36 replies to this topic

[NoSaint]

Pretty good history of espn and how it became the skip bayless, tebow obsessed mess that it has been the last few years. long read, but interesting if you are using them as a news resource. i definitely recommend it if you are among those typically mad at ESPN for hating the bills or buffalo.

http://deadspin.com/...tim-tebow-story

Edited by NoSaint, 14 November 2012 - 11:58 AM.

[section122]

Very good read and echos exactly how I feel.  ESPN has become unwatchable.  Sportscenter used to be the best show on tv.  90 second highlights of every game and they wouldn't give up who had won until the end.  Made me feel like I watched all of the games with the suspense that built.
I still enjoy PTI mainly bc of Kornheiser and Wilbon but find my self dvring it and fast forwarding through much of the show.  If you watch ESPN in the morning there is no point to watchit later bc it is the same points across all shows.  I think I turned during the Favre saga when the anchors started complaining about him and all the coverage he received and I thought then stop covering it!  ESPN is starting to ruin sports!

[NoSaint]

section122, on 14 November 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:

Very good read and echos exactly how I feel.  ESPN has become unwatchable.  Sportscenter used to be the best show on tv.  90 second highlights of every game and they wouldn't give up who had won until the end.  Made me feel like I watched all of the games with the suspense that built.
I still enjoy PTI mainly bc of Kornheiser and Wilbon but find my self dvring it and fast forwarding through much of the show.  If you watch ESPN in the morning there is no point to watchit later bc it is the same points across all shows.  I think I turned during the Favre saga when the anchors started complaining about him and all the coverage he received and I thought then stop covering it!  ESPN is starting to ruin sports!

mike and mike is really all i catch these days - just have it on in the background while getting ready as a quick run down of the big stories from after i went to bed. if bored, or theres a specific story im looking for i might flip it on for a few minutes but i just cant seem to watch it. agreed its painful. that mark cuban vs skip bayless showdown a few months ago, when skip couldnt discuss zone defenses, and stephan a smith tried to come to his aid with the idea that they arent supposed to come up with original content regarding X's and O's and takes on what happened, that their job is just parrot what coaches and players tell them.... i think was the straw that broke my back watching any of the commentary shows.

30 for 30 is the only thing that gives me hope that someone there might understand the problem and could possibly turn it around some time.

[section122]

NoSaint, on 14 November 2012 - 12:25 PM, said:

mike and mike is really all i catch these days - just have it on in the background while getting ready as a quick run down of the big stories from after i went to bed. if bored, or theres a specific story im looking for i might flip it on for a few minutes but i just cant seem to watch it. agreed its painful. that mark cuban vs skip bayless showdown a few months ago, when skip couldnt discuss zone defenses, and stephan a smith tried to come to his aid with the idea that they arent supposed to come up with original content regarding X's and O's and takes on what happened, that their job is just parrot what coaches and players tell them.... i think was the straw that broke my back watching any of the commentary shows.

30 for 30 is the only thing that gives me hope that someone there might understand the problem and could possibly turn it around some time.

Mike and Mike is alright for me.  However Greeny's Jets fandom is obnoxious at times I actually don't mind when they have bias and are open about it.  SVP show is also quality - he also doesn't hide his bias for all things Maryland/Orioles.  That segment with Cuban was fantastic.  I just wish it had gone somewhere.  Instead this article pinpointed exactly what I couldn't put my finger on - they are entertainment and not news now.  They have officially gone the way of fox news

[Dadonkadonk]

ESPN has been unwatchable for the better part of a decade.  I haven't watched a pre-game since they hired Rush Limabaugh.  Maybe it is a combinatin of my advancing age, having kids and less time, or internet access, but I have no interest in any of their programming.

[RyanC883]

section122, on 14 November 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:

Very good read and echos exactly how I feel.  ESPN has become unwatchable.  Sportscenter used to be the best show on tv.  90 second highlights of every game and they wouldn't give up who had won until the end.  Made me feel like I watched all of the games with the suspense that built.
I still enjoy PTI mainly bc of Kornheiser and Wilbon but find my self dvring it and fast forwarding through much of the show.  If you watch ESPN in the morning there is no point to watchit later bc it is the same points across all shows.  I think I turned during the Favre saga when the anchors started complaining about him and all the coverage he received and I thought then stop covering it!  ESPN is starting to ruin sports!

VERY GOOD summary of the downfall of SportsCenter.  Now they drone on about "will Phil Jackson" go to the Lakers for 30 minutes.  Lets interview this GM, that GM, etc.  NO, play replays of games dammit.

Edited by RyanC883, 14 November 2012 - 12:41 PM.

[NoSaint]

RyanC883, on 14 November 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

VERY GOOD summary of the downfall of SportsCenter.  Now they drone on about "will Phil Jackson" go to the Lakers for 30 minutes.  Lets interview this GM, that GM, etc.  NO, play replays of games dammit.

but they have a nack for the final score being on the ticker at the bottom right before/during the highlights, that side bar reading "kobe reacts to loss" "bryant angry about continued troubles" so as he mentioned, theres absolutely no suspense even when they do show the highlight...

i get that they are competing with the twitter crowd that needs instant gratification, but it was nice to watch an hour and actually find out what happened in the games in a compelling way with a bit of suspense.

