Monday, March 1, 2010

Olympics come to an end, Sports Networks not ready to move on

The end of the Olympics was a fitting celebration to a great two weeks for Canada. Sure, things may have started out rough, things got a little off track when ummmm that Georgian luger went off track, but by the time our medals started piling in we forgot all about him. Canada did not finish first in the medal standings like officials were hoping but we set a record for most gold medals and despite a few minor heart attacks we got our gold in hockey, so I guess we as a nation should be happy. Now that the Olympics are over, people will go back to their everyday lives, but this is not so easy for some people as there have been reports that the two major sports networks, TSN and Sportsnet are now in a state of panic. It seems that with the all day every day coverage of the Olympics they have forgotten how to show other sports, and they are not ready to let go of the Olympics.

Production meetings turned to shouting matches when both networks tried to figure out what programs to show, one broadcaster was reported as saying "Basketball, is that the sport with the little net and the round ball they have to keep bouncing, they don't wear skates, I can't call that." Further disturbing evidence that the networks were not ready to move on came from an intern from one of the networks that would like to remain nameless. "Well there was a bunch of us, we were working, getting coffee and what not and the next thing we know we are being told to strap on these snowboards and ride down the stairs.........and they just stood there......and they made us do it........and they just........oh good *weeps* ......they just wouldn't stop commentating." The source went on to say that despite feeling a little happy he won the office gold medal, the mental scars would stay with him for a long time.

The weirdness does not end there as it seems both Sportsnet and TSN had trouble getting their reporters out of Vancouver. When the plane landed to pick up Micheal Landsberg, he tried to run screaming "NOT YET, I'VE ALMOST GOT JENNIFER HEDGER'S PHONE NUMBER, YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME." When he was found at Whistler something strange had happened to Sportsnet broadcaster Jaime Campbell, as all he kept repeating was his name, his address, and kept repeating the words "this great country" over and over again. However, the award for most awkward has to go to Darrent Dutysher......Dutsychine.......whatever that's a terrible last name to spell....of TSN. He was chased all throughout Robson Square proclaiming he wasn't ready to go back yet, when he was finally subdued, he suffered a breakdown and as he was being dragged away started singing the I believe song at the top of his lungs. The only one who seemed to take it well as Brian Williams, as he was escortedly easily to his tomb, where he shall rest until the next Olympic games.

As of this moment both networks are not sure how to handle this strange situation. As I look at both networks this morning TSN has Sportscentre on in a continuous loop, the same for Sportsnet with their Connected program, so I guess nothing has been figured out yet. It is no doubt a hard time to adjust for the networks, going back to the regular mundane sports, where nobody has to be fast, or gets to shoot on skis. However there is a light at the end of the tunnel as Wednesday is trade deadline day in Hockey, the reporters just get to sit around and talk, and I'm sure they fill the dead spaces with talk about how dreamy Crosby is and how they want to have his babies after he scored the goal.......Gretzky who.

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