By The Roar
August 11th 2008 @ 3:35pm
Channel 7 dumps Olympics for AFL coverage
Channel 7’s decision to broadcast the Crows-Tigers AFL match on Sunday afternoon in place of prime Olympic events with Australians vying for medals has ignited a furious response from viewers.
During the three-hour match, Olympic fans missed Australia’s victory over Greece in the preliminary round of the men’s water polo, Australia’s synchronised diving champions Sharleen Stratton and Briony Cole compete in the 3m springboard final, Michael Diamond in the men’s trap shooting final, and a number of rowing heats.
The station’s official website was quickly swamped with messages of disgust from viewers after the AFL match kicked off at 2.40pm AEST.
A Channel 7 spokesman in Beijing said the station had to comply with previous contractual arrangements with the AFL (to broadcast one 2 1/2-hour AFL game every Sunday for a five-year period) and that viewers should switch to “complementary broadcaster” SBS.
Viewers said Channel 7’s call was “sneaky” and “a disgrace”.
“Football is on and televised every weekend, but Olympics comes every four years,” one viewer wrote.
“Channel 7 … do not say you have exclusive rights and then deprive us of seeing our favourites once in four years sport, by showing regular weekly football.”
Three days into the event, what has your experience been of the Olympics coverage?
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(16)
The Link said | August 11th 2008 @ 4:44pm | Report comment
Makes sense in VIC / SA, maybe in WA / TAS but not NSW / QLD to show this game over the Olympics.
Michael C said | August 11th 2008 @ 5:23pm | Report comment
The Link -
agreed - - I’m surprised,…..perhaps pleasantly I guess, but surprised nonetheless.
Now- - hopefully we’ll see all those massive fans of diving come on here - despite the absence of a diving tab - and defend to the death that Ch.7 ought not be showing such scant regard for them.
Ideally the below quote says it all -
“A Channel 7 spokesman in Beijing said the station had to comply with previous contractual arrangements with the AFL (to broadcast one 2 1/2-hour AFL game every Sunday for a five-year period) and that viewers should switch to “complementary broadcaster” SBS.”
— but, you gotta wonder what the escape clauses would amount to……surely there’s an escape clause? Surely Ch.7 might even be able to buy their way out?
or….is the AFL contract that good? Huge penalty clause??
Pippinu said | August 11th 2008 @ 5:41pm | Report comment
I actually saw that water polo game (or a tiny bit of it anyway) - I assure all and sundry, it doesn’t matter how much you hate Australian Football - you could never possibly enjoy watching a game of water polo more - it’s an impossibility - doesn’t matter who’s playing.
cosmos forever said | August 11th 2008 @ 7:07pm | Report comment
Frankly - no coverage on 7 is only marginally worse than the coverage they do provide so I just expect things like this. I reckon thought that the AFL itself needs to be a bit careful of this. It’s their stipulation and ch 7 will get sick of defending themselves over coming weeks. They may start throwing it back at the AFL, who could come off looking arrogant - demanding their sport be shown in lieu of olympic sport. Only a small risk, but a risk I reckon.
Redb said | August 11th 2008 @ 7:45pm | Report comment
I suggest all those people who complained demand their subscription money be refunded immediately.
I;m shocked that Ch 7 showed the game live in NSW and QLD. Can’t seem to keep anyone happy.
Redb
Lenny said | August 11th 2008 @ 10:30pm | Report comment
I can’t believe channel 7’s sports selection. Presumably they’d have researched it thoroughly…and yet I found myself tonight watching the men’s synchronised diving for 30 mins (no Australians in it) while waiting to see the men’s 8 rowing (James Tompiks…have they heard of him?). It was eventually shown an hour later. Very poor scheduling IMO…
Any how about letting us know what’s going to be on…and when? Lift your game please 7.
jimbo said | August 11th 2008 @ 10:41pm | Report comment
Pip,
I did watch the Aussie water polo team, mainly to see how a shot clock would work, but I must say I did enjoy the water polo more than the AFL. The rules are similar to football and they showed a lot of skill and stamina the way they moved in the water and fired in those amazing shots while treading water.
7 shows the AFL in the middle of the Olympics because it paid more pre minute for the TV rights to the AFL than it did per minute for the Olympics coverage - a lot more.
Pippinu said | August 11th 2008 @ 11:03pm | Report comment
Jimbo
You enjoyed the water polo?
Next you’ll be telling me that your lobbying your local member for more funding for the Australian underwater hockey team!
Pippinu said | August 11th 2008 @ 11:09pm | Report comment
Jimbo
So what were your conclusions re the shot clock?
The thing is that with games such as Basketball and water polo, without a shot clock, teams could bascially hold onto the ball for half an hour, and you’d never get it back off them.
But with soccer, while you might be able to hold onto the ball a bit more in your own half, it’s a bit harder to hold onto it in the opposition half - and if teams want the ball bad enough, they can dedicate more numbers upfield to pressing the opposition.
So, I’m wondering whether a shot clock is really needed.
jimbo said | August 11th 2008 @ 11:14pm | Report comment
The shot clock didn’t seem to bother those water polo guys as much as I thought it would and didn’t see any handovers.
BTW their horses were really well trained the way they could hold their breath under water.
What about if we played AFL or football in water that deep, wouldn’t it look funny on the big screen?
