ESPN Woes
- Thread starter preacherfan
- Start date
ESPN has many problems. For me, I only turn them on to pick up a particular sporting event. I refuse to listen to any of their sports talk programs and, honestly, it would not matter to me if i could actually drop them from my TV package. Unfortunately it is bundled with things the wife wants so we still have it.
Maybe Johnny Cueto can lend ESPN some $$$$.
I figured out that he will make per out as much as I make in a year.
:flush:
I figured out that he will make per out as much as I make in a year.
:flush:
I used to love SportsCenter but the web sort of took away any need to watch it. I haven't watched ESPN outside of college basketball for probably 6 or 7 years.
But the network really jumped the shark with me when they started wall to wall NFL coverage. There are other atrocities--First Take, the horror show that was the Cam Newton interview they aired last year without any irony at all, the fact that they want to inexplicably talk about athletes' tweets--but when SportsCenter turned into a perpetual commercial for the NFL I had to turn it off.
But the network really jumped the shark with me when they started wall to wall NFL coverage. There are other atrocities--First Take, the horror show that was the Cam Newton interview they aired last year without any irony at all, the fact that they want to inexplicably talk about athletes' tweets--but when SportsCenter turned into a perpetual commercial for the NFL I had to turn it off.
ESPN has its advantages but also some real draw backs. I loved ESPN Classic but I really find it hard to get on board with a lot of ESPN shows on TV are harder to watch these days. PTI was a show I watched every day in HS but wilbon sucks and I haven't watched it since then
Well, maybe ESPN shouldn't have turned Sportscenter into Entertainment Tonight.
They keep wanting to expand their audience so much to casual sports fans that they have spread themselves thin. The hell with them.
They keep wanting to expand their audience so much to casual sports fans that they have spread themselves thin. The hell with them.
Mainly watch ESPN for games but I do like Outside the Lines, E60 and 30 for 30. But their sports talk shows such as PTI, Around the Horn, and such are pretty much unbearable.
I mean, with almost 7 billion people on this earth, how can you continue to employ Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless? What, there's NO ONE ELSE?! Really??
Seems stupid to pay all kinds of money to broadcast CBB and then turn around and only talk about the NFL all day. You would think they would want to generate interest in the games and sport that they are actually airing.
How many NFL games do they air weekly, one maybe two?
The only show that I'll tune in and watch is OTL if there isn't a game on.
How many NFL games do they air weekly, one maybe two?
The only show that I'll tune in and watch is OTL if there isn't a game on.
ESPN ruined themselves with the bias they show towards certain teams and people, that is what makes it just awful. What have they said about the biggest academic fraud case ever? Nothing it's at the Presidents Alma Mater, he is the reason that I will not watch anything but our games on that network. He should be fired immediately!
Yep, you hit the nail on the head.
I hope they go belly up today.
Screw em and their biased Tar Holes.
It's been more than a decade since I watched a sports center , I watch UK games and some 30 for 30's but that's it . I used to watch sports center before going to work , on lunch , when I got home and before bed , so it's not like I was casual . It changed , it doesn't seem like they're reporting sports as much as they're shaping sports opinion .
I think you've hit square at the middle of a lot of their problems. ESPN developed into a premier provider for sporting events and coverage of those events. I'm presuming that they had to show growth from somewhere, so they got into sports bits, snippets and commentary. They created news where there was very little to work with. I think recruiting is one example of this as its grown into a multi-million dollar media opportunity due to nothing but the needless hype from ESPN and other sports outlets to generate fan interest.
I think ESPN would be best served by returning to their roots and losing most of not all of their talking heads. Of course, this would require them to shrink considerably, never a popular decision with a CEO.
For myself, I watch specific sporting events on ESPN. I never watch sports center or any of the other babbing mic jockeys they foist as "experts". I don't like talking heads telling me what to think in politics. I like it even less when they try to tell me what to think in sports.
I quit watching ESPNFL as well. They are so terrified of the NFL network that they blast that damn league 24/7; to the point where I've quit watching the NFL for a few years. On top of that I flipped to some stupid PC/political show they have now called his and hers. They were actually in a discussion about social engineering. Imagine that. On top of it I get sick of the PC "tan Asian / female anchors all the damn time. They do nothing but promote agendas there.
Needless to say I turned it off and won't watch ever again.
Needless to say I turned it off and won't watch ever again.
I just watch ESPN for UK games. I don't even watch the pre-game or halftime talks. They use to just make me mad with their clear bias towards certain teams. As others said they also have taken to the entertainment/gossip side of it all. I really don't care what someone tweets, if I did I'd follow them on twitter. Yet, they have segments about just tweets at times. No thanks
Well said, and I couldn't agree more! They will shove the NFL down your throat even in the middle of March during the Tournament. I'll watch ESPN for any college football or basketball games, but other than that outside of maybe college gameday that's it. I've probably watched SC 4 times in the last year and don't miss it one bit, and as far as all those other shows, I couldn't care less about them.
