A Rant About ITV's Coverage Of The NFL Game From Yesterday

ITV's coverage of yesterday's New York Jets versus Minnesota Vikings game - from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - was a bit crap. When you only factor in most of the first quarter.

Take a look at the first picture:

Can you see the score box in the bottom left of the screen? That is what the broadcaster thought was an adequate thing to have for the people at home.

There was no regulation clock, play clock nor downs indicator. It begs the question - who was ITV catering to yesterday? Those who know the game would have expected that detail to be available on-screen. Those who don't know would have found themselves even more confused by the game in front of them. 

It was head-scratching. I genuinely don't know how they overlooked such an obvious thing that is needed to broadcast an American football game.

Anyway, following a handful of complaints on social media (I was one of them), ITV got rid of its score box and began using the one that was available on the NFL Network's feed. It, obviously, contained the detail needed to tell the story of the game being played out because, you know, the NFL Network knows what it's doing when it comes to producing an NFL fixture.

Another thing I dislike about ITV's coverage of these games is the use of Darren Fletcher on commentary.

And it's not for the reason you might think.

You see - a lot of people take to social media to complain about Fletch because they see him as a football (soccer) commentator and feel he's just doing the NFL because it's a job. I see some imbeciles on social media complaining that he doesn't know what he's going on about. Or things along those lines.

The fact of the matter is this: Darren Fletcher had been involved with the broadcasting of American football on these shores long before ITV picked up the rights to air the London NFL games.

Fletch, when he worked for the BBC, would work on its radio coverage of the games and events like the NFL draft.

And he did a decent job then. Just like he always does on these NFL calls from London for ITV.

To complain that Fletcher doesn't the sport he's covering is insulting to him. And I'll also take it as an insult because I spent years, long ago, listening to him covering the sport!

It bugs the hell out of me every time Fletch is calling games because those people ranting about him have zero clue about his broadcasting past.