to think that anyone who complained about this really need to have a long hard look at themselves....

[clarksonforPM]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26116848

[pimmsgalore]

has anyone noticed that they keep retracting what they are saying now and saying "don't want to get more complaints"

[AutumnMadness]

Interesting. I tried to watch the highlights from the snowboarding competitions this morning (was really looking forward to it) and could not. The reason was absolutely awful commentary. I did not get to hear all the ridiculous phrases reported in the linked article, but it was just guy constantly screaming and groaning like he was giving birth the WHOLE time, just non-stop. It was supremely annoying and made the programme unwatchable. Just horrible.

[Treats]

The thing that annoyed me most about the commentary was the way one of the male commentators kept comparing the 'girls' competition with the 'men's' competition the day before.

Grrrr........

[KidLorneRoll]

The BBC coverage has undeniably been awful. I didn't really mind them going a bit mental over Jenny Jones as it was basically her mates in the box, but I'm getting fairly sick of watching the highlights and having the camera cut to someone who clearly knows absolutely nothing about the sport in question (hello, Claire Balding and Matthew Pinsett) saying something utterly inane about what is going on before cutting back to what we actually want to see i.e. the actual fucking sport.

[jonicomelately]

I'd never complain in a million years but the commentary was infantile.

[AlpacaLypse]

I rarely agree with you Clarkson but I've been loving the nutters who do the extreme snowboarding and the commentary. The comment about seagulls and a chip helmet was very funny.

If you want to hear stultifyingly dull commentary go back to the traditional sports.

[CosyTeaBags]

The commentary was a bit infantile, and could have done with being a bit more informative... but their enthusiasm really did rub off on me, and I found it emotional and thoroughly enjoyed it. I doubt I'd have felt that way if we'd had some emotionless drone commentating.

That said, I do find myself wondering why the hell they are using all these non-winter sportsmen and women to present, when we have so many other more knowledgeable people who could do the job.

Are Torville & Dean involved in any of the commentary at all? They ought to be! And I'd have loved to have seen Eddie the Eagle out there interviewing people, he would have brought a real bit of fun!

[tattybogle]

It made me roar with laughter when the bloke said - "oops,there goes our professionalism!" - or something similar as it had ALL been enthusiastically amateurish.

Can't complain when it left me smiling though.

[Bluegrass]

"That said, I do find myself wondering why the hell they are using all these non-winter sportsmen and women to present, when we have so many other more knowledgeable people who could do the job."

I wonder if we do though (or at least, do the BBC")? Winter sports are a minority interest in this country, so first we have to find people who compete at a high level, or have some other involvement. Then you need to find one's who are willing to commentate on tv and can be trusted to do so competently. Then you need to find one's who are not contracted to do it for another broadcaster, or who are willing to do it for the price the BBC are able to pay.

Ed Leigh and Graham Bell pretty much cover the BBC's usual winter sports output so I wouldn't be surprised if they struggle to find suitable available talent for a four yearly event like this, hence picking other commentators and hoping they have enough time to read up on the sport they are asked to commentate on.

[winterhat]

Sport is fun? Really?

[olidusUrsus]

The screaming and whooping was too much - it was like walking past a pub garden on a footie day, everyone getting geed up in the crowd mentality over fuck all.

The comments they come out with when they aren't squealing, like the seagull chip hat one, are amazing. They just need to tone down the yelling! They seem to forget that they are hooked up to microphones and that THE SCREAMING IS AMPLIFIED.

[whois]

'More information on how the event is scored'

They said several time it's scored on overall impression. Beyond that it's a little murky and subjective! Big air, harder tricks and clean landings get you points. Doing a easier trick with a clean landing was scoring higher than a harder trick with a hand down.

They also said several times during the snowboarding what grabs were easier, and obviously less rotation are easier than more. They also described switch being more difficult.

It was great to see snowboarding commentated by someone enthusiastic and knowledgable. These are the people who ARE actually involved with the sport and well, the professionally offended who complained aren't exactly slope styles target audience. There's a red button - use it to turn over to the biathlon or skeleton or something.

[evertonmint]

Just because Torvill & Dean won a gold doesn't mean they'd be good for commentary. Have you witnessed their lack of charisma off ice on Dancing on Ice?

You don't need to be from the sport to be good at commentating on it.

Steve Cram was a 1500m runner but is excellent at commentating on the curling. Hugh Porter doing the speed skating is usually a cycling commentator (tickles me when he talks of skaters "igniting the burners" as he always said that for Chris Hoy!)

Hazel Irvine and Clare Balding are excellent presenters without having done the sports (other than Clare and racing).

