Boat Race anyone?

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I'm ready on the sofa, with the dog, for my second sporting event of the day - and I will be rooting for Cambridge nothing to do with dsis' smuggery about attending Oxford.

Anyone see that 1978 race they showed before where the Cambridge crew sank? And his son is in the crew today losing.

I thought the Cambridge rower had caught a crab, but apparently there was a clash of oars. The coxes do need to keep the boats further apart - if they go so close, you have to expect clashes, and you have to accept the consequences.

High risk strategy at the start to go so close.

Got to go for it though. It's a game of holding your nerve at the start.

Still proud of all participants.

They get that close as both crews aiming for the fast (deepest) water. There is an aspect of playing chicken, too.

Well done to Oxford, commiserations to Cambridge, and applause for the hard work and effort of both crews.

Hip hip!

Poor Cambridge cox. It did look as if Oxford were coming into their line but the umpire didn't think so. I suppose he had more expertise.

YAY!

The Cambridge blade got knocked by the Oxford blade just before the catch so it overfeathered. As he took the catch, the spoon hit the water all wrong, resulting in a crab.

I'm a qualified umpire. Cambridge are right to appeal. We'll have to wait and see who was being warned just before it happened.

Cambridge were warned just before it happened according to the BBC.

(am watching delayed)

Umpire insistent that Cambridge were the ones out of their water, so tough luck.

Oxford were going to win anyway, they had (iirc) four Olympians in that boat, Cambridge had one, I think. Much heavier overall as well.

And I think the timing is more to do with fitting in with the state of the tide rather than being influenced by American TV. The tide has to be going in the right direction at the right rate, that's generally why the timing of the race varies so much from year to year. The alternative to a 6pm start would presumably have been a 6am start, which would be a bit antisocial.

Go Cambridge!

Oh dear. How unfortunate for Cambridge. Would've preferred a fair fight.

The Cambridge squad are gutted

I wanted Oxford to win, but not like that.

Timing has nothing to do with American TV and everything to do with the tide.

Nennypops. The whole thing was completely US focussed.
The sponsor has a huge influence.

It's not the participants that are important it's the American sponsor!

THE TIDE HAS TO BE RIGHT FOR THE BOAT RACE. The tideway is an immensely tricky body of water, and the tide has to be flowing in a particular direction and at a particular speech for the race to take place. Which is why the timing varies from mid-morning to evening (though I think 6pm is the latest I've ever known it be held).

Other races held on the tideway over the same distance (pairs' head, Schools' Head, WeHoRR, Head of the River etc etc) are subject to the same variations in timing. I'm sure the timing for the Boat Race is discussed with the sponsor just like it will be discussed with the BBC, but in the end they can only race when conditions are right.

And how many Americans TV viewers (other than hard-core rowers and their families) do you imagine are glued to live coverage of the Boat Race? Er...

Umm. Frogs. Actually quite a few otherwise it wouldn't be worth their while sponsoring it!

Look, I'm as cynical as the next person about corporate sponsorship of sport or of anything else. But if you genuinely think that the Boat Race sponsors are solely motivated by the prospect of American TV audiences, then you are delusional. BNY Mellon also give considerable financial support to LYR, and they sponsor NJIRC as well, which is never going to be on anybody's television, either here or in the US.

I'm sure they envisage a long-term advantage to their brand name by association with rowing as a sport, but rowing is historically lower-profile and under-funded, so if a sponsor comes along who is in it for the long haul and providing genuine support to grassroots youth rowing as well as the high-profile stuff, then I think most people involved with rowing would regard that as a positive step. If you want to rang about commercialisation and americanisation, then pick a subject you actually know something about.

Rang on?? You do understand gambling don't you?
It's not about people sitting down to watch the sport.