Is anyone at the USA network listening?
I have never written a letter or an email to any television station before. But, after a few years of watching your coverage of the Open, I have to say something because I finally can’t take it any more!Someone at the network should talk to your tennis commentators. Why is it that I find myself repeatedly yelling, "SHUT UP ALREADY!" at the tv every time Jim Courier, Tracy Austin, Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver, Bill McAtee, Tim Ryan, and Ted Robinson are calling a match??!!
Seriously, Take a breath!
They are ruining the pleasure of being a tennis fan.
It’s like they’re all trying to compete with each other and prove how much they know--EVERY single miserable second!
It’s absolutely EXHAUSTING listening to these people.
And even if people don’t take the time to write, I KNOW I speak for hundreds, maybe thousands, of tennis fans.
You have no idea how many tennis fans are watching tennis on "Mute" because we just can’t stand the endless talking.
So, PLEASE, we’re begging you!
Give us a chance to actually WATCH tennis--and HEAR it. You can’t even hear the sound of the ball being struck by the players’ rackets because of the endless droning on of these so-called "professional" commentators.
The ONLY person I want to hear call a match is John McEnroe.
Why is it that only he knows when to be quiet?
He is the ONLY one who knows what he’s doing and knows what we as tennis fans appreciate.
He immediately stops talking as soon as the server tosses the ball and starts the point.
He’ll even stop in mid-sentence if the point begins when he’s saying something.
WHY haven’t the others learned from this--especially his own brother?!
You would think at least he would know better.
Everyone should just be QUIET until the the point is over.
No one should be talking DURING a point -- EVER!!!
It’s nice to hear some personal things about the players, their backgrounds and how they got where they are today. But, how about IN BETWEEN the points? And that goes for the constant analysis too. And, when you start calling the obvious, like "second serve" after a first serve fault, C’mon, does that REALLY need announcing?
Tracy Austin, it's ok to let a couple of points go by without giving us the needless breakdown of every technical detail. Ted Robinson, stop making her talk even MORE than she already does.
Jim Courier, enough with the opinions and over analysis already. You're one of the worst.
Pam Shriver (AND all you former players), enough with the negativity. No one wants to hear the players they like getting ripped apart by you. If you’re going to do any criticizing, why doesn’t someone have the guts to say something about Williams sister's hideous outfits and jewelry, and Nadal’s and Ginepri’s? That’s tennis? How tacky. And embarrassing. Or how about how ridiculous Sharapova's and others' SCREAMING is. They're not grunting. They sound like they're being mugged. But no, with all the talking you do, don’t say anything about that.
The only positive thing I can say is that I haven’t heard Tim Ryan (who hopefully is gone this year). Yes, we all love hearing him say the score 500 times during a match, sometimes even IN BETWEEN first and second serves. What?!!
Once again, it’s exhausting.
All this ridiculous talking is not recruiting new tennis viewers. It’s only annoying the true fans already out there.
So, please, how about less talk, more silence during points, and letting this beautiful, athletic and graceful game speak for itself?
Full Version: Stop Talking Already!
QUOTE (JackieTennisFan @ Aug 31 2007, 10:57 AM) 
Is anyone at the USA network listening?
I have never written a letter or an email to any television station before. But, after a few years of watching your coverage of the Open, I have to say something because I finally can't take it any more!Someone at the network should talk to your tennis commentators. Why is it that I find myself repeatedly yelling, "SHUT UP ALREADY!" at the tv every time Jim Courier, Tracy Austin, Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver, Bill McAtee, Tim Ryan, and Ted Robinson are calling a match??!!
Seriously, Take a breath!
They are ruining the pleasure of being a tennis fan.
It's like they're all trying to compete with each other and prove how much they know--EVERY single miserable second!
It's absolutely EXHAUSTING listening to these people.
And even if people don't take the time to write, I KNOW I speak for hundreds, maybe thousands, of tennis fans.
You have no idea how many tennis fans are watching tennis on "Mute" because we just can't stand the endless talking.
So, PLEASE, we're begging you!
Give us a chance to actually WATCH tennis--and HEAR it. You can't even hear the sound of the ball being struck by the players' rackets because of the endless droning on of these so-called "professional" commentators.
The ONLY person I want to hear call a match is John McEnroe.
Why is it that only he knows when to be quiet?
He is the ONLY one who knows what he's doing and knows what we as tennis fans appreciate.
He immediately stops talking as soon as the server tosses the ball and starts the point.
He'll even stop in mid-sentence if the point begins when he's saying something.
WHY haven't the others learned from this--especially his own brother?!
You would think at least he would know better.
Everyone should just be QUIET until the the point is over.
No one should be talking DURING a point -- EVER!!!
