ESPN's "Dancing Coaches"

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, more commonly referred to as March Madness, is unequivocally one of the most exciting events of the annual sporting calendar. The unpredictable and unrelenting nature of the tournament makes it a must-watch for sports fanatics. ESPN’s “Dancing Coaches” commercial operates by exploring the unparalleled excitement of March Madness through a unique lens. Instead of simply offering a montage of famous game winners (an all too common tactic), ESPN illustrates the pseudo-hysteria that defines college basketball by documenting the emotional investment and passion of college coaches.

The clips of coaches frantically calling plays or reacting to a call with which they vehemently disagree clarify what can be deemed a highlight. Unlike more traditional sporting commercials, “Dancing Coaches” manifests an unglamorous and often unrecognized side of sports. Instead of, for example, focusing on Michael Jordan’s great game winners or the Saints’ unlikely rise to prominence in the NFL, ESPN reveals the unruly and sometimes emotionally raw side of sports – one that may be ultimately as interesting to the viewer. In this way, highlights can be viewed not only as those things that are seen as crucial in determining the outcome of a sporting event, but also those occurrences that appear unusual or especially intriguing. In this case, ESPN intends to illustrate, with evidence, the energy and enthusiasm characteristic of not only March Madness, but also sports in general. So, ESPN references an unusual and under-documented aspect of sports to show how deeply rooted passion and excitement are within sports. This point is then reinforced by text that proclaims, “It’s not crazy, it’s sports.”

ESPN is attempting to positively shape our expectations of not only the upcoming NCAA tourney, but also the much larger realm of sports in general. It is useful to then think of “Dancing Coaches” as a paratext for both March Madness as well as general sports coverage (interest in both would inevitably benefit ESPN in some manner). In his book Show Sold Separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts, Jonathan Gray defines paratexts as information that shapes our expectations and faith, ultimately informing why and how we consume. This notion of paratexts can easily be applied in this context; ESPN wants people to expect excitement, expect emotion, and albeit clichéd expect the unexpected. These expectations inform decisions about the consumption of sports coverage, which in this case is the greater text.

“Dancing Coaches” is effective in using an unusual aspect of sports to convey some of its fundamental characteristics – uncertainty, passion, and excitement. The video clips serve as evidence to support this illustration. Justice’ “D.A.N.C.E.” provides an interesting soundtrack, one that functionally supports the commercials message by saying, “This might look like dancing, but it’s not. It’s sports.” This may seem unusual, but not within the context of sports where the unusual, the exciting, the uncertain are common. The delicate crafting of this message is what makes “Dancing Coaches” great.