ESPN Sucks

[rumborak]

I will likely hate ESPN to no end once the Eurocup comes around. They have the TV rights for it in the US, and as such they will try to revive their dying cable subscriptions by not providing an online-only package. You will HAVE to have their TV subscription package to see any game. Oh well, Univision and Spocast/Acestream it will be.

[TAC]

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/espn-conveniently-edits-curt-schilling-out-of-red-sox-documentary-024028785.html

Whatever your opinion is of Curt, this is lame as hell by ESPN. And I'm not buying the "time restraint" excuse. This was without a doubt one of the biggest moments of that playoff run and to exclude it is inexcusable.

Yup. Embarrassing.

[TheCountOfNYC]

They have no coverage of hockey. I remember watching the Coney Island hot dog eating contest on ESPN a few years ago and coming to the sudden realization that this, a gluttony competition and basically the exact opposite of a sport, was covered by the country's biggest sports network but one of the big four sports leagues in America wasn't.

[KevShmev]

Not to be mean, but who does Ramona Shelburne have pictures of?  I still watch PTI and Around the Horn on occasion (DVR both every day and flip through them probably half the time), and she is on ATH all the time now.  And with HD being so awesome, it hurts the eyes.

[Cool Chris]

I don't watch ESPN much nowadays, and have never seen that guy before.

It's almost a shame PTI is so good, and Wilbon and Kornheiser have the chemistry that they do, because it spawned a thousand clones.

[TAC]

I don't watch ESPN much nowadays, 

Hardly ever.

[King Postwhore]

Like Kev I like the roundtable shows but I rarely watch sportscenter.

[mikeyd23]

I don't watch ESPN much nowadays, 

Hardly ever.

Ditto.

[Tick]

What a shock.

Really, I blame ESPN for Tebow being as polarizing as he is.  They talk about him so much that those who do not like him already like him even less because they get tired of hearing about him. 

I think they should change the network name to "The Tebow Channel" All Tebow, all the time!

Tebow is the man! Lets go Mets!

[sylvan]

This thread should be renamed "The official SHIT all over ESPN thread"

I would officially like to throw my hat in for President of said thread.

Only 3 things will tune me in: Masters coverage, the occasional Gator football game, the occasional Jags football game.

[dparrott]

I think they should change the network name to "The Tebow Channel" All Tebow, all the time!

Tebow is the man! Lets go Mets!

Actually it's Lets Go Fireflies!  They're my minor league team and I'm glad he's on it.  He's giving the team some exposure and drawing crowds, but he's not doing so great on the field.

Anyway, back on topic, I like Sportscenter from L.A. at night, especially the top 10.  The anchors get a bit goofy as the night goes on.

[Snow Dog]

Not to be mean, but who does Ramona Shelburne have pictures of?  I still watch PTI and Around the Horn on occasion (DVR both every day and flip through them probably half the time), and she is on ATH all the time now.  And with HD being so awesome, it hurts the eyes.

If They Mated: Brendan Fraser and Rosie O'Donnell version.

[black_biff_stadler]

Fuck...

[Destiny Of Chaos]

I enjoy seeing "unattractive" people on television. Makes me think that they got there due to their passion, talent and commitment.

[TAC]

I enjoy seeing "unattractive" people on television. Makes me think that they got there due to their passion, talent and commitment.

Yup.

[black_biff_stadler]

If there's a correlation, then she must have those in spades.

[KevShmev]

 

[King Postwhore]

 

And I don't think her takes are that good.

[KevShmev]

Right, she never says anything remotely interesting or thought-provoking.  For my money, the best ones for that on Around the Horn are Tim Cowlishaw, Bob Ryan, Jackie MacMullan, Bomani Jones and Frank Isola.  And Woody Paige is there for comic relief.

[King Postwhore]

Bob Ryan and Jackie McMullen were always 2 must reads here in Boston years ago.

[TAC]

Bob Ryan and Jackie McMullen were always 2 must reads here in Boston years ago.

Peter Gammons too. I had a Globe subscription only because of his Sunday Notes column.

[Cool Chris]

What exactly is the point of this annual softcore porn "Body Issue" ESPN the rag does?

[sylvan]

Like, just in case you didn't know, these professional athletes that have worked most of their lives to physically better themselves for competition COINCIDENTALLY have terrifically fit bodies. BIG surprise!

