Kelli Underwood to commentate on Crows v Geelong - Best wishes

[Scallop Industry Thug]

FWIW, I dont like her.

I saw her at a practice match last year where she was doing the sport report from (the weather girl was also there. And if she knew what meterology was, then owe the bloke siting next to me some money).

Anyway, Kellie referred a couple of times to us us the 'Kangaroos' while on air. During the break, I mosied on over and reminded her to call us 'North Melbourne'. She gave me this blank stare, then turned away, then continued referring to us as the Kangaroos when back on-air.

 

[Toots Hibbert]

I've just checked the North Melbourne website and you're still the Kangaroos. If you'd said the same thing to me I'd have been equally mystified.

She wasn't calling you the Northern Kangaroos was she?

 

[jim boy]

She did ok, although I thought she could have more carry in her voice. Not really a great match to judge her on as the match itself lacked excitement or genuine competition, which meant she didn't have the opportunity to heighten the sense of excitement that is a must in any decent commentator.

 

[courtjester]

She was terrible. She clearly shoudn't have the job on her merits.

She was one of the worst commentators I've heard.

 

[Sebastian Balboa]

Personally, I thought Kellie’s call was good. More power to her.​

Also, she’s easy on the eye:​

Very nice!

 

[jazz]

I've just checked the North Melbourne website and you're still the Kangaroos. If you'd said the same thing to me I'd have been equally mystified.

She wasn't calling you the Northern Kangaroos was she?

If I catch her degrading us by referring to us as "The Hawks" I'm going to be very upset.

I thought that she was ok. The different voice was hard to get past. I'll have to hear her call a few games before I make up my mind.

 

[StonesThrow]

"not sure if he was going for the pass or the goal"

Well if you had any idea about football or just common sense in general you would know that he was going for the pass.

She got the gig because she is female. FACT.

 

[Toots Hibbert]

"not sure if he was going for the pass or the goal"

Well if you had any idea about football or just common sense in general you would know that he was going for the pass.

She got the gig because she is female. FACT.

LOL Here we go again.

Firstly Channel Ten need more callers. The two they've tried out so far are one guy and one woman. They're both professional sports journos.

Now you tell me she got the gig because she's a woman and I guess you're probably basing this on the fact that just about every football commentator is a woman and men just don't get a fair crack do they? It's a womans world is the footy world.

Channel Ten are sounding like they're happy with how she went first time up but they won't persist with her or the fella they're trying if they don't improve.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Didn't have a real problem with her. Her voice isn't as bad as some make out (Its not Fran Drescher bad).

My advice to her would be to get a bit more excited when exciting things are happening (but not Bruce excited)

 

[chugguar]

Complete rubbish. She was bad. so so bad. I can not cope with that when watching the football. I listen to enough women at home and at work without hearing them drone on when i am trying to relax and watch the footy.

 

[SkankDanker]

I just thought she used cliche after cliche, but that could have been nerves. Male or female we need commentators who bring something different to the call.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Clinton Grybas was such a massive loss.

No one else has emerged on the scene since who even comes close.

 

[Monaro Gundapa]

Personally, I thought Kellie’s call was good. More power to her.​

Also, she’s easy on the eye:​

Very nice!

Why put her doing the footy are were turning the game to Gayball? The only time i like to see her on the footy is if she is naked on TV with other naked good looking Women. I'll like to see her making me a sandwich and getting me a beer,that be usefull.

 

[Monaro Gundapa]

Complete rubbish. She was bad. so so bad. I can not cope with that when watching the football. I listen to enough women at home and at work without hearing them drone on when i am trying to relax and watch the footy.

Exactly you got to put your Woman in place,i don't mess with their shopping and girly stuff and they don't mess with my sports/drink and music.

The wimps here who like it are the guys who wear dresses at home,the type i beat up after work pissing me off.

They the guys who are on their mobile answering their phone,while i work like a dog at work doing their job.They listening to their Wife's/girlfriends ordering them to get this and that/Where are you blah blah blah. Be a ****ing Man.

 

[Sebastian Balboa]

Hey Monaro, go back to your cave, fool!

The Herald-Sun's Trevor Grant summed it up well:

Trevor Grant
February 24, 2009 12:00am

NOT so long ago, footy had no idea what to do about women.

The dilemma was perfectly encapsulated by Allan McAlister's gesture to place his hand over the eyes of a young female reporter who had somehow found her way into the Collingwood dressingroom after a game.

The Collingwood president (from 1986-1995) no doubt thought he was being chivalrous, protecting her from the sight of all those naked male bodies cavorting in the showers.

Really, though, he was reflecting the struggle a male-dominated sport was having in recognising that women had a part to play in the game.

We now live in more enlightened times, where football embraces the intrinsic value of women.

Deep-seated male fears about a female presence outside the grandstand appear to belong to the past.

Not, though, if you assess reaction to the debut of Kelli Underwood as a Channel 10 commentator on Saturday.

"Nervous", "didn't work", "plucky", "OK", were some of the comments written by (male) critics. Her (male) boss at Ten, David Barham, said that though she was promising, there was no plan to use her again this year.

It could be summed up this way: nice try, girl, but, even though you can do the job, it's a blokes' world.

So if you sit in the corner and be a good girl, you might get another shot one day.

