I'm in my quiet period right now, but I did enjoy listening to the Bill Simmons podcast with John Skipper this past week. For one, I was curious to hear if Skipper would give anything away regarding DAZN's plans in America - he did talk about DAZN a bit, but nothing I heard made me fear any further for my future. However, I did really appreciate hearing Simmons and Skipper talk about the complexities and the politics of life at ESPN, particularly as I think I would generally benefit from being more politically savvy in my own commentary work. Generally, I'm always striving to produce the best work possible, but sometimes I offer opinions to - and make requests of - my producers in ways that might not always be appreciated, even if my heart is always in the right place. Going forward, there will be times where I think my career will be better suited by strategic silences, even if the productions I'm working on might not benefit from that approach.
One thought I've had about my tennis commentary: I've realized (through study) that it has suffered from my tendency to start sentences without knowing how I'm going to finish them. The right words usually come out, but too often with pauses during my sentences where I'm trying to find how to finish them. That's something I'll be concentrating on when I'm covering the Rome Masters in May.
In another vaguely interesting development, a good friend of mine from high school is getting married in Atlanta on the night before Week 2 of the forthcoming NFL season. I've been in touch with my producer at DAZN to see if it'd work OK for me to miss out on presenting duty that week, and he said it probably will be - they would just not do a featured game that week instead of trying to find a replacement for me. But he's asked for me to wait until the full NFL schedule comes out in a few weeks before we confirm that. Of course, my real hope is that the Falcons will be at home in Week 2 and that it might somehow be possible for me to attend that game and possibly call into the studio and still be involved in the broadcast somehow; I'm guessing that as an NFL rights holder, DAZN ought to be able to at least get me a media pass for a game, although I doubt we're equipped to set up a studio and run a full show from the game itself, fun though that prospect sounds to me in theory!
One thought I've had about my tennis commentary: I've realized (through study) that it has suffered from my tendency to start sentences without knowing how I'm going to finish them. The right words usually come out, but too often with pauses during my sentences where I'm trying to find how to finish them. That's something I'll be concentrating on when I'm covering the Rome Masters in May.
In another vaguely interesting development, a good friend of mine from high school is getting married in Atlanta on the night before Week 2 of the forthcoming NFL season. I've been in touch with my producer at DAZN to see if it'd work OK for me to miss out on presenting duty that week, and he said it probably will be - they would just not do a featured game that week instead of trying to find a replacement for me. But he's asked for me to wait until the full NFL schedule comes out in a few weeks before we confirm that. Of course, my real hope is that the Falcons will be at home in Week 2 and that it might somehow be possible for me to attend that game and possibly call into the studio and still be involved in the broadcast somehow; I'm guessing that as an NFL rights holder, DAZN ought to be able to at least get me a media pass for a game, although I doubt we're equipped to set up a studio and run a full show from the game itself, fun though that prospect sounds to me in theory!