Opinion: The eyes have it in slow-motion replay

How on earth do you make a sport that originated in the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century and involves pushing a rock with a handle towards a frozen red and yellow circle digestible for the channel surfing spectator's palate?

The production crews at Sochi 2014 have got that down pat with the curlers - find the hottest handlers and bring in the latest high-speed cameras to make this all about the close ups - highlighting the drama of the human condition.

Much has already been made over the marketing of Russian skip Anna Sidorova and her compatriots like Ekaterina Galkina and Alexandra Saitova on their supermodel-like bearing as opposed to their poise, concentration and timing.

A few Canadians and English competitors also comfortably fall into the 'good sort' category.

Nothing could further emphasise than the high-definition, slow motion replays the casual viewer finds themselves awash with, focusing on the expressions of the curler as their bowl reaches its final (climatic?) destination.

Ultimately, shouldn't the lasting image always be the wide circle with the scoreboard in the corner?

But instead, there it is - the tension building behind the eyelashes, followed by the raising of the eyebrows and widening of the mouth into a circular shape, immediately followed by the eruption of joy.

Yeah, I know. And it's all at 100 frames per second.

We shouldn't be surprised, minority sports have their moment to shine on the global stage on a four-year cycle, attracting the most eyeballs and therefore sponsor dollars.

I remember attending a sports awards dinner in Greymouth where the keynote speaker was a former member of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball committee - which governs beach volleyball.

He told us of the contentious 1999 vote to standardise all uniforms as swimsuits - with bikinis the recommended option - including imposing limits on how much you could wear, not how little.

This gentleman confirmed it was more than the practicality of free movement behind the decision, and research studies of camera angles during the 2004 Summer Olympics showed 20 per cent focused on the player's chest area and 17 per cent on the buttocks.

Some blokes watched the sport and didn't even know there was a game on. But they watched.

Of course, sliding their way on bended knee across sheets of ice, the prospect of hypothermia dictates curlers do not have the luxury of mass appeal from skimpy outfits.

So, we come back to those slow motion replays - where the eyes have it.

Mother always told me to look a pretty young lady in the eye if you're interested, lest your appeal as a suitor be sullied by ogling somewhere else.

Some savvy television production people have obviously tapped into the same philosophy.

Now all we need is a decent backing soundtrack. A certain 1979 Dr Hook song springs to mind.