Bear wrote:
I've seen a couple comments about the ESPNU broadcast, but does anyone who watched on TV have any other insights? We seemed loud inside Gentile, did that carry over on TV? How full did Gentile look, and did they really mostly focus on Shocker fans? How did the analysts treat us--unknown underdog vs a powerhouse? A young, on the rise team? Two random midmajors slugging it out?
It was a comparatively huge spotlight for us, so I'm curious how we came off. Regardless, fun game and a treat to be at.
From a viewer's perpsective:
-They started the broadcast before the starting lineups. The place was still filling out, but their endzone shot was from the northwest corner of the gym, which focused on the GA 200 sections underneath the championship banners. Those 3 or 4 sections had about 15 people in them tops at that time. It looked like more showed up as the game progressed, but the first impression was pretty bad. I also honestly think that their yellow is brighter than our gold, which makes it stick out more. And our maroon blended in with their black, which didn't help the optics as well.
-They rarely showed the student section. From that beginning camera shot, the student section was basically out of view. Coming out of their commercials, they showed one maybe two Loyola students and about 40 shocker fans. If you were wearing shocker gear, you were basically guaranteed to get on TV.
-During play, you could only see the first two rows behind the benches. Directly behind our bench were 2 rows of WSU fans. I believe those seats are usually for recruits and their families. I have no idea how those fans got those seats. If they bought them online, someone in the AD has to close that loophole. If they walked up in their shocker gear and bought those seats, someone in the ticket office should be fired. The optics were horrendous on a nationally televised game.
-When we went on our run in the 1st half, it seemed pretty loud. But when they scored, it sounded like a sizable contingent for a team that is a flight away and has one kind-of-but-not-really local player.
-The announcers treated us fairly. The color guy's (Adams?) shtick seems to be overly-enthusiastic, which was pretty grating. There were some minor screw-ups as well (Vic Royce instead of Rouse). But he was very complimentary of LU and this year's team and by no means a WSU homer.