ESPN Is Pathetic

richgedman'sghost

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
May 13, 2006
1,870
ct
ifmanis5 said:
Same again today. LeBron! Heat free agents! Spurs not even mentioned, as if they'd never existed.
No this morning I listened to was almost all Tony Gwynn. Yesterday they had on Bob Ryan to talk about the Spurs legacy plus Bruce Bowen Jeff Van Gundy etc..
 

Snodgrass'Muff

oppresses WARmongers
SoSH Member
Mar 11, 2008
27,644
Roanoke, VA
I don't listen to much radio these days, but I'm in Connecticut for a job and just had to drop someone off at the train station, so I flipped on  ESPN for the ride back and had The Herd on.  In the 35 minutes I was listening, there was 16 minutes of content.  The rest was commercials.  16 minutes out of 35 that wasn't someone trying to sell me something.  WTF?  Is all radio like this these days?  Is it a sign that the medium died a while back and no one is willing to admit it's gone?  How is it possible to have only 45% of your airtime as actual content?
 
And no, the little "Hey, this is a service I really like and I'd like to talk to you about it" spots are not content, they are ads, so that whittles it down to 16 minutes out of the 35 I was listening.  Ridiculous.
 

TheGazelle

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 17, 2009
1,210
Mike and Mike is also brutal with commercials, or one of those two idiots reading a spot live.  They rarely have more than 5 minute segments at a time.  Tough to listen to.  
 

Mugsy's Jock

Eli apologist
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 28, 2000
15,069
UWS, NYC
Jim Bowden's baseball analysis is laughable.  Article on possible trade destinations for David Price includes this doozy...
 
 
4. New York Yankees Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has made it clear that he will provide GM Brian Cashman the resources he needs to make a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline, and the Yankees won't be seeing the postseason if they don't deal for another legitimate starter who doesn't have health or decline questions. The Yankees' system is loaded, and though they would decline the inclusion of Dellin Betances, the Rays' first choice, they would give up what they have to in the minor leagues to acquire Price. The Rays have a long-term need at catcher, and Gary Sanchez would be the perfect acquisition in a Price deal. Sanchez would benefit from being developed behind the Rays' Ryan Hanigan, who did a great job influencing Devin Mesoraco in Cincinnati before his trade to Tampa Bay. The Rays would also need a pitcher back in the deal, with Luis Severino being a top target. The 20-year-old is dominating the South Atlantic League, with a strikeout per inning and an ERA under 3.00. And because the Yankees would have to overpay -- they're in the Rays' division and don't have an Aaron Sanchez to deal -- they also might have to toss in power-hitting prospect Peter O'Brien, who continues to hit towering home runs at an alarming rate (23 already between High A and Double-A).

Would the Yankees pay this enormous price to get Price? They might, considering both Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira are signed long-term and they could have Masahiru Tanaka, Price and Michael Pineda in their rotation for years to come.

The trade: Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Peter O'Brien for Price.
 
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post?id=9584 [insider]
 
Once you see "The Yankees' system is loaded", you've seen enough...  And Luis Severino's ERA is under 3.00!!  I'll bet he even has a winning record!!
 

BS_SoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2005
2,230
Merrimack Valley
Why is Bowden employed there? I would assume it's because he has excellent sources from his GM days but stories like this make me doubt it. While so much of ESPN is a horrible spiral of suck, I generally find their baseball coverage (particularly Keith Law and Olney and Jonah Keri if you want to count Grantland) pretty good. Bowden is just awful.
 

cromulence

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2009
6,701
Can we add si.com to the title? Every fucking site now has to have this horrible design that shoves nothing but pictures in your face with text sprinkled all over the place. I stopped going to nbcnews.com when they did it and I'll probably do the same with SI.
 

ifmanis5

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2007
63,743
Rotten Apple
The LeBron opt out news is TWWL's wet dream come true. Wall to wall coverage with their favorite superstar and nothing but endless speculation and legacy talk. In short, right in the ESPN 24-hours of BS wheelhouse.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,676
Maine
ifmanis5 said:
The LeBron opt out news is TWWL's wet dream come true. Wall to wall coverage with their favorite superstar and nothing but endless speculation and legacy talk. In short, right in the ESPN 24-hours of BS wheelhouse.
 
