I'm sure by now everyone's either saw or heard the event that took place in Calgary, AB on Saturday on CBC. The original plan was to see the one game, four on four, east vs west match at 4:30est until 6:00. And I'm sure you've heard by now that there was an injury in the rugby match that was being shown previous to the bowling. With all that aside, let's take a look in the event itself.
Given that there were only about four frames to see from the match, there was really limited footage to watch. I think that the competitors made the best of the time they had on television, though they were not originally aware that the were pushed to online streaming for the first six frames. I definitely noticed a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere, and with no real prize on the line other than bragging rights, it was to be expected. I think the game iteself was well represented by the bowlers themselves.
I'm definitely not trying to be over critical of what this event showed us, but I think there is a lot for us as a sport to learn, and a lot for CBC to learn as well. I know that the stations stay alive by their sponsors, but I found it extremely hard to keep excited about the match with the constant commercial breaks. I've always thought that a game with momentum is a game worth watching. I found myself flipping to college football during the commercials. This is a dangerous situation for our sport. To the average Canadian, it would be tough to pass up watching a fast paced football game for 5pin bowling.
I think that if there was sufficient time for the match, they could have really profiled the competitors themselves. I'd like to hear from them, see some personality (I was hoping to see some personality during the match but there was limited camera shots of the competitors after the ball was delivered) and something to root for or against. I also think that the commentators have to find a way to be a little more exciting as well. I've already heard from a lot of people about the commentating, and I think some improvement could be done in that regard.
In closing, I would like to say that CBC and C5 did a commendable job with this event. I know that the C5 was put under the gun with a very limited time frame to work with and hopefully if this event happens again next year, they will be able to make this something even bigger than it was this year. To the bowlers, you put on a great display, gave our game some exposure and looked to have some fun while you did so. You guys seemed determined to win, yet displayed it as a fun event. To CBC, thank you for bringing this Canadian game back on Canadian television and I hope that this is a long relationship between CBC and the C5PBA. I think that with some small improvements, this is something that can be really big for the thousands of bowlers across the country. 5pin is back on television, even if it wasn't a full game.
If you missed it or want to see it again, view the streaming from CBC Sports, HERE
Jeff Young
Jeff one of the best ways to let CBC and to a certain extent the C5 how we felt about the program is to right them and let them know. I know not very many people will actually take the time to write a letter (and that is too bad) but perhaps with all of the bowling connections that you have through this blog you could do some sort of online petition, stating briefly what was liked and disliked, because I think more of us would be willing to take 5 minutes to fill that out then write a letter and mail it in. Then after a given amount of time the results could be forwarded to the C5 and the CBC so that we can show them that we as bowlers care and want to see this continue and grow in the future.
ReplyDeleteJust an idea
Kevin Berg
Hey Jeff I pretty much agree with your comments. i spent my time trying to get the live stream working when the rugby game went overtime. Never did get it to work. I watched with great anticipation of a noisy, cheering group of bowlers and was disappointed to only here some clapping for a bowler on the approach. Where was the cheering and chanting? I was hoping for much more enthusiastic display from the bowlers. There is so much more that can be done to make our sport appealing on TV broadcasts. An in depth interview of each bowler with details of their bowling history might help. Hopefully we can better prepare for future opportunities.
ReplyDeleteTerry Burns
A huge thanks should be given to the Calgary 5 Pin Bowlers association who stepped up and did the promoting of the event when the C5 dropped the ball. If it weren't for them, there would have been no promotion done what so ever by the C5. Personally I feel that the C5 compeltely wasted a huge opportunity for promotion of our sport. If a small organization such as the Calgary 5 (full of volunteers, and mostly university students at that) can take the time to write press releases and host meet and greets, and post twitter and facebook updates, shouldn't the C5 be able to to the same?
ReplyDelete