Friday, September 14, 2007

Filling the Gaps: Women Videocasting Sports

A while back, yours truly had the idea of putting together a sports video show of his own. I figured that although my looks and voice were fairly average, this show might be a success because there would not be much competition. However, after looking on Youtube and studying this issue, I realized that sports shows done by men are not viewed by many people. I didn't get that excited about them myself, after scouting the competition. (I respect them, don't get me wrong, just not that excited about their shows). The inevitable comparison occurs to ESPN, FOX Sports, or other TV shows, and none of them can compare. The other issue is, videos made by females appear to be more highly viewed than videos made by males, unless the males are really funny (and I am not consistently funny).

So I started looking around to see what women are doing sports shows on YouTube. I still think that we have yet to see the true winner; a show where a knowledgeable female does a witty two-minute video on the top sports stories of the day. And no, I'm not talking about a "Sports Bimbo" show, ugh; look at Rocketboom (where a woman presents the news) and WallStrip (where a woman does company financial profiles) for examples of how it should work. It just has to be a woman with way above-average verbal skills who doesn't look bad on camera. You can be sure that if I had a sister or close female friend who fit the description, I'd be pushing them to do this ASAP. But I don't. So maybe one of you can be that female videocaster instead and enjoy the fame and success? :-)

There are some females who are fans of a specific team out there, though, and I wanted to give you a quick run-down of them so they can get more views.
#1: Braves Girl 5.

Why do you want to watch her videos? She doesn't do as many Braves videos as she used to, unfortunately, and apparently took some down. But I enjoy the enthusiasm, and she has that "friendly girl next door" vibe down pat. Weak points are that she usually just does videos on the Atlanta Braves, and that it's much more fan-based rather than news-based.

#2: Yankees Chick

Why do you want to watch her videos? I really like Maureen's voice; there's a depth to it, and yet not monotone either. She keeps the videos short, and she has a sense of humor too. The only thing I dislike is that it's just about baseball and that it's all "sit down at home and talk to the camera." It would be fun to mix it up a little bit by, say, taping a show outside, or with Yankees Stadium as a backdrop, or something. But that's a small point; like I said, the voice is great.

#3: The Two Michelles

Why do you want to watch their videos?
* The Two Michelles actually venture OUTSIDE of their house! And interview other people! It's almost like real media! ha. Seriously, much respect; it makes their show way more interesting.
* For the moments where Tall Michelle interviews short guys at sports bars, and they are intimidated, are confused as to how she got in to what they think is "men's world", or think about asking for her number.
* For the moments where Short Michelle changes over from "serious, businesslike Michelle" at the start of the videos to "frothing at the mouth, so excited about the Dolphins" Michelle by the end.
* For the moments where Tall Michelle clearly thinks "Oh, I look stupid, don't I", shrugs her shoulders, and goes through with it anyway. I like it when a person is smart enough to "know better" and doesn't care.
* For the moments where Short Michelle speaks earnestly to the camera, as if it is her closest friend and listens to every word. I like the intensity.

My only complaint is, sometimes the interviews with other fans drag a little bit. The other fans can be kind of boring and long-winded. But I really did like their interview with the fan in full Dolphins regalia (including mask) at the sports bar.

Do you know of any other females doing videocasting? Let me know in the comments.

1 comment:

  1. The 2 Michelles seem the most interactive. They pass Simmons's old "table test", as they seem to bring something new to the discussion or fan experience. The other two are good, but are just repeating the news. I can find the same thing on ESPN or Baseball Prospectus. Then again, he or she with out a video show should not throw rocks at cameras.

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