People give RC a hard time about what he says with semantics on the broadcast but they still watch and it shows how carefully they are paying attention. He has contributed a lot to the sport somehow getting involved in most things plus has gone into other motorsports. Ricky went to Australia to scope out Jett, helped Deegan, did the whole R+D thing with Triumph and a whole lot more that I don’t know about with coaching most of the field and amateurs. In the booth he has announced with everyone plus had special guests and tries to keep it fun or at times heart wrenching. Mid week he’s got RV not washed up or forgotten with a podcast so I think he does everything he can to help out the sport and still keep it within professionalism not to brag about all he does even though they keep calling him the GOAT. He doesn’t talk like he was the best ever to ride a dirt bike but what it takes to try and be the best for the riders toward success or trying to get back up there. He also doesn’t discredit Wil or JT like we do for whatever habits they have announcing. He isn’t a homeschooler but just got a real diploma from On Track which calls themselves a legit private school that many riders need the minimum. Levi didn’t mess around and got some basic education first and it shows he is at peace and not some dumb ass interview on the podium how he is going to murder the competition if he has to toward a title. Cameron went to RCSX amateur day at Daytona start his pro career that may not have happened so of course he’s appreciative of getting opportunities you can give someone credit for. Also don’t forget MC for inviting RC to his house after him being a top amateur to be the next showtime in the making (but only when McGrath retires as the original king).
No one is saying he isn’t a legend, or hasn’t contributed a lot to the sport..
It’s just somewhat comical, and often painful that one of the main announcers of our sport, can barely string a sentence together..
At least he has his catchphrase segways to fill in voice transitions like jump transitions that Cooksey loves to hate getting your attention like “Let me tell you right now…”. The only thing I don’t care for is if he and Weege freak out with an “Ohhh no” scaring the viewers as if the rider just hit a landmine.
If not Ricky who would be next and ready? JT has a lot of good commentary as a track analyst but it would still need to be someone to speak in basic language the fans can relate to. Even though it ain’t perfect words all them times it should be simple enough for most people. Outdoors is easier to test new voices like they did with Stew. It is true RC has announced with lots of variations of cohosts but so has Weege and Diff. A day show guy like Brayton could move up with sort of a southern flavor voice and charm to offer. He sounds like he knows his stuff but would he have the thrills and spills emotion RC adds? With these tracks that people are complaining about it takes some “Let me tell ya’s” to reset the brain’s focus and keep the show sounding like it is offering something fresh and new as ideas for us to keep track of and his best expert opinion.
Including all of the hypocrites’ darling, James Stewart!
Unfortunately, until we get a retired racer who goes on to get his degree in broadcast journalism, we’re stuck with a rotating smorgasbord of semi literate analysts.
I believe JT would be able to sit behind the mic with far less criticism than RC, but who really knows if the vitards would turn on him too. I personally think David Pingree would do a great job but I understand most people wouldn’t set aside his personal views to give him a chance.
Does that mean you support Stew? He’s been good but I am not sure he’s up for a full schedule again with kids and golf life. Call me crazy to say that it might be an announcing strategy for RC to quickly say “excuse me” or “rather” after a sentence to show that he is paying attention to what he is saying to correct himself to show he is filtering what he is saying too in order to keep your ears glued.
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I can’t listen to Stew butcher the English language. RC has come a long way through many hours of speaking classes and yes, those examples may be part of the tutoring he’s received.
I may be wrong, but it appears that as the evening progresses, RC gets worse. Sort of like Harry Caray by the 7th inning stretch, if you understand the analogy.
I miss Art Eckman and David Bailey. They weren’t perfect, but they were pretty darn good with DC track side.
I enjoy the odd chuckle at RC, and don’t mind the drinking game opportunities he provides every Sunday, but people need to stop focusing on the flaws and not get way too hung up over small inconsequential things.
Just move along and focus on the racing, the commentary is no big deal.
It looks like the big money people who run the show seem to like it and not go for the Jolly Rancher conspiracy theory of candy eating speaking. I agree people are waiting for any kind of fatal flaw like him saying he likes to be in 2nd place…he’s said that for years as a way to figure out others lines except for a few riders who can somehow magically read where others are thinking of going and cover the lines. To be fresh every week and on it isn’t easy. Don’t forget January was a surge in Covid cases even though no one pretended to care plus he’s gotta prepare all day and finish the night out.
