Teamcasts have promise, but network bias already exits

For a first effort the "teamcasts" during the NCAA Tournament national semifinals were good. They came with good production values, logical approaches (a reliance on social media) and proven storylines.

The broadcasts aired on TNT and truTV -- and apparently confused some viewers who did not know the broadcasts were supposed to be a bit biased. With the national broadcasts on TBS for the first time Saturday, it was all-cable, diversified coverage that confused some because of the significant change.

On the teamcasts it was all UConn, all Florida, all Wisconsin or all Kentucky -- pretty much all the time.

It's a model that should, and will, get repeated for big and not-so-big sporting events in the future. Some would argue it already exists with CNN and Fox News, so it's easy to argue in support of the potential business model.

Along with the expected quality, the teamcasts also revealed expected weakness in reporting. It was not about chasing news, but more a matter of an ability to do the job and seem comfortable on camera. In the early game, Swin Cash, who literally made a living on a basketball court, was out of her element just a few steps off the hardwood. But for a rare assignment, that was to be expected.

In the aftermath of the national semifinals, Richard Sandomir of The New York Times wrote that the concept was a success. He believes the approach can work really well if the on-air types go into full homer mode, giving a potentially biased audience more of what it wants.

Still, whatever level of cheerleading happens, viewers (and even those with a strong rooting interest) want information as well. They want access. They want to feel that they're part of a community.

A teamcast can do that, and it might do that with some bias or rooting, but it does not necessarily have to do that alone to be successful. Even fans who bleed whatever color want a bit of credibility. That's why the social media segments were a nice touch, and even why Rex Chapman was appropriate on the UK broadcast.

Still, credibility matters -- and that could be seen, or not, as ESPN covered the national semifinals of the NCAA Women's Tournament on Sunday.

In the second of those broadcasts there was a clear rooting interest in the matchup between UConn and Stanford. ESPN's on-air folks were rooting for a competitive game.

As UConn trailed with five minutes remaining in the first half, they discussed a "possible upset" and offered their most concerned tones. A off-balance, prayerful Stanford three-point shot that banked is as time expired on the shot clock was cited as an example as the "kind of shot that goes in" during an upset.

Meanwhile, viewers as home knew it was too early be talking upset because a media timeout remained before the half … and because it's UConn.

As a result, all the breathless hype sounded just like that, hype. Sure, the statistic that UConn had trailed longer in the first half than they had all season was a nice note. But it was just that, a note. What was missing was any kind of perspective that prevented the on-air types (or at least the director and producer  who had a route to their earpieces) from getting caught up in silliness.

In the end, ESPN also has a rooting interest in hyping undefeated Notre Dame vs. undefeated UConn in the national championship game Tuesday night. As a result, the second women's national semifinal was more a teamcast than any of the four men's broadcasts the night before.