Do We Agree With Norman Chad?
2007-08-17 21:17:46
By:
Gene Bromberg
The knee-jerk answer to this question--NO--requires a bit more thought this time around. In an
article published today Chad spoke about the popularity of ESPN's World Series broadcasts, and he had this to say:
"It's part reality show, part sitcom, part docudrama. And the results, as we see, don't even matter. The viewers don't care. They just want to see the episode again where two guys argue over who put the ante in."
That quote got people talking in a few online forums about whether Chad was right--don't viewers care who win, or how well (or poorly) the winner plays on the way to the bracelet? Some have criticized ESPN's coverage of the early WSOP events because they show so few hands every episode. Should ESPN get rid of the player interviews and "The Nuts" segments to show a few more hands?
For the hardcore, no-nonsense
poker player, the answer to that question is "Yes". Thing is, there aren't that many hardcore, no-nonsense
poker players. In general,
poker players enjoy a little nonsense. They like seeing Phil Hellmuth melt down after an opponent hits his flush on the river. They enjoy watching Jeffrey Lisandro threaten to remove Prahlad Friedman's head from his shoulders. And while I've had enough of watching Chris Ferguson juilienne vegetables with playing cards, most of "The Nuts" segments are at least vaguely entertaining. The shows appeal to a broad audience, which is the kind of audience ESPN is trying to attract.
But iif you're a
poker purist who wants to see every single hand, you had the opportunity to do that during the recent World Series. Several final tables (including the one where Hellmuth won his 11th bracelet) were streamed on the Internet, with hole-card cams, computer graphics and expert commentary. The broadcasts weren't live--they were streamed on a one-hour delay, and the players themselves were sequestered so they couldn't get any outside info about how their opponents were playing. There were some complaints early on (down to the final two tables in an early event Mike Matusow shouted "I'm not going in the Box!", which was his name for the sequestered table. He finished 12th and didn't have to worry about it).
But the broadcasts themselves got rave reviews, as viewers got to see every button-raise, every re-steal, and every walk. Believe me, when you cover every hand of a
poker tournament that lasts 15 hours, you'll find yourself wishing for a divine "EDIT" button so you can skip past the hands that slightly lack in drama. There's a balance to be struck between making the show fast-paced enough to appeal to a general audience and yet still show enough action to appeal to knowledgable players. And with the Internet taking over from television as the place where many people get their news, sports, and entertainment, chances are
poker fans of all stripes will be able to find exactly the sort of content they're looking for.
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