The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

I love the "Bristolmetrics" segment on Deadspin.

Today featured this gem:

Bristolmetrics: The Miami Heat Got 120 Minutes Of SportsCenter Coverage Last Week; Every Other Sport Shared 130

All your Heat are belong to us: Keep in mind that the Heat only won a single game (game 6) in the week covered by our data. So to hear SportsCenter tell it, the Celtics weren't winning—the Heat were choking. That shouldn't be surprising. What was an all-time great seven-game series rich in storylines and legacies and possibilities was reduced to a weeklong narrative binge. It was ESPN at its worst, with postgame coverage that's best described as First Take after dark.

The guys on NBA Countdown flip-flopped on a nightly basis, going from the initial extreme of the Heat winning a short series, to raising concerns about whether LeBron has the clutch gene, to figuring out what the team could get in return for Chris Bosh once he was traded (they were adamant he would be gone if they lost in this series). ESPN clings to simple and digestible narratives because they don't think the average viewer is smart enough to comprehend that great players can miss, great teams can lose, and basketball can be a very random sort of game. Once an initial storyline doesn't work, another one is trotted out, even if it's just as shortsighted.

There were two solid hours of this over the last week. Outside of a few rational members of the Worldwide Leader (Tim Legler was a voice of reason), it was a 120-minute reminder that SportsCenter is a vehicle for ESPN promotion, not a news program.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

MLB has taken the opposite approach of the NFL. This fall the NFL will hype the match-up between St Louis and Minnesota, two teams who managed 5 wins combined in 2011, in the exact same fashion as they will the Green Bay-New Orleans game. Yet for MLB, if the game does not feature the Yankees or the Sox, it may as well be a AAA game.

I understand the appeal of the Yankees. Biggest city in the country, for so many years a center of culture, capitol, and media. Not to mention a baseball team that since making their first world series in 1921 have gone a decade without winning one only once, the 1980s. But not the Redsox. "Red Sox Nation" is a creation of ESPN, literally; something they popularized when they began to morph into the hype and promotion machine they are now and moved away from simply being an outlet for sports news and live televised sporting events.

Growing up, I knew Yankees fans. I delivered newpapers to Miller Huggins' nephew. I saw the occasional Yankees cap (real team caps were a lot more uncommon years ago). The only RedSox fan I knew before about 1999 was my New England born and raised uncle. For 15 years now Red Sox "fans" are all over the place, supposedly. Sometimes its fun to ask them who their favorite player was on the 2003 team. Sort of like asking someone in 1975 if they liked the new chick in Led Zeppelin.

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

I was going to come in here to argue that the MLB Network does a better job of mixing in the teams, but I looked at the June schedule and see 16 of the 27 primary telecasts this month involving AL teams include either the Red Sox or Yankees. I guess I never noticed because the MLB is blacked out in my area if the Sox are on and the game is also on NESN. We get the alternate feed instead, but unless it's a great pitching match up I don't bother to watch. In the alternate feed, seven of the 19 AL games are also Red Sox or Yankees. Granted, some of those are marquee games (Nats-Red Sox, Mets-Yanks, Rays-Yanks, Cubs-Red Sox) but I can see how someone outside the northeast can easily get Yankees/Sox overload.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

Conversely, the MLB Network will air games from every team but Miami this month.

While this is nice, how many of the AL games are still RedSox or Yankees telecasts? I love baseball, always have, and it will probably always be my favorite sport to watch on TV. I'll watch just about any MLB game. But for 2 + seasons now I have made it a point to not watch a regular season game that includes either the Yankees or the RedSox, unless they are playing the Tigers and Verlander is pitching (love watching him pitch, I'd probably watch him throw on the side between starts), or playing an interleague game against the Phillies. Even MLB Network force feeds us the Yanks and Sox all the time, including both choices tonight, depending on where you lived. TBS is the worst offender when it comes to the Yankees or Sox, as virtually every game seems to feature one or both. All three Sunday games scheduled this month are Yankees games, and 3 of the 4 in May were RedSox or Yankees as well. At some point these teams will struggle again and have a stretch of missed playoffs and Major League Baseball will be where the NBA was once the Bulls sucked.

[Biddco]

No

*****http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpHBIUcy8DA/Toy2sFsxg1I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/vToeEL3_0JA/s1600/tappen.png******

She does give me an excuse to watch

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

I can't believe Sportscenter just spent 12 minutes on a segment about NBA fashion. Ok, I actually can, but you get what I mean.

.

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

I can't believe Sportscenter just spent 12 minutes on a segment about NBA fashion. Ok, I actually can, but you get what I mean.

[john g]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

Oh, Kathryn, how we miss you here at NESN.....they have yet to find an "able-bodied" replacement.

[SteveP]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

Dow anyone else find the NHL Network boring?

No

*****http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpHBIUcy8DA/Toy2sFsxg1I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/vToeEL3_0JA/s1600/tappen.png******

[aparch]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

I haven't watched NHLN in a while (since Uverse dumped it), but I always liked how they did their highlights...just by cutting the original broadcast footage with no annoying host talking over it (e.g., no excessive boo-yah's).

When they changed from NHL On the Fly to NHL Tonight, they got more graphics, more talking over clips, and just a pinch less game highlights.

I haven't had MLB Network in a bit, but it reminded me of MLB Tonight, except less live action cut ins. I know baseball is much easier to "break in" for coverage. Watch a half inning of this game, a half inning of that game, highlights of a couple games, etc... But the NHL Network seemed to use their live look-ins so erratically. And were too busy yammering about highlights from earlier that night or a day ago.

[icebadger]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

Dow anyone else find the NHL Network boring? MLB Network is getting better and better.

I haven't watched NHLN in a while (since Uverse dumped it), but I always liked how they did their highlights...just by cutting the original broadcast footage with no annoying host talking over it (e.g., no excessive boo-yah's).

[Biddco]

Best move NHL, NASCAR and NFL did was these dedicated sports network. It took me a while to get it, but I understand. ESPN is nice draw the casual fan, but not completely necessary. NHL and NASCAR figured it out and they are reaping the benefits. I love how MLB shares coverage among the teams.

Dow anyone else find the NHL Network boring? MLB Network is getting better and better.

[MountieBoyOz]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

Best move NHL, NASCAR and NFL did was these dedicated sports network. It took me a while to get it, but I understand. ESPN is nice draw the casual fan, but not completely necessary. NHL and NASCAR figured it out and they are reaping the benefits. I love how MLB shares coverage among the teams.

[aparch]

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

Are you just figuring this out now?

No. But it seems more glaring this year than before.

Re: The "Complain About ESPN" Thread

But it's all about the ratings, right? Not about what teams are best or good?

Are you just figuring this out now? This year I'm not sure the Red Sox or Yankees are bringing in the viewers though.

Conversely, the MLB Network will air games from every team but Miami this month.