It must be killing them that this has broken while they've got World Cup and Wimbledon coverage that they contractually have to at least give a token mention to every 15-20 minutes.
 

ifmanis5

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2007
63,743
Rotten Apple
Red(s)HawksFan said:
 
It must be killing them that this has broken while they've got World Cup and Wimbledon coverage that they contractually have to at least give a token mention to every 15-20 minutes.
Well, their World Cup ratings are literally record setting so the only thing that's killing them is that they lost those rights to FOX for 2018 and 2022.
 

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
cromulence said:
Can we add si.com to the title? Every fucking site now has to have this horrible design that shoves nothing but pictures in your face with text sprinkled all over the place. I stopped going to nbcnews.com when they did it and I'll probably do the same with SI.
 
Baby Jesus hates megathreads.
 
si.com is bad enough to get its own thread.  Go start it.
 

kieckeredinthehead

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2006
8,635
Snodgrass'Muff said:
I don't listen to much radio these days, but I'm in Connecticut for a job and just had to drop someone off at the train station, so I flipped on  ESPN for the ride back and had The Herd on.  In the 35 minutes I was listening, there was 16 minutes of content.  The rest was commercials.  16 minutes out of 35 that wasn't someone trying to sell me something.  WTF?  Is all radio like this these days?  Is it a sign that the medium died a while back and no one is willing to admit it's gone?  How is it possible to have only 45% of your airtime as actual content?
 
And no, the little "Hey, this is a service I really like and I'd like to talk to you about it" spots are not content, they are ads, so that whittles it down to 16 minutes out of the 35 I was listening.  Ridiculous.
The food is terrible, and such small portions
 

axx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
8,126
Find it hysterical that ESPN Boston thinks the Red Sox are buyers. Hello, they just got swept by the Cubs!
 

mauidano

Mai Tais for everyone!
SoSH Member
Aug 21, 2006
35,627
Maui
Holy shit; if I hear Chris Broussard ball wash Lebron with his annoying accent one more time...
 
Is this really the ONLY sports news?  A few seconds of World Cup, Wimbeldon tennis and baseball but let's get right back to 24 hour Lebron coverage.
 

ElUno20

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
6,055
The best part is that he never says anything. They ask him about team x, he just spits out some theories and adds the word sources. I hate Broussard.
 

Darnell's Son

He's a machine.
Moderator
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,532
Providence, RI
axx said:
Just what I need to see at work... RG3 naked
ESPN deserves it's criticisms, even though I think some in this thread get pretty nitpicky. This is silly though. They've been doing the body issue for a while, and I think it can be interesting. I'm gonna guess you don't complain about SI having Kate Upton nearly naked.
 

LeoCarrillo

Do his bits at your peril
SoSH Member
Oct 13, 2008
10,394
First Take today was ripping Clowney and Khalil Mack for answering some reporter's question about who they'd like to sack (Brady, Luck, etc.) and criticizing those players for "putting the spotlight on themselves." This from ESPN, which gave Clowney an "ESPY Award" for his hit on the Michigan running back. 
 

Silverdude2167

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 9, 2006
4,684
Amstredam
I think it was a Sportscenter segment that i accidentally caught on ESPN3 listing the five most indispensable NFL players and three of Tony Dungy's five were running backs. It is easy to see why he is now working for ESPN and not on another coaching staff or in a front office...
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,426
Silverdude2167 said:
I think it was a Sportscenter segment that i accidentally caught on ESPN3 listing the five most indispensable NFL players and three of Tony Dungy's five were running backs. It is easy to see why he is now working for ESPN and not on another coaching staff or in a front office...
 
