Partners' Performance a Matter of Perspective

Every sports event and league on TV needs partners -- people with money to get the broadcast on the air -- whether the entity buys the time and then keeps or splits its revenue or whether a network believes in the value of the activity so much that it shells out millions of dollars for exclusive rights then sells ads itself.

Mid-level events and series might buy or share time while giants such as the NFL invariably ink lucrative deals and sell their exclusive rights.

After that, how the partners behave -- in terms of what viewers hear and see on TV -- often depends on the nature of the relationship.

When a group buys its own time, for example, it's not a surprise if the coverage of the event sounds a bit breathless and hyped. When a network or station holds exclusive rights, there might be more of a chance for criticism and critique.

The Indianapolis 500, featuring the IndyCar Series, which has bought an abundance of TV time in the past, provided some prime examples of perspective impacting the performance of a partner this past weekend.

Common sense and facts were frustratingly missing ESPN/ABC's coverage -- and it started even before the race itself.

With "Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts riding shotgun in the pace car for the race, and with a camera clearly showing her sitting in that passenger seat, the rest of the on-air crew -- most frustratingly Marty Reid -- said it was Roberts job to keep the car up to speed and set the pace for the race. Really? From the passenger seat?

It's neat that she was there, and a nice cross-promotion piece, but intimating that she was driving the car was an insult to viewers who could clearly see otherwise.

Another insult or at least some laziness without perspective came with the first accident of the race, when Tomas Scheckter bumped Davey Hamilton and sent him from the race on the first lap.

Our friends in the TV booth (Reid, Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear) cited Scheckter's aggressiveness and said pushing hard early and taking chances was something he was known to do. At the same time, they said Hamilton was surprised by the move, which prompted the accident. Even in an interview with pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch, Hamilton said the move was something Scheckter typically tries.

Well, if it's that's the case, why was Hamilton surprised? Nobody asked.

Later in a race full of hype (and hope for a close ending), ESPN/ABC missed some irony -- and no partner could mention this but viewers certainly took notice -- when Englishman Dan Wheldon thanked his sponsor, the National Guard, and said how proud he was to drive for them on Memorial Day (a truly American holiday).

Also, ESPN/ABC did not do enough to cover the spectacular last-lap accident that sent Mike Conway airborne. In attempting to protect a partner (and, in fairness, protect Conway as well because they were not sure about the significance of any injuries), they missed what was happening and left viewers frustrated and uninformed.

At that point of the race, on the last lap after Dario Franchitti had dominated, the Conley crash was the most newsworthy and significant piece of the broadcast but it was overlooked.

Also surprisingly overlooked (at least in terms of usual hype) was the sixth-place finish of Danica Patrick. She got appropriate attention for a change, and pit reporter Jamie Little asked good questions in a one-on-one standup interview afterward. It was just less Patrick than usual and that in itself was striking.

Not overlooked was Franchitti's wife -- actress Ashley Judd, who got plenty of time on TV. She has become the first lady of open wheel racing on TV. And too much can be a bad thing.