It's nice to hear some personal things about the players, their backgrounds and how they got where they are today. But, how about IN BETWEEN the points? And that goes for the constant analysis too. And, when you start calling the obvious, like "second serve" after a first serve fault, C'mon, does that REALLY need announcing?
Tracy Austin, it's ok to let a couple of points go by without giving us the needless breakdown of every technical detail. Ted Robinson, stop making her talk even MORE than she already does.
Jim Courier, enough with the opinions and over analysis already. You're one of the worst.
Pam Shriver (AND all you former players), enough with the negativity. No one wants to hear the players they like getting ripped apart by you. If you're going to do any criticizing, why doesn't someone have the guts to say something about Williams sister's hideous outfits and jewelry, and Nadal's and Ginepri's? That's tennis? How tacky. And embarrassing. Or how about how ridiculous Sharapova's and others' SCREAMING is. They're not grunting. They sound like they're being mugged. But no, with all the talking you do, don't say anything about that.
The only positive thing I can say is that I haven't heard Tim Ryan (who hopefully is gone this year). Yes, we all love hearing him say the score 500 times during a match, sometimes even IN BETWEEN first and second serves. What?!!
Once again, it's exhausting.
All this ridiculous talking is not recruiting new tennis viewers. It's only annoying the true fans already out there.
So, please, how about less talk, more silence during points, and letting this beautiful, athletic and graceful game speak for itself?
I have never written a letter or an email to any television station before. But, after a few years of watching your coverage of the Open, I have to say something because I finally can't take it any more!Someone at the network should talk to your tennis commentators. Why is it that I find myself repeatedly yelling, "SHUT UP ALREADY!" at the tv every time Jim Courier, Tracy Austin, Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver, Bill McAtee, Tim Ryan, and Ted Robinson are calling a match??!!
Seriously, Take a breath!
They are ruining the pleasure of being a tennis fan.
It's like they're all trying to compete with each other and prove how much they know--EVERY single miserable second!
It's absolutely EXHAUSTING listening to these people.
And even if people don't take the time to write, I KNOW I speak for hundreds, maybe thousands, of tennis fans.
You have no idea how many tennis fans are watching tennis on "Mute" because we just can't stand the endless talking.
So, PLEASE, we're begging you!
Give us a chance to actually WATCH tennis--and HEAR it. You can't even hear the sound of the ball being struck by the players' rackets because of the endless droning on of these so-called "professional" commentators.
The ONLY person I want to hear call a match is John McEnroe.
Why is it that only he knows when to be quiet?
He is the ONLY one who knows what he's doing and knows what we as tennis fans appreciate.
He immediately stops talking as soon as the server tosses the ball and starts the point.
He'll even stop in mid-sentence if the point begins when he's saying something.
WHY haven't the others learned from this--especially his own brother?!
You would think at least he would know better.
Everyone should just be QUIET until the the point is over.
No one should be talking DURING a point -- EVER!!!
It's nice to hear some personal things about the players, their backgrounds and how they got where they are today. But, how about IN BETWEEN the points? And that goes for the constant analysis too. And, when you start calling the obvious, like "second serve" after a first serve fault, C'mon, does that REALLY need announcing?
Tracy Austin, it's ok to let a couple of points go by without giving us the needless breakdown of every technical detail. Ted Robinson, stop making her talk even MORE than she already does.
Jim Courier, enough with the opinions and over analysis already. You're one of the worst.
Pam Shriver (AND all you former players), enough with the negativity. No one wants to hear the players they like getting ripped apart by you. If you're going to do any criticizing, why doesn't someone have the guts to say something about Williams sister's hideous outfits and jewelry, and Nadal's and Ginepri's? That's tennis? How tacky. And embarrassing. Or how about how ridiculous Sharapova's and others' SCREAMING is. They're not grunting. They sound like they're being mugged. But no, with all the talking you do, don't say anything about that.
The only positive thing I can say is that I haven't heard Tim Ryan (who hopefully is gone this year). Yes, we all love hearing him say the score 500 times during a match, sometimes even IN BETWEEN first and second serves. What?!!
Once again, it's exhausting.
All this ridiculous talking is not recruiting new tennis viewers. It's only annoying the true fans already out there.
So, please, how about less talk, more silence during points, and letting this beautiful, athletic and graceful game speak for itself?
I'm now watching the matches on Mute. I'd like to hear the sounds on the court but I can't take the commentary any longer.
I wholeheartedly agree with and second everything JackieTennisFan said. I haven't ever posted on a television network message board either, and logged onto this website specifically to say something about the abysmal US Open commentary (John McEnroe's excepted).
Now, I watch A LOT of tennis- all the majors and even most of the more minor tournaments. I have NEVER before had to watch entire matches on mute just because my enjoyment was being hampered by the obnoxious and unbelievably irritating commentary. I look forward to watching Grand Slam tennis, and here I find myself angry, stressed out and yelling at the commentators to shut up.