Pippinu said | August 11th 2008 @ 11:17pm | Report comment
Look funny on a little screen as well!
Michael C said | August 12th 2008 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Pippinu -
“But with soccer, while you might be able to hold onto the ball a bit more in your own half, it’s a bit harder to hold onto it in the opposition half - and if teams want the ball bad enough, they can dedicate more numbers upfield to pressing the opposition.”
but, in basketball does not it so much come down to whether you defend zonal, or go a more agressive full court press?
Most sports come down to the desire or not to just sit back in a defensive formation and hope the opposition turn it over………..soccer is fully built around that, and there’s not that much imperative to do otherwise to break up that defensive formation (other than passage of time and fatigue).
Basketball - - there’s a greater capacity to go over the top - - for a long shot, and to encourage that they added the extra point - - to try to balance the risk/benefit equation. This doesn’t exist in soccer.
So - a shot clock in basketball is often going to result in compelling an ‘assault’ on the fortress - whether trying to break into the key or shooting from long range………and then it forces a contest if the shot fails.
Soccer - what’s the objective? the rebound isn’t the most likely scenario of a miss — rather, a goal kick and more defensive plodding. The back board in basketball, and the importance of rebounding is something that makes the compulsion to have a shot via the shot clock actually work to ‘open up’ the game.
I don’t know how much that would do the job in soccer????
Norm said | August 13th 2008 @ 8:36pm | Report comment
The good news is that last Sunday’s ludicrous TV scheduling won’t be repeated in the Eastern states this Sunday.
westy said | August 13th 2008 @ 11:28pm | Report comment
Ah Michael …………..you know as well as I it often depends on how the game is played ……….generally watching Geelong play AFL is exhilerating ……….skill ,attack , long kicks to marking contests , direct play and resolute defence………watching the SWans is like being slowly choked to death the only salvation often being the closeness of the scores as the game dies ……..it is often the style and spirit in which all the codes are played that determines their appreciation……Rugby played by the free wheeling Fijians is just plain exhilerating, The unfashionable Canberra raiders play a high risk attacking form of league theat is far from the mundane grind, and in Football I will always remember the very good Martin Tyler in raptures over the flying Danes ” they seem to be playing 5 forwards and no backs” in a heavy defeat of Russia or the total football of the brave Dutch against the robotic Germans in times gone by.
No matter what the professional low risk minimisers argue in any of the codes all the codes were designed to be played in a certain spirit. We sometimes in all codes forget this at our peril.
Midfielder said | August 14th 2008 @ 12:32am | Report comment
MC
I accept all your comments pertaining too the negative aspects of soccer maybe only negative aspects no positives what so ever even. What is a wonder…….why with all these obvious flaws it is so popular?
My own opinion having played a number of sports is to be really good ………. I mean like the best you need to be very special in football / soccer. In league and union both of which I played at a fairly high level if you where slightly better than someone else you always won, sort of ………. a good big guy always beats a good little guy. As I see it and its just my opinion AFL is harder than either league or union……… man the hits in AFL ……. boy how those guys get up and play on is amazing.
So sometimes in football coaches in an effort to get a result play out a very planned …….. lets not loose game plan………. if both sides go out not to loose then attack is always on the counter and closing down an attack becomes important. Many games are played like this as unlike league and union the lesser player can beat the better player by out thinking them.
Two years ago I played in a grand final, my over weight body about 12.5 stone and 5″4″ in my early 50’s up against a kid about 35 well over six foot and about 95 to a 100 KLs not contest in most sports but I played him out of the game by closing down the space he had to work in. Forced him to loose his temper with the odd jib about his boyfriend, I slept with his wife etc, but …….. but most of all I had the smarts to out think him ……… we went on to win the grand final.
This is football and why I think people like it… as thinking by a player (no disrespect to other codes here) is so important, even if beaten the side you get beaten on is important, the angle you allow a player is important.
So in closing MC no trolling intended but you do get slow games with little action and every now and then you get an amazing game of skill / touch / style to make your mouth water. Often coaches take the not loose rather than win game plan …… but when its good it is unbelievable ……… when it’s bad its shit boring but even then you can see the plan behind it. ………. But in the words of the new joker ……….. why so popular
Go the Mariners as Hal 4 starts soon, F the Choppers, and F Newcastle. Just back on my stellar career over the past three years I have played with one of my sons teams every now and then. Playing kids of 19 to 23 when you are in your 50’s is interesting but in spite of their youth speed, I proved the adage that old age and treachery can win over youth and skill …….. but that’s football and that’s why I love it. Hope your North Melbourne boys have a win on the weekend.
Mary-Jane said | August 24th 2008 @ 7:54pm | Report comment
Am absolutely disgusted that the finals of the basketball usa vs spain was not televised. instead you choose to do chats with all our olympianswhich is possible after the game. some people would like to have seen the remaining gold that could be won by other nations. This is just bad sportsmanship when basketball is such a dominating sport in our culture alongside football, cricket and soccer.
If Australia had made the finals, we would have not been priviledged enough to watch it from 6.30 onwards. i have three boys and they were disappointed, as they waited for channel 7 to show the basketball. Well its 8 o’clock bedtime and still nothing, not even the results thus far. Absolutely disgraceful on your part.