[cramx3]

Yea, I think it's meant to show off the uniqueness of the bodies of some of the most talented athletes.  See their muscles in poses that are somewhat typical of whatever they may be doing in their sport.

[Stadler]

What exactly is the point of this annual softcore porn "Body Issue" ESPN the rag does?

I think you know. 

[sylvan]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/jemele-hill-responds-to-controversy-over-trump-white-supremacist-comments/ar-AArU8Qw?li=BBnb7Kz

Absolute horse shit! Not only does she get to keep her job after this (which is to only point out the hypocrisy, although it would be easy to land on this being a fireable offense), but then some fucking tool bag from NFL network is gonna "apologize for conservatives playing double standard". 

[King Postwhore]

They suspended Cohn for talking out about ESPN.  Hill should be suspended but ESPN agrees with her.  Double standard.

[mikeyd23]

They suspended Cohn for talking out about ESPN.  Hill should be suspended but ESPN agrees with her.  Double standard.

I totally agree, but in fairness, the employer (ESPN) has the right to discipline their employees how ever they see appropriate. It's clearly a double standard, but it's their right to do or not do exactly how they have done.

[King Postwhore]

Oh I get it but that does decay moral in the ranks as well hurts their brand as it is public.

[mikeyd23]

Oh I get it but that does decay moral in the ranks as well hurts their brand as it is public.

For sure, ESPN has already been doing a horrible job at staying neutral in politics before this whole situation, and comes out the other side of it looking worse.

[PB1]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/jemele-hill-responds-to-controversy-over-trump-white-supremacist-comments/ar-AArU8Qw?li=BBnb7Kz

Absolute horse shit! Not only does she get to keep her job after this (which is to only point out the hypocrisy, although it would be easy to land on this being a fireable offense), but then some fucking tool bag from NFL network is gonna "apologize for conservatives playing double standard". 

She absolutely does not deserve to be fired for those comments. A suspension is warranted, though.

[mikeyd23]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/jemele-hill-responds-to-controversy-over-trump-white-supremacist-comments/ar-AArU8Qw?li=BBnb7Kz

Absolute horse shit! Not only does she get to keep her job after this (which is to only point out the hypocrisy, although it would be easy to land on this being a fireable offense), but then some fucking tool bag from NFL network is gonna "apologize for conservatives playing double standard". 

She absolutely does not deserve to be fired for those comments. A suspension is warranted, though.

Eh, maybe, maybe not. I could totally understand if she got fired for that, she essentially is pissing off a significant portion of ESPN's potential viewership. They need all the viewership they can get right now, plus she's not very good at her job in the first place.

Regardless, because it aligns politically with ESPN I doubt she will get fired or get suspended. Once again, it's ESPN's right to do either but there are optics and brand perception that need taken into account here, like King mentioned.

[cramx3]

Oh I get it but that does decay moral in the ranks as well hurts their brand as it is public.

For sure, ESPN has already been doing a horrible job at staying neutral in politics before this whole situation, and comes out the other side of it looking worse.

Yup, ESPN has some political issues from their fan base who wants them to just stick to sports, but they can't seem to help themselves by showing off their political leanings.

[PB1]

ESPN hasn't been about "sticking to sports" for a while. Turn on ESPN for an hour, and you'll see a few minutes of sports clips spliced in between talking heads spewing hot takes. Repeat every hour. Jemele Hill made those comments on her personal twitter account, not on espn. She met with executives, and they came to a consensus that she should not have done that. Which IMO is why she deserves at most a suspension.

[mikeyd23]

Yup, ESPN has some political issues from their fan base who wants them to just stick to sports, but they can't seem to help themselves by showing off their political leanings.

For sure. Sports used to be an escape from politics and political issues, I wish it still was.

ESPN hasn't been about "sticking to sports" for a while. Turn on ESPN for an hour, and you'll see a few minutes of sports clips spliced in between talking heads spewing hot takes. Repeat every hour. Jemele Hill made those comments on her personal twitter account, not on espn. She met with executives, and they came to a consensus that she should not have done that. Which IMO is why she deserves at most a suspension.

Agreed that they haven't been "sticking to sports" for a while. Hill did make those statements on her personal twitter account, but that doesn't really make a difference. If I went on my personal twitter account and made bold, off the wall statements that my clients saw and could cost my company money or at the very least become bad PR for my company - my employer could totally fire me in a reasonable manner. Heck, they can at any time, At Will and whatnot, I'm sure the same applies on a different scale to Hill.