USA Network commentators should maybe take a look at some ESPN coverage of tennis to see more effective, poignant commentary.
PS. Oh god, I think one of the commentators just accused a potentially injured Novak Djokovic of 'abusing the rules' by seeking treatment from a trainer. Because of how this unfairly disrupts 'momentum' of an excited Stepanek in the match. Well, far be it for an injured player to seek help! Such inspired commentary. In keeping with the spirit of one of JackieTennisFan's points, NOBODY likes watching a player they like ripped apart by uninsightful jabs from commentators. But in this case, even viewers who aren't necessarily in the camp of a specific player don't like hearing that player ripped apart unfairly and accused of unfair play. And, the players deserve more respect than that when being represented on network television. UGH.
My television is, once again, on mute. How unfortunate.
Now, I watch A LOT of tennis- all the majors and even most of the more minor tournaments. I have NEVER before had to watch entire matches on mute just because my enjoyment was being hampered by the obnoxious and unbelievably irritating commentary. I look forward to watching Grand Slam tennis, and here I find myself angry, stressed out and yelling at the commentators to shut up.
USA Network commentators should maybe take a look at some ESPN coverage of tennis to see more effective, poignant commentary.
PS. Oh god, I think one of the commentators just accused a potentially injured Novak Djokovic of 'abusing the rules' by seeking treatment from a trainer. Because of how this unfairly disrupts 'momentum' of an excited Stepanek in the match. Well, far be it for an injured player to seek help! Such inspired commentary. In keeping with the spirit of one of JackieTennisFan's points, NOBODY likes watching a player they like ripped apart by uninsightful jabs from commentators. But in this case, even viewers who aren't necessarily in the camp of a specific player don't like hearing that player ripped apart unfairly and accused of unfair play. And, the players deserve more respect than that when being represented on network television. UGH.
My television is, once again, on mute. How unfortunate.
"I have never written a letter or an email to any television station before. But, after a few years of watching your coverage of the Open, I have to say something because I finally can't take it any more!Someone at the network should talk to your tennis commentators. Why is it that I find myself repeatedly yelling, "SHUT UP ALREADY!" at the tv every time Jim Courier, Tracy Austin, Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver, Bill McAtee, Tim Ryan, and Ted Robinson are calling a match??!!"
My sentiments, exactly--in fact I just sent a note to the USA Network people, specifically about Tracy Austin, who has raised the bar for insipid, worthless and distracting chatter. I mentioned in my note that I've known people to simulcast BBC radio in lieu of listening to the all-too-chatty American coverage. I do think it's gotten better (I've not yet resorted to the BBC idea--tried once but the broadcast was blocked because whatever network here had the rights.) However, once I heard Tracy Austin pipe up the other day (has she stopped talking yet? Please tell me she has stopped talking,) I realized I might not be able to tolerate it without resorting to drinking. And I watch way too much tennis to drink that much!
It's really too bad, because we've got great tennis, and the Open Series has done a lot to encourage new fans. I know the Open is supposed to be uber-American: loud, flashy etc, and I like that. It's refreshing after Wimbledon. However, I'd rather hear all the commentators at the same time, discussing anything at all, over one more match listening to Ms Austin and her pointless, distracting (rather self-serving, in fact) so-called commentary.
Anybody know about alternative audio for the later matches?
Gotta run listen to the yappity yap for "Nay-dal"
My sentiments, exactly--in fact I just sent a note to the USA Network people, specifically about Tracy Austin, who has raised the bar for insipid, worthless and distracting chatter. I mentioned in my note that I've known people to simulcast BBC radio in lieu of listening to the all-too-chatty American coverage. I do think it's gotten better (I've not yet resorted to the BBC idea--tried once but the broadcast was blocked because whatever network here had the rights.) However, once I heard Tracy Austin pipe up the other day (has she stopped talking yet? Please tell me she has stopped talking,) I realized I might not be able to tolerate it without resorting to drinking. And I watch way too much tennis to drink that much!
It's really too bad, because we've got great tennis, and the Open Series has done a lot to encourage new fans. I know the Open is supposed to be uber-American: loud, flashy etc, and I like that. It's refreshing after Wimbledon. However, I'd rather hear all the commentators at the same time, discussing anything at all, over one more match listening to Ms Austin and her pointless, distracting (rather self-serving, in fact) so-called commentary.
Anybody know about alternative audio for the later matches?
