Three Ways to Improve ESPN’s Coverage

Sometimes when I watch NASCAR on ESPN the coverage makes me simply wince. But other times I'm on the verge of throwing something through my television set. Something... I don't know -- heavy.

Here are three things, in order of annoyance, that I think they could change to improve their presentation dramatically. I don't mean to pick on ESPN per se, since most of NASCAR's broadcast partners suffer from these same problems, but ESPN just seems to excel at them.

End the Spotter Jibba-Jabba

ESPN was sort of on the cutting edge of bringing in-car team communications to the broadcasts in the 1990s. I think it has very good applications. Sometimes it's nice to know what the crew chief and spotter are saying to the driver and vice versa. Of course the old saying "everything in moderation" should apply here. There are times when it's appropriate and times when it's not. It seems that ESPN has become very undisciplined in how it uses these communications.

Mr. T: Got no time for spotter jibba-jabba.

Example: Often when covering restarts, they'll let the broadcast team relax from the mic and pretty much open wide all the teams' spotter communications -- simultaneously. The result is a mishmash on unintelligible voices that add absolutely no value to the broadcast experience. I truly cannot understand a thing that is even being said because there are ten half-muffled people all talking over each other. What is the point? When restarts come I find myself either muting the TV or changing the channel for a few minutes until the disaster is over.

Another problem is when an incident occurs. Typically when something happens on the track, they immediately open the spotters' audio of the cars involved. The problem is that the guys in the booth are also trying to call the race and the incident itself. Often they have to cut themselves off altogether just because they're competing with the spotter talk. And is broadcasting "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" really the best way to engage the viewer?

Stay Away from the Bumper Cam

Somebody in the truck must have a real fetish with the bumper-mounted camera. It's a nice shot, but it's also a very narrow shot, which means it's not practical for action moments -- like passes. I don't understand why the bumper cam is used to cover passes. I can't see what is going on. Shouldn't that be important? And especially on the restrictor plate tracks where the cars are nose to tail. It's not uncommon to be in a restart or a close pack of racing cars and what do we see? A big Chevy bowtie decal.  And, unfortunately... nothing else.

Scale Back the False Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm in a NASCAR broadcast is a necessity if the race is to be covered well. False enthusiasm, however, is easily identifiable and takes away from the show. It's almost embarrassing because it sounds like the commentators are trying to overcompensate for something that is lacking. The cast at ESPN are particularly bad in this area in my opinion, as is that at SPEED. Just call the race as it is and let the product speak for itself. It shouldn't need any extra hype.

And while I'm on the topic... how is Allen Bestwick in that silly pre-race trailer show instead of calling the race in the booth? Bestwick, probably due to his MRN background, is perhaps the only "new-school" commentator that understands how to call a race effectively and is, in my view, the best currently available television play-by-play announcer in American motorsports.  Somebody, please, put him in the booth!

These are three simply, easy, and non-controversial things that the television broadcasters can do to help improve the viewing experience. At this point I think every little bit that keeps people from flipping stations is going to help.