....it's all about human interest....it sells.
I realize we're on the same side of this argument....
sex sells
human interest stories bore.
Hey, if it's an amazing story, sure, let us hear it. If it's a funny story, sure, let us hear it.
Problem is, a story that matches that criteria comes twice, maybe three times a season (whatever the sport). Media types seem to have four or five "amazing stories" for every hour of sports coverage. It's all manufactured soap opera drama queen fluff, and it's like the sound of fingernails dragged across a chalkboard to me.
They (media directors, producers and writers) can't help themselves. It's what they know. They try to make a feel-good movie out of almost everything they create, including drag racing. They have no problem hi-jacking a sport and making it their opus to film and television dramas. (thankfully, at least documentaries are for the most-part, untouched by such practices)
They don't "get it" and they never will. They are about as out-of-touch with reality as people can get. Case in point. The newer Godzilla film shows a bunch of SEAL-types doing a HALO dive into a big city. As if HALO dives aren't fascinating, dangerous, and exciting enough to be watched, the director/producer added smoke streamers to each SEAL because it "looked cooler" which just ruined that whole scene if you are one of those that actually understands what HALO is, and why it's used in certain circumstances
Film and media students are told that human interest is what people really connect with. Guess what film and media students. That's total academic B.S.
Sure, there's the larger portion of the public that are mesmerized by contrived movie scene-type pseudo-sports with a brief splash of actual sport thrown in so the manly men-types can say it's not a soap opera when caught gossiping about what Jeremy did to Austin, and can you believe what Mel told Larry?.....but, it's soap opera kid stuff, and we all know it. (your mid-30's nephew and his viewing habits is a good example)
I totally understand that's the current "average" American viewer. But I think they've been trained year after year since almost birth to not only accept this as interesting format for almost everything in a motion picture/video medium, but respond to it as if it's needed...like currency one can barter "coolness" and "social relevance" in today's society.
I have no issues with people enjoying what they enjoy. Hey, it's their thing man, they should enjoy it.
I have a real reaction to people taking my thing, and transforming it to better align itself with their thing
so they can take a few sips, then we never see them again, but my thing is forever changed, and for the worst.
TV contracts for professional football is a big money thing for owners, but so is the stadium gate and it's concessions.
I believe the sport has to have a strong, and vibrant fan base
FIRST, before it can be transmitted to television.
I honestly think pro football could exist without TV coverage and continue to fill the stadiums, but the same cannot be said for TV coverage only, without the ability for fans to go see the actual games. The sport would die, slowly perhaps, after-all, it's been built for so many years, it'll take a few to die out, but it would.
In that way, drag racing is much the same, but we're already on our way to alienating the fans that go to the track AND the sports fan that wish to watch it televised, all so they can say they are trending on twitter.
Pardon my language, but seriously, F**k that.
It's not human interest stories that keeps sport-minded people coming back, it's the actual sport. We all can easily wrap our heads around that. If there's no sport being represented, it's a terrible film, made for TV movie, or daytime drama. Those things have a following, yes, but it's not the same people that would actually go to a game or track. The less sport they show, the more it becomes a crappy film student project, and no sports fan wants to visit the location where that is filmed.
Without sports fans to pay the gate, there's no tracks. No tracks, no racing. No racing, no racing TV.
Folks can quibble about the merits of sponsor exposure and such, but you're not really talking about the sport, you're talking about the business of sport. I can find as much enjoyment from watching NFC as a Big Show FC. That's me, my views, and two cents.
