The NFL Network – Why So Bush League?

The NFL is one of the most successful and profitable organizations on the planet grossing in the billions every year from merchandising, tv contracts, marketing, etc. Major League Baseball is no longer “America’s Pastime”…professional football has taken baseball’s place as the favorite sport in the country. In the fall, Sundays are not just associated with going to church but watching pro football in the afternoon as well. And Super Bowl Sunday has become a holiday unto itself...all it’s missing is greeting cards.

So my question is, with all the success the NFL has enjoyed over the past 20-30 years and all the resources it has at it’s finger tips, why can’t the NFL actually produce a quality broadcast of an NFL game? The NFL Network has been around for a couple of years and broadcasts 8 games a year, starting in late November. Before last night’s big game between the Cowboys and the Cheeseheads, I hadn’t had the pleasure of watching an NFL Network broadcast because I am a customer of Time Warner cable, which doesn’t include the NFL Network in its channel line up. And after witnessing last night’s broadcast, I’m pretty sure I’m not missing that much…as far as the broadcast of an actual game.

Last night’s broadcast (not the game, but the broadcast of the game) was so bush league and amateurish that I almost felt I was watching a high school game on public access. The graphics reminded me of watching an NFL game from the 70’s and early 80’s on ESPN Classic. Several times, during a commercial, the network would just cut back to a play getting ready to be run (which I’m sure the company that made that commercial thoroughly enjoyed seeing). There were even quite a few plays where a replay wasn’t shown. But nothing was as terrible as Bryant Gumbel.

Bryant Gumbel DOES NOT need to be doing play-by-play for high school games much less an NFL game. First of all, he doesn’t have the voice for it. When I think of solid play-by-play commentators, I think of Joe Buck, Al Michaels and Bob Costas. They have deep voices that sound clear whereas Gumbel’s voice reminds me of watching Olympic Figure Skating. Also, I imagine Joe Buck and Al Michaels actually prep for games they are announcing. Bryant Gumbel barely knew what the football’s shape was last night. Here are just a few of Bryant Gumbel’s mistakes during the game:

-At the beginning of the game when he’s welcoming the audience to the broadcast, it takes Gumbel several seconds to remember where they are…like Texas Stadium is so hard to remember.

-After the Packers are already on the field and as the Cowboys are taking the field, Gumbel says “Here comes comes the Packers!” Hey Bryant, here’s a hot tip: try watching what is going on before opening your mouth about it.

-As Dallas was setting up for their first field goal, to tie the Packer’s at 3-3, Gumbel says “And Packer fans don’t much like them going for the tie.” What? The Cowboys are the ones kicking for the tie, smart one. But thanks for playing.

-When Gumbel’s partner and color analyst Cris Collinsworth was talking about Cowboys running back Marion Barber, Gumbel added “Mike McCarthy characterized [Barber] as the heart of the Green Bay offense.” All I could do is shake my head.

-After the game was over, Gumbel announces the final score and says that “we will try to get an interview with Rick Romo.” Yeah, I can see how you get the names Tony and Rick mixed up…they sound so much alike.

I’m not a huge fan of Cris Collinsworth but he was really one of the only decent aspects of the broadcast, stem to stern. Bryant Gumbel should stick to Real Sports on HBO, where he is, at least, decent. But, me thinks, he should stay out of the commentating booth altogether.

The NFL probably has more money than some countries in this world yet they can’t produce and broadcast their product without it looking like a high school production. They need to study the presentations of Fox, CBS and NBC and they might learn a thing or two. But at this point, the NFL might not care as they are “America’s Pastime.”