatsoever.

baseliner · May 30, 2012

If you are watching American TV, understand the producers think they can best sell the commercials if they feature American players. I get annoyed sometimes at their choice of matches, but the alternative (pre-tennis channel) is no tennis until the semis.

Flash O'Groove · May 30, 2012

I think it is everywhere the same, but I don't really mind, on the contrary.

The french television shows a lot of interesting french player playing against interesting but unknown over players, and it give us the opportunity to see these players.

On the Swiss television on the contrary, only Federer, Wawrinka, Djokovic and Nadal are broadcasted, and I don't think Nadal vs Bolelli is so interesting. We have a lot of opportunity to see these top players in action during each tournament, as they go far in each tournament. On the contrary, the french journeyman enter only in the slam and it is the sole opportunity to watch them and their opponents.

I wish commentators where less patriotics, but I like to see journeyman in action time to time.

Netzroller · May 30, 2012

Yes, I understand your point, but as others have already mentioned, the situation is similar in most other countries. It might be a bit more extreme in the US since the country has been more succesful than any other in tennis so they might automatically assume that their players are great/the best.

I would understand it more if there are national teams competing against each other, though I still want the commentators to be objective. But it's even more annoying in individual sports.

joeri888 · May 30, 2012

Uhm, well in every country there's special attention for their countrymen, but NOT the replay kinda thing, that would REALLLYYY **** me off.

a10best · May 30, 2012

joeri888 said:
Uhm, well in every country there's special attention for their countrymen, but NOT the replay kinda thing, that would REALLLYYY **** me off.

I agree they all do it in each country.. but the replay thing is getting overdone in US.
I can't watch Querrey, Isner, Oudin, Harrison as well. I just can't. If they make it to the Qtrs or higher in a slam, then TV should play it. Otherwise, show us the top 10 players in the early rounds.

PCXL-Fan · May 30, 2012

To be frank I think american's are about as patriotic if not less compared with other countries when it comes to sports. You are living in a bubble OP. (lets pick some other country out of the blue) If Lithuania followed its own players with fervour you would have no problem with that.

This thread illustrates how americans are often times less patriotic about defending their nation on whatever issue compared to citizens of other nations defending their respective nation. You'd never hear so many Spaniards ripping into their own nation like so many Americans here are.

hoodjem · May 30, 2012

I hate it how the American networks concentrate on American players: showing irrelevant, unimportant American matches over really good non-American ones.

Good tennis is good tennis. The TV producers are selling their American audiences short thinking that they will watch only if there is an Amercian to root for.

The_Question · May 30, 2012

baseliner said:
If you are watching American TV, understand the producers think they can best sell the commercials if they feature American players. .

That's correct. It's where they can make the dough. I'm sure if there are a current player that plays well as the past champions like Sampras, Agassi, McEnore, etc...American viewers wouldn't mind the repeated broadcast of American players on TV. Sadly, it's a weak era for American players. All the top players are Europeans, so clearly nobody wants to see Roddick's match, compared to say, a Nadal's match.

radioavenger · May 30, 2012

This happens in every country and it has nothing to do with patriotism rather than number of viewers they can attract. If they show the big names and miss a native's game then they will attract the tennis lovers BUT miss the casual or the "I see every sport when a fellow greek/american/french/maori plays" viewers.
In Greece for example they may show an Olympiakos game at Champion's league and pass Man. United's or Barcelona's game when it is extremely possible that the Greek team will be humiliated but they will get all the no-brain-at-all fans-consumers watch it.

Magnetite · May 30, 2012

In Canada we get Raonic matches live if he's playing.

It's the same everywhere in the world ..

Alchemy-Z · May 30, 2012

I've noticed this always becomes worse during an olympic year.

jmverdugo · May 30, 2012

First they complain that the US doesn't have enough good players and tennis is not well covered and tennis is going downhill in the States, then when the few good American Players are doing good and the networks decide to give tennis some air time you guys complain because it is too much??

