Vintage Gus Johnson Calls George Mason Win Over Villanova
Gus Johnson thrives in announcing the dramatic plays, back and forth battles, and endings. When calling a rather lackluster game, it's just not the same experience. But when given a gem of a game, it's the best home viewing experience a sports fan can have.
Today, the stars aligned as George Mason staged a late comeback to beat Villanova. The final five minutes were put on a tee for Johnson to showcase his uncanny style and pace that has made him a fan favorite and staple of March Madness. If you can re-watch later, the game, in addition to Johnson's announcing, is probably worth watching.
In the end, it came down to the final few seconds and Johnson delivered by putting his stamp on the game with a great classic call. Vintage Gus. Vintage March Madness
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This is how I watch the game anyway, with the TV on and the laptop with Twitter and live blogs on screen. I think these are great ideas for interaction between the fans, but I don't think the NFL will be changing anytime in the next 2-3 years. These new ideas are always tested out on "lesser" events that can't draw enough viewers on their own. If I'm a TV exec, you'd have a tough time explaining to me why I have to make any major changes like a Twitter/ Facebook stream when the show had more viewers than anything else in history. Once the momentum grows with smaller events, enough people will make enough noise to the point that it will become expected. That's usually how these things go IMO, but 3+ years from now I think it will be the norm. It's just a matter of momentum.
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I hate when analysts are forced recite fan tweets and comment on them like they add to the show. Its patranizing. I don't ming the broadcast showing the tweets as long as I don't have to hear the talent talk about them.
@axhfan All good.
For the record, not calling for actual reading of individual tweets though - I don't think anybody wants that. But pulling some data could be nice to see not exactly what person X or person Y is saying (that is the problem with traditional commentating) but what topics have generated the most buzz, etc.
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To be honest, during the NFL season, I thoroughly enjoyed the Jag away games where I could sit at home with my computer right beside me, Tweetdeck loaded up and following all of the feeds of the day. Instead of going to a Super Bowl party, I opted to stay at home with the same set up and I honestly had fun talking the game with like minded twitter friends. NFL and Fox should be ahead of the game in regards to social media, but as with most businesses, keep up or get out of the way. Great article.
@GuysGirl A lot of people have mentioned they had a great time watching the game the way you did, but it would REALLY be awesome if the show would get on board and tap into the interaction potential.
Food for thought: What would sports radio be without call-ins? The interaction is so crucial to that medium that its abcense from TV broadcasting is actually pretty crazy.
Thanks for commenting.
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Rather than view the Super Bowl as too big to fail, the league and the networks see it as too big to change lest they be ciriticized by 111 million people. And really, as long as those 111 million tv sets are tuned to the Super Bowl, why do they need to change anything? The Super Bowl, and the NFL in general, is a tv spectacle and to me the bigger danger is making the in person experience so expensive, and so miserable, that no one really wants to show up, which would destroy the tv spectacle. I think it's easier to sell people on the cost and the misery when it's taking place in a spring break destination and everyone in cold weather cities can look at it as an escape from shoveling snow but when it's in Dallas, Indianapolis, and New Jersey (the league wants to pretend that's New York but they aren't fooling anyone)? In February? Thank you, no. I'm sure I can find something better to do with my $10k.
Twitter/Facebook on your tv is an interesting concept,. but don't we all have laptops and netbooks and smartphones that can run twitter and Facebook? I'd rather save that extra space on the screen for the action and then look down at my other device. Think about watching Sportscenter, with the bottom line and now that thing on the left giving you the schedule for the show. I mean doesn't th at get annoying? Wouldn't you rather just see the full size highlight instead of something that tells you that the next 3 stories will be Sox, Yanks, and Brett Favre?
@RoneFace What I really mean is not necessarily to have something like a Twitter stream taking up real estate on the screen, but to be part of the show in the sense that throw up graphics on occasion, or appeal to fans at home for opinions, maybe even some Super Bowl history trivia, that kind of thing. So not "Twitter on your TV" per se, but "Twitter in the TV show." And if the net effect is involving the viewers more in the actual broadcast, I can't see fans having a problem with that.
Better than music or a dancing robot.