NEWSFLASH: RC is not just saying everything on his own, even though he doesn’t sound like he’s reading they must have basic notes and a storyline to tell each week based on the scenarios of each rider like when the camera cuts to them at the beginning of the race at the starting line he’s on cue to say what they need to do to play their cards right so if you think it’s all impromptu he’s got the job done well.
MC, DB and Brayton would be epic
All class and DB is funny too
That's quite the wall.
I’ve heard others go for the DB idea, not sure what he’s up to these days or if he’d do it with his family but he might be a backup idea. MC is pretty straight up for an interview but he’s already doing the Science as his thing where you can kinda tell he’s got it planned.
For the younger listeners Stew might steer them the wrong way with too much slang but for the majority he is amusing to listen to with a little southern attitude people can still relate to. With Wil and Diff speaking perfect modern English with the proper accent it provides a fun clash not having to conform to the conservative. If you notice the commercials are big into ethnicity these days with Asians and more Blacks than I used to see.
Thinking back there were lots of dudes involved like Yan Beakus before the internet could rate or butcher them. Coombs grew up in the sport as a student like Adam Cianciaro is so it might not be that long until we see him in action after he already got some visibility and publicity/rumor mills.
Damn boy, who pulled your string ???
MC said he was keen to do it on the pulpshow the other week.
AC would be awesome too.
JT and Brayton on the track plus raceday live.
Will and RC have made me mute the broadcast with utter crap each week.
Dicing for the lead or a pass and we are watching 9th and 10th…
I can forgive Stew's fumbles, because he usually says something informative and not very basic. Ricky is great in more relaxed settings like podcasts, but man, I don't know if it's pressure he puts on himself or under NBC's direction, but he just starts spewing words faster than his mind can make them make sense.
Then the just "watch this pass right here" and it doesn't happen, or when he jinxed Adam with "if he can make it through this turn, Hunter won't be able to pass him" then Hunter passes him in the next turn. Or his insights are that it's more advantageous for a rider to gain positions, because then he'll acquire more points that will help him with his championship standing, so he better give someone elbow grease.
I was actually impressed too with Stew doing the call since he didn’t have a whole lot to say as a racer.
At times it seemed AC wasn’t that popular so the fans can be tough. Now that we know more about his wrist injuries he’s got more support. A few weeks ago someone actually ran into his right boot as he tried getting up so that’s how he got the hairline fracture if no one formally spotted.
I don’t know how they decide to show footage but switching to split screen screws me up and is only helpful if I go back and replay it. Most people don’t know what the hell to watch. I guess it takes the pressure off. Supercross is dangerous enough and the grease elbow idea is already taking it too far. If you can’t make a decent clean pass or make someone crash that’s not racing or a sport.
I know Deegan is trying to make up points and may risk going down and if he is the most popular to the younger kids we watch him. I thought Linville was totally badass taking away all of Deegan’s lines.
I am new to bench racing and it’s hard to keep up with both but fun to see what people have to say who aren’t on a microphone but in general the races aim to please. Without Wil they might lose some female ears or eyes I am guessing and she tries to give us team or rider strategy not seen live. It would be embarrassing to cover it on the podium so I don’t know when to have her chime in if people think too often or during key moments. Things can happen at any time.
Ricky is the play-by-play person we have because he has done a lot for our sport and there is nobody else to do it? Hell of a reason. His results on the track are legendary, his results behind the microphone are laughable and embarrassing. TV broadcasting is a multi-billion dollar a year industry with educated trained professionals broadcasting all topics, any number of which would be better prepared to perform before the camera than RC. To think RC can broadcast as a professional is akin to assuming a novice rider can jump into a supercross main, RC didn't even finish high school. He has no command of the English language, has no idea of sentence structure, mispronounces, mis grammars, add to that his actual calling of the races and racers sucks most times. If you are a true fan of RC and the sport, you feel embarrassed for him and the sport during broadcasts. It's like watching a short fat ballerina, you know she is trying her hardest, you wish her well, but she just can't do it. RC makes our sport look bush league.
