It's no secret that the technological revolution has affected television broadcasts in all sports.

Gymnastics is no exception. Audiences can be wowed by reviews and analysis of gymnasts' performances almost instantly, and announcers can compare performances with greater detail and accuracy.

One obstacle cannot be overcome by camera angles and technology, however.

Audiences can't be in more than one place at a time, at least not live.

But television has been giving audiences the benefit of watching gymnastics as if that were possible through tape-delayed production.

"Gymnastics doesn't really lend itself to being televised live," said Mark Womack, executive associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. "Several of our meets are aired on Fox Sports South and ESPN during the year, but it is all done by tape delay."

The NCAA championships also are tape-delayed and televised later on CBS, but the question of whether the event would benefit from live television is being asked more by athletes, coaches and fans.

"I think sometimes the perception is that a tape-delay event is not as important as a live broadcast," said Chris Sanders, USA Gymnastics director of properties. "This isn't necessarily the case. It isn't that the event isn't important, because our numbers indicate that people are watching gymnastics."

Gymnastics, like other sports such as golf and tennis, is a difficult fit for live television because individual participants compete simultaneously.

Not only can the audience not be in more than one place at a time, but it is impossible for producers to predict which performances by which athletes will end up being key to the final outcome of the event before they occur.

Change of routine

The length of meets are part of the reason live broadcasts for gymnastics have not appealed to television.

Networks aren't likely to commit to two- or three-hour time slots. But some members of the gymnastics community would be willing to perhaps revise the format in order to have the championship appear live.

"Part of our problem of getting the championship on live television is that we are stubborn," said Greg Marsden, head coach at the University of Utah. "If we want to have the opportunity in the future, we have to be willing to compromise the format. We (Utah) have been televising our events live for most of the last two decades. This year, three of our meets (one home and two away) will be televised live."

Marsden said he believes that alternative formats would be more attractive to showing the event live, including cutting back the final team competition from six teams to four.

"It is too long and too confusing right now," Marsden said. "Since there are six teams and four events, there aren't comparable scores for the average fan to understand. It is hard to know who is ahead during the meet."

Additionally, the Utah coach suggests that a Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday afternoon format would make the event more appealing for television to cover the entire competition, including individual-event finals with more prime-time slots available.

But choosing between live television exposure and championships opportunities would be a difficult decision for many involved with the sport.

"We have seen incredibly closely contested championships in the last few years," said Judi Markell, head coach at the University of Florida. "The top six teams are so close that cutting the field to four could very possibly eliminate the potential champion. I don't think that is necessarily worth the live exposure if it was possible with four teams."

Coaches vs. producers

The popularity of gymnastics makes it attractive to television entities, and more and more teams are being covered during the regular season, not just annually at the championship.

Markell said her squad was televised four times this season.

"The kids love it, and it is a boost for recruiting," Markell said. "We are all interested in increasing the exposure for our athletes and our programs."

Television exposure for collegiate gymnastics comes with a price, though.

While the current practice of tape-delayed programs allows the audience to be in more than one place at a time and allows producers to pick and choose routines that most affect the outcome of the meet, it doesn't reduce the need to be budget sensitive.

Producers can save money and time by getting the commentating done during the competition rather than doing voice-overs in a studio after the meet has concluded.

"Sometimes when a meet is being televised, there is tension between the producer and the coaches," said Marie Robbins, chair of the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Committee. "Producers want the commentating and analysis to be done on-site at the time of the gymnast's performance and immediately thereafter, so they want to hold up the competition in order to accomplish this. The coaches, on the other hand, are saying, 'Why do we need to wait for the next gymnast to perform if this is being tape delayed?' "

"It can be distracting when the competition is being held up for the announcing," Markell said. "As an athlete, you get yourself ready to go mentally, and you don't expect to wait. It disturbs the natural flow of the meet."

Markell also pointed out that excessive delays may jeopardize the safety of the student-athlete, whose muscles and joints may tighten while waiting for the go-ahead from producers.

"You don't want to take away from the enthusiasm and energy the team can create for individuals just before performing by drawing it out," Markell said.

Womack, who helps market regular-season meets for the SEC to television stations, indicated that cost issues are a serious consideration when looking for opportunities to showcase the sport on television.

"If a network is going to produce the event, they want to find the most economical way to get it done," Womack said. "Undoubtedly, it is cost-effective to get the voice done when you are going to cut it down for an hour-time slot."

In 1999, the National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships was covered two weeks after the event on a Saturday afternoon for an hour and a half on CBS.

But the NCAA's newly signed television contract with CBS Sports may improve the way the event is televised in the future.

"We are still in a transition period between the current contract and the new contract, looking at how it affects coverage such as with gymnastics," said Jo Jo Rinebold, NCAA director of broadcast services. "At this point, I am confident that in many ways the coverage of the championships will be equal to or better than what is done currently."

Rinebold said the new rights fee contract, which includes coverage of several NCAA championships other than the Division I Men's Basketball Championship, "bundles" such broadcast mediums as the Internet, which may provide additional opportunities for media exposure for various events.

This year's women's gymnastic championships, to be held April 13-15, will air April 23 from 1-3 p.m. Eastern time on CBS.