Posted on 09/18/2014 4:52:37 AM PDT by LeoMcNeil
Why did it take 25-30 years for ESPN to figure this out? I’ll grant the network used to have more actual sporting events. They would tape delay Australian Rules Football and other events. However, we’re talking about a network with three live sports channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), a dedicated news channel and a classic sports channel. In addition, they also run the SEC Network and Longhorn Network.
There’s enough sports and there’s demand for commentary. The problem is that the demand for commentary relates to the game on the field, not the off field politics. People want to watch breakdowns of previous games by sports commentators and they want to watch prediction commentary for upcoming games. People want to watch draft analysis without hearing about the sexual perversion of one of the players to be drafted.
I was referring to their nightly sports hi-lite show..it has the two Canadian guys...they’re pretty good.
I disagree with the article in that ESPN is in the business of getting as many people to watch to maximize the advertising revenue. They are concentrating on these issues now because that is what most people want to watch. Most people find the X and O’s type of talk a real snoozefest. If ESPN ignored the Rice’s and Peterson’s, and concentrated on breaking down the Bear’s defensive scheme they would look like jerks. Also to describe what Peterson did as something positive is one of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time. If anyone disciplines their children in the manner of the Royal Navy circa 1805, they are committing child abuse, and are a savage to boot.
If you can’t find a football or baseball or basketball game on espn then you’re a moron.
He tuned in at 10am on a weekday and couldn’t figure out why there was no game on. Anyone with a brain can figure out that games on a weekday will be between 7pm - 1am Eastern Time throughout the continental USA. The only fans hurt in this regards were soccer fans, who couldn’t watch Netherlands-Czech Rep in the Euro qualifiers last week because of the Rice situation. Every other scheduled game was broadcasted.
Sorry, once the author wrote that about Peterson, he established he was a bigger idiot than anyone at ESPN.
On the other hand, Rebecca Lowe is top notch on the NBC with the Premier League.
Depends on what time of day you’re trying to watch a game. There’s a reason why commentary shows are often on in the afternoon and early evening. Games generally don’t start on weekdays until 7pm eastern. Some events might take place during the afternoon but these are generally special events or once a year events like grand slam tennis or golf.
So the only way to grow the business is by expanding your coverage into topics that attract interest from people who aren't sports fans. This is why major sports leagues and sports networks have become entertainment industries rather than sports enterprises.
Sports talk radio is boring as hell, it’s even worse when sports hosts try to talk politics.
Most of them in Bristol at ESPN hate his guts but they’re all trying to mimic his style.
aka ESPN Ocho.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.