Would like to know if ESPNs troubles go along with the industry trend, a lot more people dont have cable or satellite now so viewership being down isnt surprising, but is it on par with everybody else?
They do need to get the broads off of SportsCenter, that show was always at its best when it was 30 minutes long and had a couple guys sitting at a desk showing highlights and making jokes. We dont need inspirational stories every day, we dont need special segments with 'expert' sharing their opinion on real or often hypothetical scenarios.
They do need to get the broads off of SportsCenter, that show was always at its best when it was 30 minutes long and had a couple guys sitting at a desk showing highlights and making jokes. We dont need inspirational stories every day, we dont need special segments with 'expert' sharing their opinion on real or often hypothetical scenarios.
They've got too many channels and not enough sports to fill it. I mean you've got a network owned by ABC, running 4 channels 24 hours a day. What could go wrong? They get so bored they have to wander into their favorite pastime, social engineering. Need to cut it back to ESPN and a couple of alternates that are dead unless there's a sporting event worth broadcasting, and cut some payroll.
When you rely on appealing to the lowest, or one of the lowest, denominators of entertainment, this "embrace debate" and gossip nonsense, it will eventually come back to bite you. There's only so much people can handle of a bunch of idiots yelling asinine nonsense at each other over sports
ESPN seems to appeal more to the "young" crowd. As I've gotten older, I've tired of their constant striving to be "hip." I don't watch SportsCenter anymore unless it's after a big UK game and I want to see the highlights. I do admit though that I like PTI.
ESPN is almost its own worst enemy. They have helped pump up the leagues and individual players so much over the years that it cost them more and more in contracts. The leagues have the leg up and demand larger contracts, ESPN obliges because they need the content, but now struggle to pass it on to the consumer.
They are way behind on the direct to consumer content market, so they will continue to lose money until that's corrected. Disney drug its feet like any other massive dominating company does when something new hits the block.
ESPN will adapt, restructure and come out the other side just fine. People will continue to lose jobs for now, but it's not like ESPN is going to die.
Contract negotiations with the leagues should get interesting the next go around. Same for the athletes who reap the benefits of the leagues massive TV deals. Their contracts aren't going to keep growing forever.
They are way behind on the direct to consumer content market, so they will continue to lose money until that's corrected. Disney drug its feet like any other massive dominating company does when something new hits the block.
ESPN will adapt, restructure and come out the other side just fine. People will continue to lose jobs for now, but it's not like ESPN is going to die.
Contract negotiations with the leagues should get interesting the next go around. Same for the athletes who reap the benefits of the leagues massive TV deals. Their contracts aren't going to keep growing forever.
I watch NBATV all the time. They have some fun on that channel but they are mostly talking basketball without trying to be controversial.
For years now, ESPN has been all about the take. And I would say that 80% of their takes are goofy, if not uninformed.
If you had no other choice, you might watch that stuff and get mad about it. I'm sure that's the plan. But it is way too easy now to turn the channel.
For years now, ESPN has been all about the take. And I would say that 80% of their takes are goofy, if not uninformed.
If you had no other choice, you might watch that stuff and get mad about it. I'm sure that's the plan. But it is way too easy now to turn the channel.
ESPN is 45% of Disney profits yet as diversified as it is, I see even more diversification. Think movie royalties, theme parks, Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, cruises, merchandising etc. I'm buying again should it fall below $100.
I think it's hilarious that they have, what, 4 different channels? So that's 96 hours of programming. And yet you can still watch all 96 hours and not be able to see highlights of a certain game. They will have a sportscenter that talks about LeBron for 10 minutes, the Cowboys for 10 minutes, the Red Sox/Yankees for 10 minutes, Tiger Woods for 10 minutes, and then when you're waiting for highlights on your favorite team's baseball game, they just flash the score on the screen with no highlights. 96 hours of programming, no highlights.
That's why I stick to the MLB, NBA, NFL, & NHL dedicated channels. They show full highlights. That's how ESPN rose to prominence and they seem to have forgotten that.
That's why I stick to the MLB, NBA, NFL, & NHL dedicated channels. They show full highlights. That's how ESPN rose to prominence and they seem to have forgotten that.
Just looked at NBATV's lineup and staff. Being Friday in the office, close to Christmas, we played "Which one actually played basketball". Here's maybe an easy one.. based off the name, without googling, did he play basketball or not: J.E. Skeets
My thoughts exactly... I haven't watched SC for some time now. Years ago I used to look forward to the 10 pm SC...when they just showed highlights. That's all anybody wants...highlights.
Its sports...grown men playing games. Quit trying to make it into something it's not.
....highlights!
I'm not an investment expert....but Disney's purchase of Marvel and Star Wars look like genius. ESPN is going to really struggle a la carte cable is coming and can only be held back by the cable company cartel for so long. But I think betting long term on Disney would be smart.