Posted on 11/17/2017 12:43:06 PM PST by EdnaMode
ESPNs Scott Van Pelt joined the latest edition of Off The Board, hosted by Jimmy Traina, and fought back hard against claims the World Wide Leader is dying.
With ESPN recently losing subscribers and facing ratings that arent as strong as they once were (Van Pelts midnight edition of SportsCenter is actually up 20 percent year-over-year among total viewers), some critics of the network have said its a sinking ship.
Van Pelt is having none of it.
On how frustrated he gets with the narrative that ESPN is in trouble:
I push back against it. I get it everyday. Largely, people are kind and largely you get compliments. But you do get the sinking-ship narrative. I would try to educate people, but its pointless to educate people who dont care to be educated. I guess people believe that were hemorrhaging money when thats not the case. There are other challenges for us, absolutely. Is the business challenged? Absolutely. Look at our peers. Theres no one in this space that is just hiring on gobs more people and arent trying to figure out what to do. Whats the old cliche? The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain? Thats where we are. Thats what youre going to get.
Have we invited some of this? Of course we have. Were trying to figure out in real time and youre trying not to step on the third rail and it keeps moving. I defend where I work because I know the people and I know the stage and the platform and ultimately I know that although I keep reading were gonna get shuttered any day now thats the smart people that know, know, but I understand why people bang the drum because it certainly drives conversation. Again, we invite some and were also still the biggest. Id say its fine, but it pisses me off and sometimes I swing back because I get tired of hearing it.
More on critics who say ESPN is dying:
Again, youre on a sinking ship. ESPN is dead. Define dead for me. Its crazy. I got a nice little deal here and its amazing, every couple of weeks the direct deposit is right there and Im thankful and thats going to continue so define dead for me. The lights continue to be on and again, you can forecast the future and say there are challenges and there are. Decisions to be made and difficult obstacles to overcome and no smart person would refute that, but again, when you say dead and doomed and its over, thats just patently false.
And the other thing that nobody will ever answer is, would your life be better if you all these games that you get to see just didnt exist. That you just didnt have the place to see all of this. I understand why people just wanna be negative because thats the world. And its only in this make believe space on the Internet. Not once in my whole life has anybody come up to me in an airport or at a game or at a bar or at a grocery store or at a restaurant or anywhere on earth, not once, and said to me, ESPN sucks, you suck, your show sucks. I cant stand you. Not one time. Never.
On the constant criticism ESPN gets online:
This make-believe world where everyone talks shit this shit-talking, poke-you-in-the-chest virtual whatever its just theres nothing more chicken shit than that, because its the easiest thing in the world to do and again, if thats how people really felt, somewhere along the line, I wouldve intersected with someone that felt that way and came up and said, Hey, I think your show sucks. I think ESPN sucks and I think you guys are doomed. Never. Not once.
On people saying theyve cancelled ESPN:
"If you truly wanna boycott the NFL and you wanna boycott ESPN, the notion that some guy sitting out there, or gal, and they decide, you know what, Im gonna cut my entire cable package because ESPN gave an award on a made-up show in July because theres no sports, to a woman who used to be a man, so Im now not gonna have any cable TV at all and Im gonna sit around at night and read books by candlelight like olden times because of that, thats not happening. And if you did that, than youre so dumb that I cant even pray for you because youre beyond hope. If that was your reaction to this, was to deny yourself the ability to watch television, I mean that just hasnt happened and didnt happen, so I boycott them."
During the podcast, Van Pelt also talked about why he has no interest in covering LaVar Balls antics, his relationship with Barstool Sports and the controversy surrounding Barstool Van Talk and ESPN, the best and worst thing about hosting the midnight SportCenter, Twitter, his favorite people to interview and his reaction to Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger telling him he wasn't familiar with Jerry Seinfeld during an interview.
Just another pu$$y lib throwing a hissy fit
Who’s listening? WHO CARES?
Bagdad Bob
He’s a Maryland grad who every Sept thinks the Terps will go 12-0. IOW, he is a full blown mental midget.
Scott. Dude - look at your **subscriber numbers** over the last four years.
All that is missing are the flys on the carcass..
Well, that little rant made up my mind for me. They’re done.
Wonder what he’s going to say when he’s laid off; where will he go to vent his displeasure?
And yet it continues to downsize.
It is dying. I am looking to purchase a sports product between $300-500. One of the options is an ESPN branded product. I refuse to consider it based on the name and branding alone.
What?
So, if I cut my cable I will be reading books by candlelight?
I like how his defense is essentially:
Pay us or watch nothing!
‘Any man who must say, “I am the king” is no true king.’
How come so many issues need to cause anger, hurt feelings, rage? If lefties are right, no reason to get angry at people who disagree. Just enjoy life and being right.
They are certain that renewable energy is the way of the future and cost-effective, etc. Why be upset if governments won’t subsidize it? Smart companies will use it if it’s what they claim.
The NFL is doing great. Why get upset at Papa John’s for disagreeing? Just go enjoy your game Sunday and all the money you claim the NFL and partners are not losing.
ESPN is doing great. Just do your job and enjoy your paycheck. No reason to be upset at people who don’t think your paycheck will be there in a few months or years.
And SO many other issues, where if I knew I was right I wouldn’t get angry. In fact, the 3 examples above are areas where we disagree. But I have no anger like “the other side” does. I just laugh at their arguments, not lash out and attack.
De Nile is a river in Egypt.
ESPN’s just pinin’ for the fjords!
I used to listen to ESPN radio on occasion. But as I’m sure most have noticed its broadcasts became less and less about sports and more and more about the social justice warrior agenda of the Left.
And unless that’s what you find entertaining you go elsewhere.
Apparently he’s never heard of streaming and DVD’s.
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