Edited by NoSaint, 14 November 2012 - 12:46 PM.

[qwksilver]

NoSaint, on 14 November 2012 - 11:54 AM, said:

Pretty good history of espn and how it became the skip bayless, tebow obsessed mess that it has been the last few years. long read, but interesting if you are using them as a news resource. i definitely recommend it if you are among those typically mad at ESPN for hating the bills or buffalo.

http://deadspin.com/...tim-tebow-story

Good read,

I can't wait for the Kim Kardashian Skip Bayless hour of power. Sprinkle in some time w Stephan A. and what TP idiot wouldn't watch that show. Ratings people, Ratings!

[cnico]

NoSaint, on 14 November 2012 - 12:45 PM, said:

but they have a nack for the final score being on the ticker at the bottom right before/during the highlights, that side bar reading "kobe reacts to loss" "bryant angry about continued troubles" so as he mentioned, theres absolutely no suspense even when they do show the highlight... i get that they are competing with the twitter crowd that needs instant gratification, but it was nice to watch an hour and actually find out what happened in the games in a compelling way with a bit of suspense.

I agree with that 100%.  I like to have some suspense on the outcome when watching a highlight.

The only quality shows they have on ESPN these days are 30 for 30 and E60.  Those are both typically excellent.

[PromoTheRobot]

http://www.huffingto..._n_2129173.html

[Mr. WEO]

It's long been fashionable to bash ESPN.  But, hey, it's a 24 hour sports network--they have to fill the time with something. Many of you don't remember what it was like in its first 10 years.  And no other outlet breaks more stories than they do.

Sports is entertainment, and after the scores are reported and the highlights are run the rest is all of what we see on ESPN.  The "human interest stuff", the gossip, the personalities....that's why we are still watching.   It's why we are here at TSW--we are all "guilty" of doing exactly what people here are criticizing ESPN for in nearly every thread we start (how many pages/posts/views has the biggest Tebow thread here generated??).  And aren't there at least 2 threads dedicated to Wilfork's wife?  Lots of hipocracy here........

When ESPN went hog wild on Tebow, the ratings went up, not down, so obviously none of this is at odds with what the majority of viewers want to see.   Sports for a very long time has been almost as much about what happens off the field as it has about what happens on it--why blame ESPN?  Through their history, not one viable competing national sports network has been created.  And if it did, you can rest assured that it would look and sound exactly like ESPN.

[GRHater69]

I really lost it for ESPN when they cannonized Brushi on the Sunday game against the Bills after he came back from a stroke. At one point they showed a graphic that had him making more hits than the actual number of plays that had been run. Even Paul Maguire who was in the booth that night couldn't hold back commenting on how silly that was.

We have to face facts, it;s all about ratings and nobody is going to punish them when they screw up.

[T master]

NoSaint, on 14 November 2012 - 11:54 AM, said:

Pretty good history of espn and how it became the skip bayless, tebow obsessed mess that it has been the last few years. long read, but interesting if you are using them as a news resource. i definitely recommend it if you are among those typically mad at ESPN for hating the bills or buffalo.

http://deadspin.com/...tim-tebow-story

I would like to know about the Bills hating but thats a short book not an article ...

[GRHater69]

Bills hating is probably a trend that somone found popular. You can alos blame a lot of that on the fact that Donahoe did some work for ESPN between his jobs with the Steelers and the Bills and some of the people on staff there (Mort) were buds with him.

[Best Player Available]

For me anyways the commercials by ESPN and for ESPN are way better than the actual programing.

[dneveu]

I used to love watching highlights on ESPN, but now good games between playoff teams get 25 minutes of coverage. And a bills game gets booted to 25 seconds in the last 5 minutes.

Even beyond that... Hockey highlights? yeah right! Soccer? Good joke...

Just watch highlights on the computer, ESPN is just good for things like 30 for 30 and live games.

[The Poojer]

I've always liked ESPN but the Bernie Fine story was 100% irresponsible on their part and was seemingly done because they got scooped on the Penn St.story!  But again I have Syracuse bias.

[NoSaint]

The Poojer, on 14 November 2012 - 05:05 PM, said:

I've always liked ESPN but the Bernie Fine story was 100% irresponsible on their part and was seemingly done because they got scooped on the Penn St.story!  But again I have Syracuse bias.

a lot of their breaking investigative stuff is flat out embarassing, and bordering on illegal at times.

[JohnnyGold]

well, hopefully russ brandon has as much control of this operation as you fools claim he does, because the only logical conclusion i can draw from this article is we need to sign tebow this offseason.

it would probably guarantee us at least 2 monday night football games, and we would be the lead story on sportscenter all summer.

[gomper]

I agree. ESPN is totally unwatchable. I just wanted highlights, post game and previews. I don't need people yelling over the highlights and trotting out their lame comedy lines. The 1st and 10 crap is just more yammering and Mike and Mike are so boring. 30 for 30 however, is excellent.