The ABCs Silent Huddles...no good!

Submitted by footyman on
Very surprised no one has touched on this here yet, but I've noticed over the past three weeks the ABC have been banned from having the audio from coaches addressing the players on the ground during the break. Being able to listen to the coaches was one of the highlights of watching the VFL, we've come to expect this as part of the TV coverage so to have it all of a sudden stopped after goodness knows how long seems pretty disappointing. I know a few coaches have sworn over the years, but if naked French women can appear in movies on SBS, I'm not sure the ABC needs to be so precious about the odd magic word being dropped. Surely they could put an on screen warning that swearing may occur before they cross to the huddle, or rate the VFL coverage "M" :lol: Any thoughts?
Forums
Victorian Football League - General Discussion
lum Thu, 22 Jun 2006 - 08:56

The coaches' addresses have been highlights in VFL coverage and have helped to make our TV coverage "up close and personal", compared to the sanitised coverage of that other competition. Surely there could be a system whereby serial offenders could be barred and "blameless" coaches be covered.
burraburger Thu, 22 Jun 2006 - 14:23
I am very very disappointed that the coaches addresses will no longer be shown on TV. This is definately one of the main highlights of a VFL game. Being able to hear the coaches game plan and listening to what he has to say to his players in an attemt to win the game is fantastic. This seems like a strange decision to me, why has taken 19 years for the ABC to work out that every 2 or 3 weeks a swear word is heard on television?? When I learnt that the cameras were no longer allowed into the huddles at quarter time and 3 quarter time, it got me thinking its only a matter of time before people are no longer allowed onto the field as well. I hope not!!
zebra Thu, 22 Jun 2006 - 19:42
:D Footyman you hit the nail on the head, not the swearing bit but that French naked woman was truly a master at her trade,showing how she could act and catch my attention exactly the same thing any coach has to do, get the attention of his team and if it calls for a few chosen words that we all hear on tv anytime even lunchtime movies then let it all go I say. It's bloody football and so be it. I know the tv is live but haven't the ABC got that 7 second delay button that radio have. Viewers love those 1/4 -3/4 time huddles and a lot will be lost if we don't get them verbally back . go zebs zebra :lol:
NorthPort Thu, 22 Jun 2006 - 21:31
Surely it can't be that hard to go into a 7-second delay similar to Radio.. allowing the ABC to bleep out any profanity.
bcarbonaro Sun, 25 Jun 2006 - 21:20
Fair point, Ons. Bit I remember Peter Donegan saying something about it during the coverage and he said it's harder to do with television than it is with radio, but they are working on something. Will be interested to know what he meant when he said the ABC were working on "something" when it came to viewers being able to hear the coaches address the players.
Dolphin Sun, 25 Jun 2006 - 22:22
Its not harder at all. You simply record it and play it back later with apropriate editing!
cobrascorer Mon, 26 Jun 2006 - 14:16
SEN has interviews at grounds on delay and either delays or records then plays later the 1/4 & 3/4 huddles. I remember many years ago a telecast from Preston where a player slid into the fence and uttered a couple of expletives. An umpire's microphone picked them up and they were broadcast. Sam Kekovich calmly said "that's a couple of words we could have done without", and that was the end of it.
bcarbonaro Sun, 23 Jul 2006 - 20:30
Has anyone heard that what's happening with this? I recall Peter Donegan saying that something was being looked at by the ABC with regards to the sound situation for huddles.
footyman Topic starter Sun, 23 Jul 2006 - 21:02
Huddles are being shown again, with audio. I think the coaches have received warnings about language from the league. Might not last long though given one coach dropped "s**t" twice in his speech yesterday. The coverage yesterday was a bit disappointing actually, the camera seemed to lose track of the ball a few times and the shot selection was ordinary as well. One time in the second quarter was dreadful, they kept changing to a camera which was not on the play three times, if anyone sees the replay you will know what I mean!