PetSounds · May 30, 2012

Thankfully for Britons, our boys usually have the good grace not to even qualify for main draws, rather than waste our time. Then again, some might say that ol' Murray Mints is wasting our time. :neutral:

Djokodal Fan · May 30, 2012

Thank you Venus for your kind heart. One less American to watch. Bonus given that this is from WTA!!

Thank god!

tangerine · May 30, 2012

sanimej said:
I am from US..and I do really like this country.. but sometimes I feel there is a misplaced sense of patriotism that really spoils my tennis watching experience..

ok, let me explain..

lets say a US player not even in the top 100 makes it through couple of rounds in a major.. the commentators just go full blown crazy and start giving you every possible stats about the guy, down to how many times his grand father used to fart in a day.. guys like Robby Ginepri, Jesse Witten. And the best of all, Melanie Oudin.

You need to watch some tennis matches on other channels in other countries. Tomic got the 24/7 A-list celebrity treatment at the AO on Channel7. Was the over-exposure misplaced patriotism?

Ever watch tennis on Japan TV when Kei Nishikori is playing?

I highly recommend watching Eurosport during Wimbledon....if you can find any non-WTA matches.

The BBC should rename itself The Andy Murray channel (for one month out of the year at least).

I think countries have every right to get excited about and talk-up their players. Many casual sports fans will not watch the sport unless a local boy or girl is playing. That's how it is around the world not just in the U.S.

Compared to many other stations I've seen, I think the ESPN coverage is very good and even-handed. The commentators are a lot of fun to listen to.

pmerk34 · May 30, 2012

baseliner said:
If you are watching American TV, understand the producers think they can best sell the commercials if they feature American players. I get annoyed sometimes at their choice of matches, but the alternative (pre-tennis channel) is no tennis until the semis.

As an American I will be more inclined to tune to Americans whom I usually want to do well unless that players rubs me the wrong way for some reason. call it whatever you will but I'd rather see Ryan Harrison than Xavier Malisse or Tomaz Belluci. And as others have stated it's the same in every country

Netzroller · May 30, 2012

PCXL-Fan said:
To be frank I think american's are about as patriotic if not less compared with other countries when it comes to sports. You are living in a bubble OP. (lets pick some other country out of the blue) If Lithuania followed its own players with fervour you would have no problem with that.

This thread illustrates how americans are often times less patriotic about defending their nation on whatever issue compared to citizens of other nations defending their respective nation. You'd never hear so many Spaniards ripping into their own nation like so many Americans here are.

seriously!? Where do you live?

I think the USA is one of the (if not the) most patriotic countries in the world. It's incredible how many US flags people have on their houses and car's, something you hardly ever see in many other countries. All the politican's talk about what a great nation it is or about the American way of life, the fact that every highschool offers a subject called American History etc.
studies seem to have come to similar conclusions: http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/02/world-national-pride-oped-cx_sp_0701patriot.html

sanimej · May 30, 2012

PCXL-Fan said:
To be frank I think american's are about as patriotic if not less compared with other countries when it comes to sports. You are living in a bubble OP. (lets pick some other country out of the blue) If Lithuania followed its own players with fervour you would have no problem with that.

This thread illustrates how americans are often times less patriotic about defending their nation on whatever issue compared to citizens of other nations defending their respective nation. You'd never hear so many Spaniards ripping into their own nation like so many Americans here are.

You are missing the point.. willing to watch endless replays of top American players or watching Williams sisters doubles when a top men's singles match is going on is not a sign of patriotism. Its just a dumb thing, especially for someone who likes the game of Tennis. And that is what many Americans are saying here too..

I have to disagree with you on the comment that Americans are less patriotic..but I am sure you think you know better..

mellowyellow · May 30, 2012

Yes, absolutely positively. Though I have enjoyed the Michael Russel years ago, and the Brian Baker story this year. It would be nice to see an American come up with some tennis talent not just athleticism/physical attributes. When are they going to learn you can't just play a power game against the best players.

