Things aren't going so well in Bristol

[fitty76]

I'd say ESPN went down the crapper when they got into "sports entertainment," not "sports." You know, like that horribly over-dramatic soap opera "Playmakers" a few years back. Then they serve you up some hot, steamy ish like "Cold Pizza," which then gave way to full time trolling-counter trolling format in the form of Bayless and Stephen A.

When they decided to lean towards entertainment versus actually sports, that's when they jumped the shark. Too much emphasis on their personalities and not enough on the sports.

I remember watching them broadcast lumberjack contests when I was a kid when it was a slow time of the year in sports (like right now - after basketball, before football starts back). Now they have a "debate" show with a guest cameo by a horribly shallow and heavily-influenced-by-drugs hip-hop artist, to whom they suck up to non-stop during their appearances. It's just too much...

Funny you should bring up Playmakers. Because the NFL got that show canceled becsuse it depicted football players in a bad light. That's pretty ironic, don't you think?

[KendrickPanther]

To be fair to the NFL, that show was really really dumb. Even if it was accurate.

[fitty76]

To be fair to the NFL, that show was really really dumb. Even if it was accurate.

I think the NFL had that show cancelled because it wasn't real enough

[Zaximus]

ESPN has lost some charm.  I wouldn't miss SportsCenter at night for anything about 10 years ago.  In fact, I'd stay up and watch Baseball Tonight afterwards too.  The hosts are just not as funny as they were back then.

 

I think the internet has really put a dent in them too.   ESPN used to be the best place to get sports news before the internet got vastly popular.  Now you can just open a website or twitter and get all the news you need, instantly.

[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

It isn't just ESPN, TV ratings as a whole are going down the shitter as well.

[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

It isn't just ESPN, TV ratings as a whole are going down the shitter as well.

[Steven Smiff]

Are you sure you don't want to say it a fourth time, someone might finally chuckle

OK. That new guy in the WNBA will be a beast. 

His name is Brittany Griner and he will single handedly take the WNBA to a whole new level.

[thefuzz]

Can't say that I'm shocked.

 

Wonder what the drop in % of kids that grow up playing sports is?

 

When I grew up, you played all three big sports and in doing so, became fans of them.  Don't think that is as prevalent as it was back then.  I could be wrong...just saying.

 

 

[88 Bronco]

NFL AM makes me want to jab the remote control through my eye socket it's so terrible. They're trying to make it the Today Show of the NFL and unfortunately, that's a terrible idea full stop.

 

The real problem with ESPN and some of these sports networks is that they've stopped trying to inform the audience and are instead trying to dazzle them. They talk about vague things like "he wanted it more" and "this guy just wins games" rather than "they executed a perfect defense to take their best player effectively out of the game"  or "this guy has a tremendous supporting cast and here's why the wins may not tell the whole story". I understand it's easier to make flashy content, and hell it drove ratings up for a while, but people got bored of it and a lot of people are dropping cable because cable television has literally gone to complete poo over the past 3 years.

 

The worst thing about cable TV at the moment is that the History Channel is now a reality TV network, everything on TruTV is a lie, MTV hasn't shown a music video in prime time since I graduated college, SciFi is now SyFy, Travel Channel is now "slightly weird food network", and ESPN has stopped actually covering sports and has now switched to some sort of athlete melodrama that occasionally airs sporting events as well. I could go on but now I'm too worked up to sleep and I have a meeting in the morning. God dammit.

 

I love you

 

[Proudiddy]

Just found out the Charissa Thompson and Mike Hill have both left ESPN. Wow. It's like a mass exodus. Mike Hill, SVP, and Ruesillo are among the very few I actually like on ESPN. I'm surprised they let Hill go. IMO, he was one of the best they had.

[pantherclaw]

I never understood why anyone would watch ESPN.

The geneneral response that they are the best sports network, just doesn't fly with me. If they had any real competition, nobody would watch them.

MNF is the only time I'll allow my tv to be on ESPN.

[Davidson Deac II]

I watch ESPN when they are showing my team.  Other than that, its a waste of channel numbers. 

[DaveThePanther2008]

It is sad the way ESPN has gotten lost in what they originally started.

 

I remember back when it first aired in 1979.  The original staff was great and innovative I could never get enough of it.  The sports reporters was like the beginning of a perfect Sunday during the NFL season.  The highlights were awesome.    It didn't hurt that Magic, Bird and Michael were all young kind of helped bring ESPN along.  Not to mention Ripken, Gretske, some other truly super athletes.  I remember when then dumped the desk and a mic for a real studio.  (not exactly but u get my point)

 

I remember one of the first Outside the Lines was about Terry Long (ECU **1983 All-American team**)  and steriods  How he started steriods to keep up with the younger guys challenging him for his spot on the Steelers offensive line.  So He says.  Rumor had it he was a former Soldier and grew to be 5' 10" 285 lb beast off an O-Line me.  He beat out Dean Steinkuhler (OL Nebraska) for the offensive linemen of the year award.  (forget the name right now)   

 

I liked when they had Austrailian Rules Football or whatever they could find sporting wise.  Hell as a bowler they used to show some decent bowling tournaments.  But like one poster before.  95% of the time my TV was on ESPN.

 

Now it is just blah blah blah New England or Yankees.   Reality this or that (which they all do).  Or pay some idiot to insult people.  When I was in San Diego with the USN I used to listen to Jim Rome show.  I think when ESPN hired him to do an on air version was the beginning of their down fall.  Rome was good and then they started to feed off it with Bayless and S.A. Smith.   

 

I like many of you stopped watching.  Maybe someone from ESPN is reading message boards trying to get the c$hit together and find out a new plan of attack.

 

Hopefully, they'll learn before it is too late.  Fox is ready to slay the beast known as ESPN.

 

 

On a side note... the 1983 All American team with Terry Long was a Linebacker out of California  RON RIVERA

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_College_Football_All-America_Team

 

[stratopanther]

TV sucks all around.  All the channels are the same and the rates rise for no reason.  I canceled that janks a few years ago and just got sunday ticket on playstation.  Every time I get the pleasure of watching tv at someone else's place I feel no regret, 500 channels and nothing on.  ESPN can sug it too I'm glad they're sinking.