If there's a group of professionals who get my goat is sports commentators and 'broadcasters'. I'll leave football commentators to those more in love with that game than I am, but I do love my British horseracing and feel able to comment.
Its Royal Ascot week and ITV have virtually a blanket coverage of the 4 day meeting (Tues14, wed, Thurs, Fri.).
The ITV team is led by Ed Chamberlin, who has come to us from football - he's ok, desperately enthusiastic about everything and not a critical bone in his body, Ed sets the tone. Often jointly featured is the excellent Francesca Cumani, daughter of the retired trainer Luca Cumani, but she's away having a baby, (possibly jointly responsible for that being boyfriend Oli Bell, another member of the team. Oli could smile for England, and as is sometimes true of evergreen smilers, it all looks a bit false.
(I have a background in UK Open Championship Modern Jive, having been a semi finalist in 3 UK Opens at Intermediate Level, and 2nd in a UK Open Seniors, and recall dancing with an Australian Lady who was a multiple Open Champs winner with a massive stage smile for the judges and was as miserable as sin dancing with lesser male leads..including moi.)
He has got lazy eyes though and as he doesnt say much that is interesting I just watch his eyes..incredible how these people get on mass media! Maybe he has relations in the racing industry, like most of his colleagues..
There's no shortage of jockeys given a new lease of life as a broadcaster on the team - Fitzgerald, Luke Harvey, Ruby Walsh etc but I'm fed up with all of them giving us 'a jockey's perspective' - what we want is some brains on the team who can analyse the form.
But that's not going to happen when the programme is sponsored by Paddy Power - a bookmaker.
There's a curious way the jocks have of talking and they often preface a sentence or a little soundbite with the word 'look'. Jason Weaver, another ex-jock, is a prime example..you see for yourself. The Irish are especially prone to this word, which no other group of people use.
Ive known a few 'insiders' in the game over the years (including greyhound racing) and jocks are trained by their 'govners' (trainers) to give nothing away, so they speak in a kind of general way, using time-honoured phrases like 'we are hopeful of a good run', 'fit enough to do himself justice', whilst keeping to themselves what they really know (e.g., the money's down and ride it for your life!').
I'm now using the mute button a lot when some of them come on, not least my pet hate - Matt Chapman (dont get me started..!)
Racing is great though - top class and we are lucky to have the coverage.
Of course, its a Royal occasion and if you are a non-believer in hereditary privilege, wealth and status you will switch on AFTER the full coverage of the Royal Procession coming from Windsor and parading in front of the adoring Conservative crowd.
As they say in hifi - that's a matter of taste (and, er, political philosophy).
Jack
Its Royal Ascot week and ITV have virtually a blanket coverage of the 4 day meeting (Tues14, wed, Thurs, Fri.).
The ITV team is led by Ed Chamberlin, who has come to us from football - he's ok, desperately enthusiastic about everything and not a critical bone in his body, Ed sets the tone. Often jointly featured is the excellent Francesca Cumani, daughter of the retired trainer Luca Cumani, but she's away having a baby, (possibly jointly responsible for that being boyfriend Oli Bell, another member of the team. Oli could smile for England, and as is sometimes true of evergreen smilers, it all looks a bit false.
(I have a background in UK Open Championship Modern Jive, having been a semi finalist in 3 UK Opens at Intermediate Level, and 2nd in a UK Open Seniors, and recall dancing with an Australian Lady who was a multiple Open Champs winner with a massive stage smile for the judges and was as miserable as sin dancing with lesser male leads..including moi.)
He has got lazy eyes though and as he doesnt say much that is interesting I just watch his eyes..incredible how these people get on mass media! Maybe he has relations in the racing industry, like most of his colleagues..
There's no shortage of jockeys given a new lease of life as a broadcaster on the team - Fitzgerald, Luke Harvey, Ruby Walsh etc but I'm fed up with all of them giving us 'a jockey's perspective' - what we want is some brains on the team who can analyse the form.
But that's not going to happen when the programme is sponsored by Paddy Power - a bookmaker.
There's a curious way the jocks have of talking and they often preface a sentence or a little soundbite with the word 'look'. Jason Weaver, another ex-jock, is a prime example..you see for yourself. The Irish are especially prone to this word, which no other group of people use.
Ive known a few 'insiders' in the game over the years (including greyhound racing) and jocks are trained by their 'govners' (trainers) to give nothing away, so they speak in a kind of general way, using time-honoured phrases like 'we are hopeful of a good run', 'fit enough to do himself justice', whilst keeping to themselves what they really know (e.g., the money's down and ride it for your life!').
I'm now using the mute button a lot when some of them come on, not least my pet hate - Matt Chapman (dont get me started..!)
Racing is great though - top class and we are lucky to have the coverage.
Of course, its a Royal occasion and if you are a non-believer in hereditary privilege, wealth and status you will switch on AFTER the full coverage of the Royal Procession coming from Windsor and parading in front of the adoring Conservative crowd.
As they say in hifi - that's a matter of taste (and, er, political philosophy).
Jack
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