This is a great point. ESPN made people dislike Tebow. It would have been a cooler story if they didn't overplay it. It became nonsense by the end. Like steroids in baseball or TO or whatever other thing they are pushing.
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ESPN Layoffs and what it means for future TV deals
- Thread starter TU_BLA
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This is a great point. ESPN made people dislike Tebow. It would have been a cooler story if they didn't overplay it. It became nonsense by the end. Like steroids in baseball or TO or whatever other thing they are pushing.
You can keep calling me out that's fine, maybe she didn't get "suspended" but she was taken off air right after her comments... so take that how you want
Her comments about what? The immigration protests? I'm saying they had nothing to with anything. People called her out. That happens in media. Hell, they gave Jemelle Hill one of the most coveted jobs and most people who pay attention can't stand her. ESPN just does things to improve ratings.
But you have time to argue on the board? LOL
Seriously though, if you watch enough ESPN to be upset about their political bias, you're probably watching too much ESPN.
That's concerning since there is only a hour worth of watchable content on a day outside of NCAA FB and BB seasons.
I can't believe no one mentioned the excitement, action, and edge of your seat suspense of poker on ESPN.
That's some money making sh1t right there!
Gotta get to work at some point.
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I watch their fishing shows and car racing exclusively for their political content. As we all know, they show hockey, which is well known to be an attempt by Canada to infiltrate our culture with their single payer health care. Look at Barry Melrose's hair! That guy has to be a socialist.
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I watch their fishing shows and car racing exclusively for their political content. As we all know, they show hockey, which is well known to be an attempt by Canada to infiltrate our culture with their single payer health care. Look at Barry Melrose's hair! That guy has to be a socialist.
I will actually stop on poker every once in awhile. I like to play a little holdem and I'm fascinated by those unique personalities. 
So that brings it up to 5 live action "sports" I watch ever on the network. College fb, TU bball, poker, bowling and spelling bee.
Nope, nothing wrong with that model at all, worldwide leader in sports.
So that brings it up to 5 live action "sports" I watch ever on the network. College fb, TU bball, poker, bowling and spelling bee.
Nope, nothing wrong with that model at all, worldwide leader in sports.
Ugh. This thread should go to the political link, which I never read. I don't watch enough ESPN to discern a political bias, but the notion that they conspire to make it so seems ridiculous. The 3 minutes I took to scan this thread was 3 minutes too long.
I think it's more likely that the talent they tend to hire to come to Connecticut simply tends to be more liberal.
I came here to say the same thing.
Most of my relationship with ESPN these days is via twitter. Andy and Brett (McMurphy) were, IMO, the best of ESPN folks on twitter.
I still can't comprehend how Stephen A's shoe gets such good ratings. I don't know a single person that watches it, on purpose. And I'm pretty certain that's a bipartisan POV. Does anyone on here watch Stephen A?
I do think some of the talking heads on ESPN do take up the racism issue not as a matter of politics (which some on both sides have seemed to do) but rather as a systemic problem in America as a whole that infiltrates the world they cover, which is sports. Because they speak against racism doesn't mean they've taken up a liberal agenda, but they're addressing an issue that affects them directly or someone they're close to directly. One thing ESPN did over their many years of evolving into what they are is embrace diversity, the diversity of sport, the increasing diversity of their viewers, and the diversity of the individuals who wanted to work for them. Go back to the early 80s when they were fledgling. Almost everyone who worked there was a white male. 90s saw them add Robin Roberts and Stuart Scott. Linda Cohn was added and she was like the first hard core female on air sports personality.
I will be honest, I haven't watched ESPN nightly except for live games in quite a long time. When SportsCenter started pandering to the few superstars in each sport versus just showing highlights and scores, I stopped watching on a consistent basis. When they devolved their NFL pregame and postgame shows, I stopped watching. I can't stand PTI or the other show...and I really really can't stand to watch Stephen A. He's almost as bad as Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh when it comes to "this is my opinion and I'm always right so you can stop talking now".
I stopped paying attention to ESPN when they canned Bill Simmons. He was the best thing going on that network. He had the typical "hot take" mentality that the network wanted, but he also knew the games of football and basketball EXTREMELY well, and his team of content creators at Grantland were top notch. Simmon's model was the way ESPN should have moved. Instead they bent over and said "can I have another daddy?" when the NFL got offended.
The ones I'd call legitimate journalists are getting the pink slips.
The ones spared are more or less just personalities and acts.
The ones spared are more or less just personalities and acts.
I'd rather see coverage of Tim Tebow and Kaepernick than anything involving a whiny, do nothing, I screwed up my life story about Johnny Manziel. Tebow is unapologetic about his faith. Fine. Kaepernick wants to point out racism still exists in America. Fine. I don't think either of them is doing anything for the publicity. Tebow keeps doing stuff to help others in the name of his faith. Kaepernick is doing stuff to bring about change for something he sees as a wrong. They're talking the talk, but also walking the walk. They are not doing anything counter to what they believe...why does anyone have a problem with that?