Evan77 · May 30, 2012

seriously dude ... you live in the States and you can't even spell ... it is lose not loooooooose. it is so simple, and when I see loose I don't feel like reading your post at all.

sanimej · May 30, 2012

Evan77 said:
seriously dude ... you live in the States and you can't even spell ... it is lose not loooooooose. it is so simple, and when I see loose I don't feel like reading your post at all.

my bad.. but what an earth shattering 'loss' it is that you didn't read my post. I am so upset :twisted:

Evan77 · May 30, 2012

sanimej said:
my bad.. but what an earth shattering 'loss' it is that you didn't read my post. I am so upset :twisted:

well, sorry, but it's so annoying ... don't take it personally, too many people do the same **** ... I mistype, or misspell too when I'm too busy doing my other things but when I see loose, I go crazy, lol

spaceman_spiff · May 31, 2012

Netzroller said:
seriously!? Where do you live?

I think the USA is one of the (if not the) most patriotic countries in the world. It's incredible how many US flags people have on their houses and car's, something you hardly ever see in many other countries. All the politican's talk about what a great nation it is or about the American way of life, the fact that every highschool offers a subject called American History etc.
studies seem to have come to similar conclusions: http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/02/world-national-pride-oped-cx_sp_0701patriot.html

He said "when it comes to sports." He wasn't talking about life in general.

sureshs · May 31, 2012

Netzroller said:
seriously!? Where do you live?

I think the USA is one of the (if not the) most patriotic countries in the world. It's incredible how many US flags people have on their houses and car's, something you hardly ever see in many other countries. All the politican's talk about what a great nation it is or about the American way of life, the fact that every highschool offers a subject called American History etc.
studies seem to have come to similar conclusions: http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/02/world-national-pride-oped-cx_sp_0701patriot.html

It is a very interesting topic. There are many reasons for American patriotism (national anthem during sporting events, many flags, etc):

1. Relatively speaking, it is an affluent country not subject to abject poverty, chaos, corruption, crime, and political instability of many other countries. People still feel good here, playing tennis and all that. That reinforces patriotism and the feeling of being #1.
2. It is not a country with thousands of years of tradition. In the "old" world, loyalty is often to community, language and culture rather that country. In the US, lack of lengthy traditions turn the focus on country as a central force.
3. Many overseas wars, whether justified or not, have created this image of brave soldiers who have shaped the destiny of the world, leading to a kind of super-patriotism at the global level ("we are brave and also helping others" kind of thing).
4. Immigration creates thousands of new citizens every year, many of whom show a lot of zeal, like new religious converts.
5. The military-industrial complex encourages blind patriotism among gullible people in order to benefit defense contractors and politicians who approve the funding, making people believe in imaginary threats and shelling out tax money while not noticing the money missing for education, infrastructure, arts, and other activities.

Andreas1965 · May 31, 2012

And again German TV is showing Kohlschreiber vs. Mayer instead of real tennis. Good news: Kohlschreiber is 2 sets down, hopefully will be gone soon. Then we must get rid of the German women, and our TV networks are willing to show the big stars... finally.

a10best · May 31, 2012

Kerber is a pretty good player.

ESPN3 showing McHale and Davis
ESPN2 showing spelling bee. (had tennis on earlier)

jdubbs · May 31, 2012

sureshs said:
It is a very interesting topic. There are many reasons for American patriotism (national anthem during sporting events, many flags, etc):

1. Relatively speaking, it is an affluent country not subject to abject poverty, chaos, corruption, crime, and political instability of many other countries. People still feel good here, playing tennis and all that. That reinforces patriotism and the feeling of being #1.
2. It is not a country with thousands of years of tradition. In the "old" world, loyalty is often to community, language and culture rather that country. In the US, lack of lengthy traditions turn the focus on country as a central force.
3. Many overseas wars, whether justified or not, have created this image of brave soldiers who have shaped the destiny of the world, leading to a kind of super-patriotism at the global level ("we are brave and also helping others" kind of thing).
4. Immigration creates thousands of new citizens every year, many of whom show a lot of zeal, like new religious converts.
5. The military-industrial complex encourages blind patriotism among gullible people in order to benefit defense contractors and politicians who approve the funding, making people believe in imaginary threats and shelling out tax money while not noticing the money missing for education, infrastructure, arts, and other activities.