Some of the BBC presenters are a bit rubbish - Pinsent springs to mind - and the snowboarding commentators were a bit OTT but they were only saying what we were all thinking, and I actually have a good understanding of slope style now so they have done plenty right.

[MissMilbanke]

The thing is all these sports have their own language and tbh you need someone there to explain why the terms mean, e.g. a huck and not fuck and therefore a snowboarder would be better suited than a rower.

The commentary was childish, it was unsportsman like to whoop at a fall, the screaming did my ears in - but it was exciting !

[DonkeysDontRideBicycles]

I think enthusiastic amateurish commentators talking knowledgeably albeit occasionally hysterically about the event they have passion for are outnumbered by the traditional calm cool experts who deliver a more professional performance. Room for both types, surely.

[Lovecat]

We were really quite shocked when they cheered the woman falling over. That was appalling and I don't care how big a mate they are with Jenny Jones, it showed a total lack of sportsmanship . Didn't occur to us to officially complain, mind. We just made sure that DD (who was also in the room) knew how wrong that sort of behaviour is.

The fact they're now taking the piss out of being complained about shows they don't give a shit :(

[Starballbunny]

Yes it was a bit OTT, but as another poster said, it was her mate (the other British woman, who didn't qualify for the final) in the box.

Their normal world isn't the measured impartiality of the BBC it's the razmataz of the Red Bull circuit and you tube.

Their day job is selling snow boarding equipment to youngers, not entertaining grannies, SAHMs and toddlers!

[clarksonforPM]

JeanSebergTue 11-Feb-14 12:37:57

If I am honest, I wouldnt complain about anything that is on TV, if I dont like it I would switch off, watch something else and not join in on the lets be offeneded by everything bangwagon that is oh so fashionable at the moment.

[maras2]

DH and I thought it was a bit OTT but we're old gimmers. It was young person's commentary for a young person's sport < still had to turn the volume down though >

[CosyTeaBags]

I do wonder whether the people who complain, are the same people who complain about everything on the BBC.

The BBC complaints department probably have a spreadsheet. "Oh here's Mr Jones again, last week he was moaning about Eastenders, now he's upset about the Slopestyle"...

Fair point about T&D not being very charismatic, can't say I've heard them recently. I like Clare Balding and Jonathan Edwards (who is looking rather dapper with his funky silver fox style), but agreed Matt Pinsent was a bit clunky.

I think it's the same across all the tv stations - once they find someone they like, they use them for everything

[vj32]

I just don't think the sport or the BBC are doing themselves any favours with the commentary. I didn't think it was a big deal when they cheered when the woman fell - the one that fell badly they were concerned about, a couple more just 'fell' technically because their bums clipped the ice after a trick. I didn't object to the enthusiasm, more that their sole point of analysis seemed to be saying how many degrees of rotation and then going 'That was huge!'.

But the fact that no-one seems to have a clue about how it is scored makes it pretty unwatchable. So you had to do big tricks and clean. But there was no explanation of what made some of the small moves very technically difficult (they must have been to score big) and yet some of the big spins and flips with tiny mistakes were clearly worth nothing. There was such a huge range of scores given for no apparent reason. And the fact that the commentators - 2 of whom are snowboarders! had no clue either made it all a bit bizarre. How can you claim something is a sport when there are no clear rules??

Over time I guess like figure skating and gymnastics they will move from it all being about overall look to actually having some intelligible scoring system, but at the moment, while its good to watch it clearly isn't a sport.

[DanceParty]

I wouldn't have complained but it wasn't very sporting to cheer when someone fell.

Like everyone cheers and claps during tennis when one of Andy Murray's opponent's shots misses?

[Roussette]

It must be professional moaners to complain at the commentary. They ought to watch the French Open tennis when the french spectators whoop and holler when someone like Andy Murray misses a shot and what about Americans when they win something at the Olympics... what's wrong with us having a bit of pride in our sports stars for a change. We are usually very understated and correct in our support.

[Topaz25]

"Everyone" isn't involved in the commentary and representing their sport though.

[SpineInABap]

To those complaining that Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Pincent etc know nothing about winter sports - what they do know a lot about is being an Olympian, and competing in elite sport, which I think makes then more than qualified to comment. Sure there are specific rules for specific sports, but I would say that 50% of understanding a sport comes from understanding the mental and physical preparation required, and the mindset required to win medals - which I think is something that many different types of sport all share.

Personally I loved the snowboard commentary. Sure they could have been robots who didn't show any emotion, but I enjoyed the clear enthusiasm they had for their sport and for their close friend getting a medal.