Why do we love ESPN so much?
There's no denying that ESPN is a big reason why we, as a country, love sports. I mean seriously, would there even be a single superstar like there is today without it? Larger-than-life athletes are as such because we can see their heroics on a daily highlight reel. That's just something a newspaper cannot compensate for.
Do ESPN's commentators know anything about soccer?
But that doesn't stop ESPN from trying to give the impression that its regular commentators know anything about hockey, soccer, horse racing or any another sport. The top 10 in the summer always includes at least two soccer plays.
Is it right for ESPN to only cover teams in cities?
But that doesn't make it right. The Yankees, Red Sox, Heat, Patriots, Celtics, Lakers, Cowboys, Cubs, Mets, Giants and many others like them now have regional coverage supplied by ESPN. Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago all have full teams dedicated to the sole coverage of teams in those cities.
What is it like to be a ‘SportsCenter’ host during Masters week?
The life of a “SportsCenter” Host during Masters week is a nomadic one, Barrie admits. As the tournament advances the schedule grows less predictable by the hour. “I got in town Sunday, and then started doing the SportsCenter stuff Monday morning.
Stephen A. Smith
The rise of Stephen A. Smith at ESPN would be sad if it were not so predictable. ESPN made the right decision when it failed to renew Smith’s contract in 2008. His hiring was one of the worst legacies of the Mark Shapiro era — loud, obnoxious, and starving for attention, Smith was the perfect pundit for ESPN’s mid-2000s programming.
Endless Debate
With the “success” of ESPN’s First Take — success in quotes, as the show typically earns less than 500,000 viewers a day — ESPN has decided that compulsory debate is the wave of the future.
Viral Video Fixation
The fact that the 11 AM and 12 PM ET SportsCenter led with a high school basketball buzzer beater for nearly 15 minutes is no longer a surprise. As The Big Lead recently reported, ESPN has mandated that SportsCenter increase its focus on viral videos. As a result, every single half-court shot taken by a tenth grader is national news.
Paulsen
Dr. Jon Lewis (aka Paulsen) has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and sole writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page.
What are the two words associated with God?
The two terms most associated with "God" were "me" and "my.". The word most associated with the Baltimore Orioles was "win.". The two most common words mentioned with "hockey" were, of all things, the first names of SportsCenter anchors Linda Cohn and Steve Levy. It truly doesn't exist. Advertisement.
What sports did SportsCenter cover?
Add coverage of golf, NASCAR, club and international soccer, the Olympics, and tennis to what the NHL got, and you still don't reach half the time spent on the NFL. Football and basketball, in both professional and nominally amateur flavors, took up well over half of SportsCenter 's time between them.
Who dwarfed Eli in mentions for the rest of the year?
After the Giants beat the Pats in Super Bowl XLVI, Peyton dwarfed Eli in mentions for the rest of the year. "Lin". Advertisement. At the peak of that February 2012 spike, the name "Lin" was by itself nearly one percent of all words uttered on SportsCenter. The second surge corresponds to Lin's free agency drama.
Who got more mentions on SportsCenter than Drew Brees?
To put in perspective just how fixed SportsCenter gets on the anointed, consider that Tim Tebow got 17 percent more mentions than successful professional quarterbacks Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers put together. Then consider that he wasn't, unbelievably enough, even one of SportsCenter 's five most fussed-over athletes.
10 Reasons To Hate ESPN
There's no denying that ESPN is a big reason why we, as a country, love sports. I mean seriously, would there even be a single superstar like there is today without it?
Nepotism
It makes sense that ESPN plays favorites. It's a business so it's only natural that the big market teams are the ones featured prominently on the network. But that doesn't make it right.
The Top 10
If I ever get to ask ESPN President George Bodenheimer one question, it'll be about the top 10. There has never been a time where I thought they got the order even remotely correct, excluding the not top 10.
The Blake Griffin Dunk from Heaven
Was anybody else really not that impressed with the Blake Griffin dunk? It was cool the first time I saw it, but I mean seriously. What business does a scripted dunk have in any "Play of the Year" discussion?
Not Enough Erin Andrews
Equality in the workplace is important for most professions. There are a few where exceptions are made. Woman firefighters have a tough time getting work and female SportsCenter anchors suffer similar uphill battles.
Supplying Jim Rome with a Forum for His Garbage
Why does Jim Rome get to speak on national television five days a week? The man is literally everything that is wrong with the world.
Why Does Tony "Stat Boy" Reali Have a Job
Tony Reali pollutes two perfectly good shows. Around the Horn is a great combination of competition and sports anaylsis. Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon have great chemistry. But Reali puts a damper on the whole hour of television.
