As Always, NFL Dominates TV Ratings

Never mind the competition, the fact that it was only Week 1 or even the looming probability of labor strife, the NFL again drew record ratings for several games this past weekend.

It was an especially good week for NBC Sports, which had the season-opening Vikings-Saints game last Thursday and a TV friendly Cowboys-Redskins game on Sunday night.

Specifically, the Vikings-Saints drew 27.5 million viewers -- making it the network's most-watched, regular-season game ever. On Sunday night, 25.3 million people watched the Cowboys-Redskins matchup. In addtion, ratings for the Sunday night game were up 24 percent from the first Sunday night game of last season (Bears-Packers).

Fox Sports enjoyed increased viewership as well. It's late Sunday afternoon game (Packers-Eagles) had a 14 percent higher rating than the game in that timeslot last year (Redskins-Giants).

Football itself does not guarantee ratings success, though. Several college football games drew ratings lower than matchups in similar timeslots last year. Those down included Penn State-Alabama on ESPN (down 36 percent from USC-Ohio State in 2009) and Michigan-Notre Dame on NBC (down 20 percent from when they met on the same weekend in 2009, then on ABC).

Clearly, and not surprisingly, the NFL remains the almost always successful TV sports king. The sport plays quickly and well on TV. It can be enjoyed when viewed casually and as background noise or when watched from the opening coin toss to the final second. Plus, it regularly provides known personalities, teams and traditions.

ESPN Gears Up for Penn State-Alabama

As expected with any potentially eventful or important Saturday in college football season, ESPN has given this coming weekend a name -- "Monster Saturday," with several ranked-vs.-ranked matchups dominating the schedule.

The prime-time game in that lineup, Penn State at Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN), could be the least competitive of the bunch -- even legendary coach Joe Paterno said his team would need a miracle to win and was overmatched -- but the all-sports network has it pregame promotions in high gear.

Among the latest is a game-specific video that (mostly) relates Alabama's dominance in the teams' series.

NFL Analysts' Input Part of Possible Change

Color commentators working NFL preseason games were uniformly inconsistent during the preseason (from top-notch efforts by network talkers to so-so and even poor work on team-controlled broadcasts), but they all seemed to share one opinion: their dislike for the repositioning of the umpire on the field.

As a change for this season, the NFL moved umpires from a spot on the defensive side of the ball at a depth about equal to the linebackers to a position in the offensive backfield. It was a move for safety, to take umpires out of harm's way as standing "picks" for receivers crossing the field and as human tackling dummies when action moves straight up the field.

But, because the umpires must spot the ball and get to their position before play can begin, the change from a place 5 or so yards from the ball to a place nearly a 12 yards away has been troublesome.

Coaches complained. Players did as well. And the Indianapolis Colts tested the rule about when the ball could be snapped repeatedly during a nationally televised preseason game, prompting several penalties.

Best of all, most TV analysts chided the move as well. Their criticisms included how the move impacted the integrity of the game and it's inconsistency -- because the umpires do move back to the defensive side of the ball in the final two minutes of the game, as an acknowledgment that team's might try to work faster late in the game and that the umpire should be in a more efficient position.

Amid such criticism, the NFL agreed to move umpires to defense for the final 5 minutes of each half during the last week of the preseason. Additionally, the league plans a meeting this week -- after the nationally televised Vikings-Saints season opener on Thursday -- to revisit the umpire topic again as the season begins.

It's clearly a rule that needs work, and it's a positive that analysts have consistently pointed out its flaws.

College Football: Longer Show, Shorter Breaks

After a taste of action Thursday night, college football season opens with a bunch of ho-hum, surely lopsided contests and a few non-conference games worth watching this weekend.

Three games highlight the latter group -- Oregon State-TCU (7:45 p.m. Saturday, ESPN), LSU-North Carolina (8 p.m. Saturday, ABC), and Boise State-Virginia Tech (8 p.m. Monday, ESPN) -- and Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit get to work both the second and third game on that list.