The example of Kate Fitzpatrick's failed stint on Channel 9's cricket coverage 25 years ago was trotted out to explain how tough it is for a female commentator - a ridiculous comparison.

Fitzpatrick was a good-looking actor with an interest in cricket and cricketers. Underwood is an experienced football journalist who knows as much about the game as most of her male counterparts.

Fitzpatrick was a dud because she was there for entertainment value.

Underwood knows her stuff, and, as she showed, has the makings of a high-class caller who should be in the box for the 2009 season; which no doubt she would be, if she was a male.

While her understandable nerves were forensically examined by critics, several qualities were overlooked.

First, she bothered to identify the players with the ball, something you might think was an unwritten basic for a commentator.

Not so these days, though, when you have so many callers hell-bent on doing the job of the "special comments" people alongside them.

It was refreshing to listen to Underwood engage the "special comments" men by posing questions rather than trying to air her opinions - a sign of professionalism not always evident in a few of her male counterparts.

If nothing else, Underwood's understated delivery provides a welcome point of difference. There's been an over-supply of testosterone for too long. Too many young men now compete for the title of Tarzan of the airwaves in the belief that loudest is best.

Rex Hunt has a lot to answer for.

One critic said Underwood clearly follows and understands the game. Did he expect her to be a soccer fanatic or Shakespeare devotee improvising on the night?

Nothing like a good dose of the patronising male to kick off the footy season.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25096956-19742,00.html

 

[chugguar]

Mr Grants article is typical of the modern journalist trying to bow down to political correctness and equality. How dare people suggest a female commentator was "bad, terrible, disgraceful and crap" (just a few words picked up about the place) What monsters we must be. Although I would not take things quite as far as Mr Monaro previouslly. lol
It really annoys me that people feel the need to defend this woman when it seems obvious to the vast majority of people that she was no good and generally unwelcome by the football public.
She was rubbish, move on and lets n0t get bogged down in PC bollocks.

 

[randyzany]

She commentated like a newsreader. News reporters are taught to alter their speech to sound respectable and thus be taken seriously by viewers.

So I doubt Kelli speaks like that in normal conversations which is the difference with the other commentators who are not putting on an accent.

Speaking in a very uptight monotone ridiculously serious tone is not suitable for football. LMAO

 

[randyzany]

Hey Monaro, go back to your cave, fool!

Trevor Grant is an A class PC imbecile. She was crap, gender has nothing to do with it end of story. Or are these PC fools seriously suggesting women are incapable of ever been incompetent in a job? Dear lawd.

 

[couchy555]

She was alright. I got over it pretty quick and just paid attention to the game, forgot about the novelty of it all. Way better than Sandy Roberts was, lots better than Bruce, eons better than quartermain and Danny "correct weight there" Frawley isnt in the same universe.

And for anyone whos heard that weasel Hutchy call a game........

 

[tarky]

i thought she was ok....gee it's weird hearing a woman commentate though after all these years

 

[krisholio14]

She was alright. I got over it pretty quick and just paid attention to the game, forgot about the novelty of it all. Way better than Sandy Roberts was, lots better than Bruce, eons better than quartermain and Danny "correct weight there" Frawley isnt in the same universe.

And for anyone whos heard that weasel Hutchy call a game........

I agree with you.

It certainly took a little bit of time to get used to her, but that was mainly in the sense that I associate her voice with boundary updates rather than kick by kick commentary. Once I got in tune with that I didn't think she was terrible at all.

She can improve substantially for sure, but if she had a regular gig she wouldn't be the worst voice around.

If I was Ch 10 I would have given her the whole NAB Cup series to see how much she improved over the weeks.

As for Trevor Grant, I couldn't agree more with those saying he's just another PC thug

 

[Lingsface]

Personally I thought it was shocking.
She had no personality in her calls, her voice was very mono tone and it just didnt sound right.
Also it seemed as if most of her stats were taken from other people.
Definitley not keen to hear her again.

 

[Silvagnis]

It was Underwood's first call.

Were you expecting Clinton Grybas and her to be an old hand at this?

I got used to Underwood and didn't think she was any worse than the guys in the commentary box.

I'd be just as happy to listen to Underwood as I would McGuire, Hunt, McAvaney, Brayshaw, Lyon, Commetti, Watson, Taylor, Frawley, Christian, Morphett and the eternally pubescent Anthony Hudson because they're male.

All they do is yell.

Or give us fascinating stats such as Jeff Garlett being related to Buddy and previous number 40 picks.

Watson said nothing in Friday's night broadcast and get by on being a former player.

Underwood's voice can be worked on and improved.

This might be a way of fixing Underwood's voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVmU3iANbgk

Sammy Newman might volunteer to give Underwood some voice coaching.

Caroline Wilson knows jack about football.

Underwood didn't sound any less knowledgeable than members of this site who are criticising her performance.

Next week will be Wallsy's turn for another bake.

 

[Upgrayedd]

The Collingwood president (from 1986-1995) no doubt thought he was being chivalrous, protecting her from the sight of all those naked male bodies cavorting in the showers.

I bet she was thrilled with that.

 

[dmc333]

I bet she was thrilled with that.

I wonder if that's the actual story, remember reading one a few years back where a player pulls the snag out and asks her to speak into the microphone.