ESPN's Coverage of the Super Six Challenge

Mark Twain once said that progress is the residue of promotion. Well, OK, Mark Twain never said that, but he could have about the tireless efforts of the 'powers that be' in women's college gymnastics. And what better evidence of such progress than ESPN's coverage of the Super Six Challenge? Long the friend of the so-called 'minor sports', ESPN is to be commended for their presentation of this event. If it sounds like there is a 'but' coming, there is. However, no comments, criticisms, or suggestions made should overshadow the excitement and, yes, even gratitude, the fans of college gymnastics feel about our favorite sport receiving this kind of exposure.

And now for the 'but'. While watching the coverage of 'The Challenge', a nagging feeling began to grow that something was missing. Sure, a great deal of what went on was left out. The format of the meet, and the time allotted for it on TV, almost guaranteed that many worthy performances would be omitted. And, to be fair, a six-team, four per rotation format is difficult to keep up with in person, much less on TV. So that wasn't the problem, exactly. In the past, the practice has been to cut a lot out of the early rotations and stretch out the later ones. Not surprisingly, that seemed to be the pattern here, as well. The teams, though a little cautious in such an early-season meet, appeared to be ready enough - and enthusiastic about the competition. There was an excellent crowd; the Coliseum looked great - even the ESPN on-air team seemed to be a good choice. So what was it? What caused this feeling that something wasn't quite 'right'? Two problems I think, or at least two main problems, one for the general viewing audience and the other for the fans of the teams involved.

First the general audience problem. (Many) years ago, I took Salsa (my wife and chief number cruncher) to see the movie '2001, A Space Odyssey. Now, I was (and still am) a big science fiction fan. Salsa, to her credit, is not. I had read the book and I thought the movie was just great. Young folks might not believe it, but that movie was quite advanced, technically, for its time. The director had to work around a somewhat esoteric plot, but I thought the show was quite well done. Salsa had a totally different experience. She was lost right after the opening credits, and never really saw what the big deal was about. As you can imagine, I was a little annoyed at this. But, on further reflection, I realized that I would have been just as lost and underwhelmed without the special knowledge I carried into the movie. I think this story is illustrative of the problem the average, gymnastics 'un-savvy' viewer would have encountered in trying to watch the Super Six Challenge. The rotation, scoring, and judging simply weren't explained in a thorough enough fashion to make the competition understandable. In a multi-team meet there is a real dynamic that takes place, a sort of ebb and flow of performing and waiting. Then, two or three things might happen at the same time, on different apparatuses that are vital to outcome of the meet. And the framework that all this is built upon, that makes it all make sense, is the scoreboard. For the average person to understand what is going on, a consistent effort has to be made to give the scores and explain what they mean.

As to the problem the gym team fans had, that is much simpler. Putting aside the other teams for a moment, when Alabama and Georgia gymnastics compete on the same floor, the TV people need to understand - and put into their coverage - that King Kong and Godzilla have just entered the building. And they're not there for a 'photo-op'. It's the 'Clash of the Titans'. It's North Carolina and Duke, the Cowboys and the Redskins, Alabama and Auburn. I know it's just an early-season meet, I know other teams were involved, but when I see those black leotards in 'my gym' - well, let's just say I'd like a little of the excitement to come through to the viewer. On top of that, with one more 'stuck' landing, upstart Stanford would have won the meet - leaving some disgruntled Bama and the Gym-dawg gymnasts tied for second. Talk about front-page news, talk about 'kissing you sister' as Coach Bryant used to say. That possibility caused a lot of excitement in Section K, I can tell you that! And when you lose by five hundredths of a point, you deserve a little more recognition than, "And Stanford came in third".

What it all boils down to is capturing a true 'picture' of the event. International and Olympic gymnastics remain the province of the individual performer. Although team medals are awarded, everyone understands that those teams are actually just a collection of gymnasts wearing the same leotard. College gymnastics, however, is TEAM gymnastics, pure and simple - even though individual honors are awarded. This is never more apparent than when a gymnast for a losing team receives her individual recognition after a meet - gracious, but subdued. College gymnasts, coaches, and fans want to win the meet for each other, and for their school. I know the ESPN team was aware of this because they talked about it. And I expect that, short of including every routine by every gymnast in the coverage, gym fans will always feel that an important routine was left out or that their team got short-changed. Penn State, Florida, and Michigan, even Stanford, could be excused if they felt that way. No, the tension of the fans, the anxiety of the coaches and gymnasts, the interaction of the teams - in short, all that makes college gymnastics unique - that was what was missing from the ESPN coverage of the Super Six Challenge.