Still, non-game action might be some of the most discussed activity of the weekend, at least in terms of TV.

That includes an earlier start and channel (9 a.m., ESPNU) for "College GameDay" on Saturday and some shorter commercial breaks during the Notre Dame game on NBC.

Erin Andrews will host that first hour of "GameDay" as part of her new contract, which provides that taste of hosting action and work for "Good Morning America" as a complement to her duties as a sideline reporter. After her participation in "Dancing with the Stars" further increased her visibility, the opportunities were a logical (and maybe necessary) step to keep her at ESPN and allow her to build and vary her on-screen resume.

Expect the first hour of "GameDay" to go well because Andrews is good and professional. Plus, it's not like she's being asked to do a totally different job. She's comfortable in front of the camera and she'll just be sitting down for some conversations as opposed to standing up. If it does not go well, that would be a surprise.

After that initial hour, Chris Fowler and friends return at 10 a.m. on ESPN -- thankfully getting Fowler off U.S. Open coverage (even though he enjoys tennis) and putting him in the seat where he has seemingly redefined the role as studio host. In the live "GameDay" setting, he's engaging, enjoyable and entertaining. Perfect at his job.

With Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, the team works well together and the show is always worth watching.

Like Andrews, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly expanded his job duties a bit in the offseason. Because he's looking to assist his preferred up-tempo offense in every possible way, he lobbied NBC -- which broadcasts all of the Irish's home games -- to shorten their in-game commercial breaks. As reported by USA Today, this week, those breaks will go from 2 minutes, 30 seconds to 1 minute, 45 seconds.

The quicker breaks might not transmit into an advantage for Notre Dame, because any break for both teams would seemingly help the defense get a break and get ready to resume action, but if Kelly thinks it helps, well then it might.

Versus Game (Pitt-Utah) Starts Season Strong

While ESPN promises 31 games in the next five days across its numerous "platforms"-- including nine games broadcast only online at ESPN3.com -- Versus kicks off college football season at 9 p.m. Thursday with the best game of the early part of the weekend when 15th-ranked Pitt travels to Utah.

Versus is available in about 75 million homes nationwide, compared to 99.5 million for ESPN's most prominent cable channels (ESPN and ESPN2).

Because of its relationships, usually carrying games featuring teams such as Air Force, BYU and from the Pac 10 Conference, Versus rarely has a game worth watching beyond a specific region of the country -- let alone on the East Coast.

This game, though, meets that standard and should allow the network to promote the remainder of its schedule.

'Little Big Men' Latest Film in Strong Series

Another quality installment of ESPN's sports documentary series debuts at 8 Tuesday night.

"Little Big Men" follows the baseball team from Kirkland, Wash., which won the Little League World Series in 1982. The team, led by power-hitting pitcher Cody Webster, upended a team from Taiwan in the championship game -- but that's just part of the story.

Filmmaker Al Szymanski, with 11 Emmy Awards to his credit, capably recaps the team's upset victory in South Williamsport using game footage from ABC Sports (including TV sports legend Jim McKay) and goes beyond that to make the story more compelling and personal by following the team and its players after the victory.


Even two years removed from the U.S. hockey team in the Lake Placid Olympics, the Little League game did pack an nationalistic punch in 1982, which the film accurately conveys. Also, the general underdog story (teams from Taiwain had won five consecutive LLWS and 10 of of 12 before 1982) always makes for a good sports story.

As an added benefit, the film provides an interesting time capsule -- especially just two days after the latest Little League World Series concluded.

Specifically, the LLWS in 1982 included just one field, Lamade Stadium, and that was before the turf was so well manicured -- so viewers get a sense of the heat and dust that day 28 years ago.

Plus, the area around the ballpark was less commercialized and made-for-TV, but it was more cluttered than in recent years with fans. Back then, before the Internet, Twitter updates and even live broadcasts from the Series (it was tape delayed until the late 1980s), many baseball fans in central Pennsylvania were listening to the game on radio and as a victory for the U.S. team became more likely they did flock to the stadium.

