Oxbridge boat race on ITV?

BBC to end 50-year association with The Boat Race - BBC statement

"We are sad to announce that the BBC has decided to end its 50 year association with The Boat Race in the light of the organiser's desire to pursue a highly commercial agenda for this event.

"We are proud that our innovative coverage has helped build The Boat Race into the event that it currently is, and one that has been brought to millions of homes.

"We intend to make the 150th Boat Race in March a fitting finale, and we are happy that we will continue to concentrate on rowing at Olympic and World Championship levels."

Notes to Editors

BBC Television has been covering the Boat Race since 1952. BBC Radio coverage dates back to 1927.

any views on this? to me it's a bit annoying due to the fact that it'll have adverts!!!

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Reply 1

makesomenoise

Joey_Johns

The BBC's coverage is not 'innovative', why the hell do they continue to use that word when the BBC obviously isnt.

This basically means the BBC is shithouse. No news to me really, I've known that since I was very young.

I doubt there will be adverts during the actual race so dont worry and anyway, the BBC advertises its crap programming in between programs anyway, no difference to me.

Oh well they have to be able to afford Match Of The Day somehow, I'd rather see that...

Reply 2

RetiredAccount89

Joey_Johns

One of the things that has pissed me off recently. BBC now has 5+ mins between programmes trying to advertise for BBC3 and other shite
similary ITV does it for ITV2. Very annyoing when ur on normal terrestrial
J

Reply 3

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

Indeed. The BBC take the piss. 'innovative' my ass. They play BB3 programs on BBC2 about 12ish, running togther at the same time, hmmm.

And yes, i'd much rather see football than rowing, football is for pansies but rowing is for out and out puffs.

Lol there are some pretty hardcore rowers around here; I wouldn't say that to their faces!!!
BTW, the BBC didn't decide to drop the Boat Race, they were outbid. Or so the organisers say anyway. ITV came along with a better deal.

Reply 4

DanMushMan

well last year had digital interactive where you could see heart rates and stuff like that. i just watched it on my normal tv.Suppose the boat race will get more money on itv, which can't be bad.

Reply 5

Alex_R

And yes, i'd much rather see football than rowing, football is for pansies but rowing is for out and out puffs.

F*** you

Reply 6

RetiredAccount89

Joey_Johns

taking the rugby view of things i see. They couldn't do what you do, you can't do what they do. It's that simple. And if you think it's a sport of just brawn (as opposed to the mental rigours of rugby) then i assume you'll be opposed to alot more sports. like bobsleigh, racing, tour de france etc.
As I recall, the rowers use the word 'puff' in association with rugger buggers. After all, who else would stick their head up someones ass for fun?
J

Reply 7

hildabeast

foolfarian

Lol!!!! Haha. Well I play rugby and I also row, and I can say that they are both entirely different, but if I were to say that one of the sports reqires more skill and teamwork it would definitely be rowing.

Reply 8

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

You obviously dont play rugby properly. Rowing involves some teamwork yes, where there are more than one person in the boat, but rugby is often known as the sport where teamwork is needed the most because quite frankly you cant win a rugby match without it, its the most integral part of any good rugby team whereas rowing can be won by the individual i believe...

No, there has to be so much communication within a crew, especially an eight. One person simply cannot 'win' for the whole crew as everyone has to take the same strokes, have a similar technique, and follow each other. I do play rugby properly, but you have obviously never rowed.

Reply 9

Alaric

Joey_Johns

This is the typical ignorant view of rugby which is starting to become outdated.

*snip* you forget rugby players are trained to hurt people*snip*

They are, jesus! I don't think we should be so regressive as to allow a sport such as that, I think it should be banned as soon as possible.

Joey_Johns

whereas rowing can be won by the individual i believe...

I've got this wicked picture in my head of a Caius boat charging down the river and being bumped by a Clare boat with only one person pulling and the rest eating their lunch with their feet up. Quite comical really.

:rolleyes:

Reply 10

Joey_Johns

hildabeast

Lol. Watch ENgland in defence. Every single player has to be in position and come out of the line at the same time (much harder than rowing because you are not close together), this is done by communication unsursprisingly, I would have thought you would employ a 'man marker' system being in a girls team, it is the easiest and simplest to work at and doesnt need much communication, this is probably where you are getting your ideas from.

Every time someone gets tackled, you need your team members to help you or you lose the ball, to 'offload' you need to communicate and need help...there are countless acounts of teamwork in rugby, and lets not forget you are out on the paddock for 80 minutes with 15 or 13 members of the team, this isnt the case in rowing. Like I said rowing can be won by an individual, there is little teamwork in that.