Gotta run listen to the yappity yap for "Nay-dal"
I find John McEnroe knowledgeable & insightful & think that he & Mary Carillo compliment eachother very well as announcers. But I couldn't agree with you more about Tracy Austin & Jim Courier. Austin has yet to provide any valuable commentary & Courier is simply annoying not to mention rude. Did anyone pick up on his comment about how so many of the players last names ended in "OVA" & that the last part of their names should be dropped to make is easier for the announcers to pronounce. Clearly, he's talking about the Russian & Eastern European players. I find it insulting that the USA network would permit what basically boils down to a xenophobic comment!
QUOTE (ladybird @ Sep 1 2007, 06:33 PM)
I find John McEnroe knowledgeable & insightful & think that he & Mary Carillo compliment eachother very well as announcers. But I couldn't agree with you more about Tracy Austin & Jim Courier. Austin has yet to provide any valuable commentary & Courier is simply annoying not to mention rude. Did anyone pick up on his comment about how so many of the players last names ended in "OVA" & that the last part of their names should be dropped to make is easier for the announcers to pronounce. Clearly, he's talking about the Russian & Eastern European players. I find it insulting that the USA network would permit what basically boils down to a xenophobic comment!
I saw that bit w/Jim courier & the "ovas"---I don't think he was serious.I'm not a fan of his but I do possess a sense of humor.What if Johnnny Mac had said that--he can be quite amusing--would you have taken such ultimate offense then?I think we find the statements coming out of the mouths of commentators we don't like more objectionable than if they were said by ones that we are fond of.A lot of this negative stuff is sooooo nitpicky.
Thank heaven for the mute button. Isn't there any way to get motor mouth Austin to shut up? At least on the Direct TV mixed feeds there are other commentators on the same match! I guess we should be happy she is not also on CBS!
Amen 2 that thot!! Is there ANY way we can get RID of Jim Courier who LECTURES his way thru the whole Match, like we R ALL a bunch of Idiots that R only INterested in HIS Accomplishments & NOT the current match that he isn't even watching!!!! Anyone with DuckTape 4 his mouth has our permission 2 close the trap & let us ENJOY the Match!!!! USA needs 2 get BOTH McEnroe Bros & have them do the Commentating=At least they'd shut up now & then, & would provide informative comments, at least!!!
The Purrfect Team is Martina Navatralova & Johnny Mac!!! They kn:)w what they R talking about!!!
GOOD BYE 2 MotorMouth Courier, whom I always MUTE!!!
The Purrfect Team is Martina Navatralova & Johnny Mac!!! They kn:)w what they R talking about!!!
GOOD BYE 2 MotorMouth Courier, whom I always MUTE!!!
AMEN to all. I responded on the first day to the topic of talking over the match. It has just finally gotten to be too much. I guess now that we have been exposed to tennis channel and the bbc announcers Tracy & Jim seem even worse than before. I was very happy all year with tennis because neither Tracy nor Jim were announcers and I thought maybe they were finally let go. BUT NO. Here comes USA & we are subject to the same dribble over and over. Jim is the worse!!!!!!
I think no more than 2 people should be in a broadcasters booth - otherwise they just compete with each other.
And what about talking about the match that is being played - not about Jim's past exploits.
Anyway, time to mute the tennis. And that god for the DVR - to fast forward thru those insufferable commercials.
But the weather is perfect.
I think no more than 2 people should be in a broadcasters booth - otherwise they just compete with each other.
And what about talking about the match that is being played - not about Jim's past exploits.
Anyway, time to mute the tennis. And that god for the DVR - to fast forward thru those insufferable commercials.
But the weather is perfect.
Courier would NOT shut up yesterday during the amazing Moya match. Moya made a great shot and Courier was talking about string technology. Not even pausing to allow the viewer to enjoy the slow motion replay. And then he kept on it for like another 5 mins. He didn't even acknowledge the great shot had just happened. I had to put the mute button on. I was so angry I couldn't enjoy the point or the match. He is annoying and shouldn't be allowed in the booth. UGH!
Maybe if enough of us complain they will actually DO SOMETHING to keep 'em quiet.
Maybe if enough of us complain they will actually DO SOMETHING to keep 'em quiet.
QUOTE (tennisfanforever @ Sep 3 2007, 12:25 PM)
Courier would NOT shut up yesterday during the amazing Moya match. Moya made a great shot and Courier was talking about string technology. Not even pausing to allow the viewer to enjoy the slow motion replay. And then he kept on it for like another 5 mins. He didn't even acknowledge the great shot had just happened. I had to put the mute button on. I was so angry I couldn't enjoy the point or the match. He is annoying and shouldn't be allowed in the booth. UGH!
Maybe if enough of us complain they will actually DO SOMETHING to keep 'em quiet.
Maybe if enough of us complain they will actually DO SOMETHING to keep 'em quiet.
Truth. Courier sounded like a complete jerk. I want him and Shriver to just go away and never come back.
When Shriver starts shrieking I just have to hit mute. She's so snarky and negative that she pretty much ruins a match.
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