That the sport needs broadcasters who have performed on the sport's stage is laughable. Howard Cossell, and Max Kellerman never boxed. To put it painfully honest most of our sport's elites have grown up in a bubble from a very young age to do one very specific thing, in a hyperly controlled environment. When you listen to interviews of their upbringings it borders on child abuse. To think that they can then perform public speaking before millions of listeners and not embarrass themselves is cruel, they have no background to support that. This recent call for AC to go to the booth will end in disappointment as well, try to really listen to him talk, UHMs - Errrs, stammers, mispronunciations, it won't work. Nice guy, but not a professional. Putting a young man with no education, no public speaking background, limited social interactions, the briefest of training, and multiple concussions in front of a camera to speak to millions for a three-hour broadcast is a recipe for disaster.
lol great post. Please add the link to the broadcast we can watch of the races that doesn’t use him so we don’t have to pay close attention to his commentary style 😂
Always say I like dogs better than people and the stuff I read on here at times makes me realize it even more! How many posting on here would say the same to the man's face? Guessing very few.
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Emig was just a racer growing up that had a speech impediment but it didn’t take him long with training to be a pretty good announcer and he might still be doing it if someone else didn’t get the call like Ricky with possibly more training like he all the sudden committed to being physically fit as a racer with TV skills we don’t know about as a viewer. It is true to think back to the Terrafirma kids who seemed like just racers but now think how far Travis, Bubba, and RC have come likely with several million dollars each and many accomplishments. Travis finished college in record time before I did, RC went and recently graduated high school and he didn’t have to, Stew could have just sat on his money but trains riders so these dudes find a way to strive to be the best at whatever they do and if it is good enough for Feld, the AMA, the riders, and most fans tuning in with a beer or in the stands I say RC is a success after many years doing this. True it would br different in person to talk to him and if you got a backstage pass to check out the video you’d be blown away how they have 10 screens and people all over the place probably yelling at them to say something as it happens. TV is not what you see with 2 guys hanging out in the executive suite like we see before the race because they sprint over to some dungeon truck to make sure the race gets covered with 22 riders crashing or passing at any moment on a track that has limited visibility. Baseball is easy, 1 guy at a plate with 1 ball. Imagine 22 balls tossed around the field that isn’t flat astroturf but doubles, triples, and whoops added with motors on the balls too. And live not like it used to be edited.
I 100% agree. Mostly of these negative Nancy's will never be able to comprehend that, and will live forever bitching with their panties in a nasty front wedgie. But hey, they got an English degree which don't mean no shit to me from what I seen him do in practice!
Ping has good ideas knowing the sport but he might accidentally offend someone like with those diagrams he used to do joking about body parts.
"to your point"
I seen't it, I seen't him just go down he obviously aint preparated on this track of turn tables.
Comprehend what? That RC's job is difficult? I don't think anyone said it was an easy gig. They just say RC isn't good. Anyone know who's calling the Nationals with Weege? Man I miss Langston
This is accurate. I am a HUGE RC fan as a racer and could not have appreciated him more on the track and the things he does off the track now (RCH, Triumph, etc), but he is terrible at being an analyst and rarely contributes anything valuable. We need someone in the booth actually analyzing what is happening and providing insight more than "he is going to school" when someone is in 2nd or inside/outside.
Langston had clever things to say and was smooth with the microphone to pick up the action but I just tended to get bored and not watch…maybe it was the longer motos or the nationals more spread out with the riders and lap tines with less close racing action than supercross. Now with it being Supermotocross together there is more on the line and it tying in as 1 title which may be more incentive and hopefully more contenders if they can stay not injured or retire. It was fun to watch Jett’s skill but hard to see Chase keep coming up short or crashing to make it easier for Jett to just go on cruise control. Deegan outdoors going big seemed different than this year indoors but he was injured most of the season with crashes and theres only so hard you can push a SX track.
I had forgotten about Langston. He was very good and he and Weege made a good team.
That’s true they made a good team and people seemed to especially enjoy Ricky and James in the booth together. And even Chad coming by sometimes.
Me too. There's a really good youtube channel "Racer X Video Vault." They put up full motos. When I heard him calling the race, I was like damn I forgot about Grant. Off topic but I really recommend that YouTube channel
Let me guess...you are gonna tell me he helps design the tracks too.
Sarcasm.
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