I have actually, I dound it incredibly monotonous. There is a certain skill needed to be 'in time' with the rest of the crew but compared to rugby this is very little skill. For gods sake you use all parts of your body in rugby, not just your arms in a single action.

Reply 11

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

Like I said rowing can be won by an individual, there is little teamwork in that.

Er, how??

Reply 12

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

There are individual events... pretty much sums up your knowledge of rowing and indeed rugby.

No, that's called sculling. When you say 'One person can win' I assumed you were referring to rowing. :confused:

Reply 13

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

Its still rowing though. When I play rugby and run, i'm officially 'running' but I am playing rugby.

No it's not, it's a different sport!!!!

Reply 14

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

To row is to 'propel a boat by oars'. Thus meaning it is still rowing.

No it's not!!! The sport of competitive rowing invloves either 4 or 8 people propelling a boat using one blade each. Sculling is completely different.

Reply 15

Hash

Joey_Johns

For gods sake you use all parts of your body in rugby, not just your arms in a single action.

I'm sorry, but you're completely and utterly wrong there. You may be surprised to hear this but the main power of the stroke comes from the leg push, not from your arms.The arms simply finish the stroke andpull the oars out of the water at the end.

Rowing requires a LOT of teamwork, at least as much as in rugby. A crew cannot do well if even one rower stops, whereas in rugby if one player is sent off/sinbin/plays crap etc, the team can still play on reasonably well. This is not possible in rowing.

I'm afraid I think you're being incredibly arrogant. I know rugby is your life, but it is not for you to judge how much skill is required in rowing, and how much of a team sport it is, as i don't think you've done it to a high enough level to realise.

Reply 16

Suzy_vet

I come from oxford, but may be going to uni in cambridge.

Who the hec to i support?!

Im affraid i feel a loyalty towards oxford, but ill get linched by cambridge people for it! i guess ill probably chnage my mind once i get there.

Reply 17

Suzy_vet

Joey_Johns

I was making reference to 'skill' in rugby, you need to use both legs and arms. I find it difficult to believe a monotonous action is a skill.

When someone gets injured the team communicate and allow for this by each spreading into a slightly different poisiton in the defensive line/attack. This is the sign of good teamwork, being able to adapt to situations. And once again so called 'sculling' or rowing on your won is not a team sport. Of course there is teamwork in rowing but it isnt as varied as other sports I coulod mention, not just rugby, the fact remains keeping in time with strokes in a monotonous action is very simple compared to some of the skills you do in other sports.

Oh dear, youve obviously never tried rowing competitively.

Reply 18

hildabeast

Joey_Johns

I am very good on a rowing machine,

Lol, erging is completely different to rowing. It's only used to build up the correct muscles. And rowing is anything but monotonous if it's done properly.

Reply 19

Alex_R

Rowing is very different to sculling. Rowing is when each person has one blade which they hold with both hands while sculling involves holding two blades. Sculling is a much more elegant and beautiful motion but it is much easier to lay down awesome power (if you can) in rowing. As for the skill levels required, what you say about rowing joey is equivalent to me saying all there is to rugby league is running round and hitting people. I have played union competitively but wasn't much good, but I did play with some quite skillful players. In my opinion the finer points of rowing technique are much harder to master than those of rugby. I can't convince you with words but I urge you when you come to Cambridge to give it a try for a few terms. Rowing a boat is totally different to pulling an erg - it is laughable to compare the two. Ergs are there for fitness training, but it will not teach you much about how to balance a boat, move as a crew and glide through the water. Generally speaking I feel rowers have to be tougher than rugby players. Good college crews will train for around 3-4 hours a day. This amount of training I suspect is equivalent to some professional rugby league clubs and is far greater than blues training for any other sport including both codes of rugby. Also in a race such as bumps, you start hurting after 60-90 seconds and then are in the most unbelievable, excruciating agony (if you are rowing in a good college first boat) for another 8-10 minutes but you can't stop because if you do you not only let yourself down but the guys in the crew with whom you've spent 3-4 hours a day training with for the past six weeks. Team spirit is far more important in rowing than rugby as you can only ever see the backs of your crew. You have to be able to sense instinctively what every other person is doing and what you must do to complement them. The eight rowers, the cox and the boat must behave as a single entity moving as different organs of the whole to create the maximum boat speed.