Some people think he was worthy for consideration to the NFL HoF.
 
I disagree.
 

Boston Brawler

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 17, 2011
9,757
Broussard is such a clown. Hopefully ESPN realizes he's useless and dumps him. He has fooled them long enough.
 

JimBoSox9

will you be my friend?
SoSH Member
Nov 1, 2005
16,667
Mid-surburbia
Honestly, I doubt ESPN is all that put out about not getting the LeBron scoop.  Much of this was obviously about distancing himself from The Decision vibes, and that means distancing himself from the brand that orchestrated it.  Everyone on both sides is savvy enough to realize that.
 

LeoCarrillo

Do his bits at your peril
SoSH Member
Oct 13, 2008
10,394
JimBoSox9 said:
Honestly, I doubt ESPN is all that put out about not getting the LeBron scoop.  Much of this was obviously about distancing himself from The Decision vibes, and that means distancing himself from the brand that orchestrated it.  Everyone on both sides is savvy enough to realize that.
From a business standpoint, sure. Most of the public doesn't even notice who scoops whom.

But one thing to know about sports journalism is that it's its own kinda bizarre sideshow of competition. Maybe not for the ex-jocks providing expertise, but certainly for all the Syracuse or BU or Northwestern J-school grads who've wanted to cover sports since they were kids.

Sports reporters are like the nerd lunch table, where there's a subcompetition as to who can buddy up with the cool kids -- in this case the millionaire jocks.

It starts in school, carries through after college to who lands what beat at the city paper, who gets a byline in ESPN Mag or SI and on up.

It's a strange world of nerd ego. Right now, I'm sure Bristol is feeling a little like a kid who thought the high school quarterback was being their buddy but just wanted to copy their homework and take their carton of milk.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,020
Oregon
LeoCarrillo said:
It's a strange world of nerd ego. Right now, I'm sure Bristol is feeling a little like a kid who thought the high school quarterback was being their buddy but just wanted to copy their homework and take their carton of milk.
 
YOU TAKE THAT BACK
 

LeoCarrillo

Do his bits at your peril
SoSH Member
Oct 13, 2008
10,394
E5 Yaz said:
 
YOU TAKE THAT BACK
 

 
Hey, LB! You goin' to that party Saturday? If you need a ride, I'll be-- wait, so, okay, see you there, man! 
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,020
Oregon
LeoCarrillo said:
 

 
Hey, LB! You goin' to that party Saturday? If you need a ride, I'll be-- wait, so, okay, see you there, man! 
 
Admit it. You haven't been the same since "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
 

Dead Balls

New Member
Jul 18, 2005
103
I wish to god there will soon be another massive conspiracy originating at the Watergate Hotel.  Then we can all talk about the Watergategate affair.  Then every idiot in the media and public with the prediliction to append gate to the end of every inspid overhyped controversy will realize how fricking sick half of the world is of that ridiculous sufffix.
 

Curtis Pride

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,374
Watertown, MA
Right now, Rory McIlroy has finished the second round of the British Open with  a -12, five strokes ahead of everyone else.
 
Today's lead story at ESPN.com? ZOMG, Tiger almost missed the cut, but birdied the last hole to make it at +2!!
 

LondonSox

Robert the Deuce
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
8,956
North Bay California
soxhop411 said:
someone just proposed to his girlfriend at this video game tourney
 
Not sure which is less likely, someone there has a girlfriend or that anyone thinks a romantic setting involves that much BO and Mountain Dew.
 

JimBoSox9

will you be my friend?
SoSH Member
Nov 1, 2005
16,667
Mid-surburbia
I can even like them a little bit for the effort on that one.  ESPN's foundation was laid on "they're putting what on television?" before they built their empire.  They still retain that spark on the fringes and it's one of the few lovable things about them.