BTW, I am just hearing Andy Katz was let go too? ESPN just drinking the plain stupid juice now. They'll keep biased idiots like Bilas covering college basketball when his focus is pretty squarely on about 15-20 teams...at least Katz will give good teams credit when it is due whether they are considered a major, mid-major, or low tier. Obviously no one at ESPN has a clue what their viewers (the few who are left) actually want to see on air. Seems they are just taking stabs to see if something ends up working. (Of course the fired Jayson Stark from their MLB coverage and keep Aaron Boone and the new girl (Jessica?) on the Sunday night coverage. Someone needs to punch Boone in the mouth just so he'll keep it shut.
He was also unapologetically a Boston sports fan and that probably rubbed the New York, Chicago, and LA markets the wrong way and what those markets dictate, most networks try to supply.
I agree with that wholeheartedly, BLA. People who live the major sports don't have the luxury of living in a homogenous bubble.
Unless they have the motivation to play to an audience.
Unless they have the motivation to play to an audience.
ESPN goes much further than race. They gave Bruce/Kaitlyn Jenner their courage award in Prime Time. Never mind he had just killed a woman two months prior by inattentive driving.
Pretty surprised by Andy Katz. Was more surprised they let Dilfer go and kept the likes of Woodson as a talking head.
What I have realized is just how many part time (5 hours a week) people ESPN had working on its payroll.
Pretty surprised by Andy Katz. Was more surprised they let Dilfer go and kept the likes of Woodson as a talking head.
What I have realized is just how many part time (5 hours a week) people ESPN had working on its payroll.
He adopted the Clippers as his West Coast team as well, and he really liked seeing the LA Kings. He was the best interviewer they had and his writing was creative. I've moved to listening to his podcasts. They're much more entertaining than anything I've heard on ESPN for quite some time. I still miss the duo of Cowherd and Beadle that they lost when Beadle to her try at mainstream media.
If only for my own mental health, I sure am glad I don't care this much about who gets a plastic statue from a couple TV executives.
If ESPN truly had a leftist slant I would watch it everyday. But I don't so it doesn't.
Caitlyn Jenner was pure unadulterated exploitation that backfired. (Much like the model of some of their current programming actually.) But that car accident sure was a convenient scapegoat for people who were sheepish about their real newfound reasons for their dislike. Bruce had been a disappointing human for a long time and no one paid much attention.
Wow.
Katz too?
Is there anyone left anyone gives a crap about?
Katz too?
Is there anyone left anyone gives a crap about?
That's a big issue with me when it comes to sports broadcasting. I enjoy watching the olympics and back in the day you got to watch entire competitions, winners and losers, successes and failures. Once The networks started their "up-close and personal" coverage you get 5 minutes of highlights surrounded by a half hour of human interest stories. This human isn't interested.
Yes. ESPN had a great opportunity to do a story about how one of the greatest male athletes in US history was hiding/suppressing his true self for many years. Instead, this becomes a Dateline tabloid TV type of story and only because of his relationship with the Kardashian mom. I'm OK with human interest stories, especially one that could have a potential impact in how sexual identity in this country is viewed. Instead, you get the glam story that gives no true insight into the struggle this identity crisis not only played in Jenner, but in everyone who is coming to terms with it. And let's be fair..it wasn't just ESPN that did this about this story.
+1000. Show the damn sports on the Olympics coverage. Every athlete there had a struggle to get to that point and if they say they didn't, they're lying. Whatever that struggle was, personal, financial, staying committed to the sport, learning how to practice or overcoming skills you couldn't do for some fear of failure, every athlete or competitor trying to be the very best they can be goes through one or more of those. Also, I don't only need to see the US athletes compete. And in ski racing...show me more than the 3 US athletes, the 2 Austrians who are also trying for GOLD and the rest who crashed...show everyone.
True....Jenner sold his story to the highest bidder. The relationship between courage and profit seeking was blurred imo because of the way he exploited the sex change for profit. The Kardashian's have ruined many a men. He is just the latest. The fact that ESPN continued to promote and praise him after the car accident was puzzling.
Katz going is crazy. He's great. Someone will snatch him up. ESPN has a stranglehold on college basketball and if someone wanted to compete, there's a big piece to go get.
Lunardi still has a job though. Wtf? I was rather see Katz's bracket.
Lunardi still has a job though. Wtf? I was rather see Katz's bracket.
But that's not political at all. That's just ESPN exploiting another story to make a buck. No political party owns the transgender issue. Giving an award to a transgender person doesn't mean you are politically biased. In this case it was just to drive ratings. I'm impressed you have time to care.
You don't think one party and/or political philosophy supports and promotes LBGTQ rights? 78% of self identified LBGT voters supported Clinton in 2016 while Trump carried 14%. That's the definition of owning the transgender issue. Other than African Americans this was the largest divide among voter groups. As someone who supports equal rights and access for all I have no issues with the cause. However, to paint the transgender issue as non-political is simply incorrect. Hell....what isn't political these days in our divided nation?
When 61% of ESPN viewers believes it leans left to act like those on this board who believe the same are in the minority is disingenuous.
I'm impressed you have time to care that I care
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