To Szymanski's credit, the film feels right. It's not always easy to capture something like that years later, but that game that day was a remember-where-you-were moment for those involved and for many watching the game in person or on TV.

Emotional insights from Webster and his teammates about the aftermath of the victory only make the film more powerful -- because they touch on topics that always (unfortunately) remain timely, including how adults treat children and teenagers participating in sports.


Rebroadcasts of the film are scheduled: Sept. 1 (Midnight, ESPN2); Sept. 2 (11 p.m., ESPN Classic); Sept. 11 (1:30 a.m., ESPN2); Oct. 25 (Midnight, ESPN Classic); and Nov. 28 (1 a.m., ESPN Classic.)

Musburger, Oliver Display Midseason Form

Two of the weekend's more visible sports broadcasts featured two on-air personalities in mid-season form -- but that's not necessarily a good thing.

Play-by-play man Brent Musburger, who has perfected that high-volume, over-the-top approach, was in many ways perfect for the Little League World Series. Working games with 11-, 12- and 13-year-old participants requires positive energy because nobody's a loser at the Series and he's the perfect man to deliver that message.

He can talk about the "youngsters" with a jovial, upbeat approach and his presence brings additional credibility to an event that has established itself as a late-summer TV staple and a ratings winner.

In addition, Musburger can pontificate about the state of the sport or the impact of replay on baseball (as he did during the championship game Sunday) and it sounds important, and like he's championing change (which he was for Major League Baseball) without it really making an impact. Likewise, the games provide interesting competition with an international flair but they hardly matter overall.

Ironically, while Musburger gives the Little League World Series additional star power, it was that assignment that helped resurrect his career. After he left CBS Sports in well-publicized maneuver on April 1, 1990 -- he was made aware of the move that morning and hosted the championship game of the Final Four that night -- Musburger's first visible assignment with ABC Sports came covering the Little League World Series four months later.

Since then, he's again established himself as ESPN's lead college football play-by-play man and has hosted numerous other highly visible events.

Still, sometimes he just tries too hard to be the conscious of an event, or a champion for a cause and he did so again Sunday.

First, there was a positive (and correct) nod to the impact of replay at the LLWS and its potential in the big leagues. "It is clear that it can be used, as it has been here, with very little time delay," he said.

But, he later incorrectly lobbied for a coach in the championship game to use a replay challenge in the bottom of the fifth inning on a possibly trapped catch (it was not) that was not able to be challenged. Undeterred, Musburger said: "Well, if they ever expand it, that should be something that's part of it."

Sometimes, he would be so much better if he would just call the action. He certainly deserves room after a stellar career, but that over-the-top approach remains an Achilles heel.

Likewise, Fox Sports sideline reporter Pam Oliver made a cliche a reality Sunday night working the Steelers-Broncos game. It was a display of going to a sideline reporter who was apparently close to the action and might have information but the report added nothing.

Specifically, after an injury to Steelers linebacker James Farrior early in the game opened a large cut on his right forehead (he lost his helmet and was hit by an opponent among a of pile of players while making a tackle), viewers waited nearly a quarter to get an update on his condition from the field.

When the report came, Oliver stated only the obvious -- that Farrior had a laceration and would not return to the game.

Really? That's something everyone knew from almost the moment it happened -- and the lack of information provided only the latest example of sideline reporters not actually reporting. While the guys in the broadcast booth had already provided necessary context by mentioning a similar injury to Giants quarterback earlier in the preseason, Oliver was left with little. Especially because the Steelers might not have been forthcoming about the situation.

If that was the case, she should've put off any report that shared nothing. Or the game's producer and director should've ignored the issue if they were not going to get good information. Instead, because the sideline reporter's presence had to be justified, viewers got the same old superficial effort they usually get.

It's not entirely Oliver's fault. All sideline reporters get stuck in the same situation. Maybe someday some broadcast will find a way for them to shine with regularity but that's just not typically the case.