[QUOTE=Crockpot;6501764]
Well you definitely sound burned up about it.:lol:[/QUOTE]
That’s your own interpretation. I am not burning up about it. Nor am I worried that this thread has gone 12 pages like you are.
[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;6501677]
A horse enthusiast is anyone who likes horses. Obviously equestrians are a subset of this bigger category. There are far more people who are interested in horses who do not own them, ride them or come in contact with them. That’s the market NBC wants.
I actually happen to agree with them. The way to have horse sports thrive and grow in this country is to have a bigger base of support. You want to increase your horse enthusiast base. That means educating your audience in a very basic way about the sport they are watching.
I consider myself a figure skating enthusiast. I have never owned skates, wanted to go to a skating rink, or understand all the fine points of skating. But I was raised listening to Dick Button and have a basic understanding of the sport. I like watching it and will be part of the audience for the next Winter Olympics.[/QUOTE]
My point is that someone like Dick Button does not dumb down his sport for the audience, and neither should the commentators for the equine sports.
Like you I was grateful for any coverage at all, just pointing out how I think it could be better. 
Oh MY! You don’t think that Dick Button dumbed down Olympic level figure skating? You think that whater he said is as complex as it got? I disagree with you, bigtime, there. I am not even a skating “enthusiast”; I only watch the Olympic skating competitions. But, even I get to yawning at his commentating half way through. I could see what he was seeing and anticipate what he was going to say before he said it.
No he did not dumb down his commentary. He called out people who were unprepared and applauded those who were. What impressed me most about him was the year, either OG or Worlds, where before the competitor got on the ice - he told us while she was good but did not the same financial backing as most US or USSR/Russian skaters. He pulled back the curtin to let us know how hard it is to get to that level and the frustration/heartache some competitors have to struggle with.
I hear that Mckayla Maroney was not impressed with the NBC dressahge commentary this year…:no:
http://mckaylaisnotimpressed.tumblr.com/
That poor girl! At least she showed a sense of humor about the whole thing on the talk shows. :lol:
I wonder if people will still hold a grudge against her at the Olympics in 20 or 24 years, as some do with MST for comments at Barcelona or Seoul.
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;6501970]
Oh MY! You don’t think that Dick Button dumbed down Olympic level figure skating? You think that whater he said is as complex as it got? I disagree with you, bigtime, there. I am not even a skating “enthusiast”; I only watch the Olympic skating competitions. But, even I get to yawning at his commentating half way through. I could see what he was seeing and anticipate what he was going to say before he said it.[/QUOTE]
Nope. He actually tried to explain the different edges used with different jumps, etc.
The equestrian coverage, OTOH, is so dumbed down you’d think a chimpanzee could ride an Olympic course if you took the commentators at their word.