Good post. I can't really disagree with anything here.

By and large, I see a lot more blind patriotism from other countries in their sports than I do in America. Serbia had 100,000 people show up after Djokovic won Wimbledon, for example.

We take more pride in regional teams, like in our pro sports, than we do in country. Sure, we make heroes of our top Olympic athletes, but we deify our top pro athletes like Manning, Jordan, Jeter etc.

Raiden · May 31, 2012

spaceman_spiff said:
I hate to tell you this, but it's like that in just about every country that has any players in the draw...

Not entirely true.

It's more of a big-country thing.

In smaller countries the media is far more willing to evenly spread out their focus among the participants, even though inevitably they do also pay extra attention to a local.

However it is the media outlets from large populated places like US, UK, Germany...etc that tend to be much more willing to be disproportional in their focus on locals at the expense of someone better talented but from elsewhere.

sureshs · May 31, 2012

jdubbs said:
Good post. I can't really disagree with anything here.

By and large, I see a lot more blind patriotism from other countries in their sports than I do in America. Serbia had 100,000 people show up after Djokovic won Wimbledon, for example.

We take more pride in regional teams, like in our pro sports, than we do in country. Sure, we make heroes of our top Olympic athletes, but we deify our top pro athletes like Manning, Jordan, Jeter etc.

Patriotism in sports is very different from patriotism in general. Patriotism in sports is often simply a matter of availability of many unemployed or underemployed people who can spend time cheering and fighting. In the US, patriotism in sports is actually far less, perhaps owing to the fact that the population is very diverse and athletes from around the world are a common sight in every US university.

mike84 · May 31, 2012

this year for some reason Canada is showing French world feed coverage staying away from ESPN feed (only the first 2 hours are ESPN)

and tbh the quality of good tennis matches shown is incredible

best decision they ever made

Deleted member 21996 · May 31, 2012

jerriy said:
Not entirely true.

It's more of a big-country thing.

In smaller countries the media is far more willing to evenly spread out their focus among the participants, even though inevitably they do also pay extra attention to a local.

However it is the media outlets from large populated places like US, UK, Germany...etc that tend to be much more willing to be disproportional in their focus on locals at the expense of someone better talented but from elsewhere.

this.

10 biggie smalls...

CDestroyer · May 31, 2012

American announcers except for the Mcenroes

Its the american announcers but the focus of the their content probably is created by Tennis Channel.

But yeah they have already their yanks cranked about Brian Baker.

Goodall and Koenig for the win.

THUNDERVOLLEY · May 31, 2012

sanimej said:
Americans loosing early makes a pleasent viewing experience in TV ?.

Not where TV ratings are concerned. There's no patriotism there, just an acknowledgement of the realities of TV audiences in the U.S.

sanimej · May 31, 2012

THUNDERVOLLEY said:
Not where TV ratings are concerned. There's no patriotism there, just an acknowledgement of the realities of TV audiences in the U.S.

As you can see from the replies in this thread, majority of folks hate the excessive coverage of lower ranked American players, repeated replays etc. I would expect Tennis channel audience to be tennis players or at least people who like tennis.. TC's rating would actually go up if they go for a more balanced coverage.

dudeski · May 31, 2012

THUNDERVOLLEY said:
Not where TV ratings are concerned. There's no patriotism there, just an acknowledgement of the realities of TV audiences in the U.S.

So the reality is that US audience would rather watch two WTA players ranked out of top 50 (one of them American) playing on a side court instead of watching Nadal playing on centre court? Because that's exactly what ESPN was showing during AO. Could forum members living in the USA please confirm that this is what they really want to watch?

Vanhool · May 31, 2012

It's only the early rounds. You already know Nadal is going to win. I just don't think it's that big of a deal to drop in on a set of the lower ranked Americans (or Germans or whatever), even if they have girl cooties. It's probably the only chance to see them, and there are Olympic spots up for grabs. Unless, of course, Nadal was about to be upset. Now that would be huge. If he were upset, I bet they'd show that match over and over and talk about it for days. And no one would complain (including me).

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