Around The Horn's 20th anniversary show that aired yesterday was pretty good. Lots of historic shots with much Bob Ryan and Jackie Mac included. I think it is reairing this weekend.
ESPN Is Pathetic
- Thread starter Lose Remerswaal
- Start date
David Jacoby leaving ESPN, have to think The Ringer is a high likelihood based on his relationship with Bill. Not sure if he was a John Skipper favorite and Meadowlark could also be in play, where they don't have a huge NBA analyst bench like the Ringer does. But at The Ringer he could basically take over the all-around multimedia corner that Jason Concepcion was working before he left.
View: https://twitter.com/djacoby/status/1603038915899887621
View: https://twitter.com/djacoby/status/1603038915899887621
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I love to bag on ESPN as much as everyone else, but I've got to say I really enjoyed a pair of long-form pieces on espn.com in the past few days, including
The Suns misconduct going beyond Sarver:
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35252911/when-others-going-held-accountable-allegations-suns-misconduct-extend-robert-sarver
The complicated relationship between Baylor/Waco and Brittney Griner
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/35281960/how-brittney-griner-baylor-city-waco-coming-terms
This is the type of work that could be lost if we continue to allow the demonization of media.
The Suns misconduct going beyond Sarver:
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35252911/when-others-going-held-accountable-allegations-suns-misconduct-extend-robert-sarver
The complicated relationship between Baylor/Waco and Brittney Griner
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/35281960/how-brittney-griner-baylor-city-waco-coming-terms
This is the type of work that could be lost if we continue to allow the demonization of media.
Cross-posted from the Devers thread, but uhh guys, "Free Agency" alert?
I thought the sentence was going to continue "...one-billion dollar lifetime deal".
I thought the sentence was going to continue "...one-billion dollar lifetime deal".
Headline today on espn.com centerpiece:
LeBron and the legend of the eight points: 'I will be showing my son this box score'
Not many can recall the last time LeBron James scored fewer than 10 points in a regular-season game. Why? Because it was exactly 16 years ago.
Not many can recall something 16 years ago?
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35380290/remembering-last-lebron-scored-fewer-10-points-regular-season-16-years-ago
LeBron and the legend of the eight points: 'I will be showing my son this box score'
Not many can recall the last time LeBron James scored fewer than 10 points in a regular-season game. Why? Because it was exactly 16 years ago.
Not many can recall something 16 years ago?
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35380290/remembering-last-lebron-scored-fewer-10-points-regular-season-16-years-ago
Some were speculating that Disney might sell or spin off ESPN but Bob Iger said today that's not happening. Although within the Disney corpo structure they are a stand alone, apart from parks and entertainment.
And there might have to be some more belt tightening with regard to ESPN's deal making and purchase power.
View: https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1623462206812696577
https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/espn-not-for-sale-disney-sports-rights-spending-iger-1235517418/
And there might have to be some more belt tightening with regard to ESPN's deal making and purchase power.
View: https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1623462206812696577
https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/espn-not-for-sale-disney-sports-rights-spending-iger-1235517418/
FINALLY the Yankees will be getting some love from ESPN!
View: https://twitter.com/MLBVault/status/1625968329750970370
Obviously this is the perfect time to finally celebrate the Yankees. But why only 8 parts??? At least 4 episodes have to be about how Jeter is the best player ever.
But they should only need about 3 minutes to cover all their success this century. 8 episodes just isn't enough, they should be spending at least 10 or 12 more hours glorifying everything about them. Yankee fans are entitled to that much at least.
But maybe colorizing the footage from most of their titles is really expensive? Most of them were won before video was invented, so they only have grainy old black and white film of them. And most of the players who won championships with them are long dead, so there are fewer people to interview. But they could at least let Bob Costas and Billy Crystal go on for a few hours about how the Yankees are the best. I don't think that's ever been shown on TV before.
View: https://twitter.com/MLBVault/status/1625968329750970370
Obviously this is the perfect time to finally celebrate the Yankees. But why only 8 parts??? At least 4 episodes have to be about how Jeter is the best player ever.
But they should only need about 3 minutes to cover all their success this century. 8 episodes just isn't enough, they should be spending at least 10 or 12 more hours glorifying everything about them. Yankee fans are entitled to that much at least.
But maybe colorizing the footage from most of their titles is really expensive? Most of them were won before video was invented, so they only have grainy old black and white film of them. And most of the players who won championships with them are long dead, so there are fewer people to interview. But they could at least let Bob Costas and Billy Crystal go on for a few hours about how the Yankees are the best. I don't think that's ever been shown on TV before.
How Alvaro Espinoza managed an OPS+ of 50 in 150 games in 1990 is worth an entire hour by itself.
The Jeter doc series was an utter dud on every metric: ratings, buzz, repeatability. Yet back into the maw they go…
After three days of panic that their beloved Lakers might not make playoffs it’s back to LeCon winning another title.
You guys want a petty complaint? I find that "Stanford Steve" dude really off-putting. I like SVP more than anyone on ESPN except maybe Mina but what is this guy's role beyond grunting, randomly barking short phrases, and posing like a billboard for his dick and balls? Does he sit that way on purpose?
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View: https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1651682632344694813
ESPN canned one of its longtime baseball reporters after she volleyed an epithet at another reporter, calling her a "f------ c---" during a New York Yankees game earlier this month.
ESPN canned one of its longtime baseball reporters after she volleyed an epithet at another reporter, calling her a "f------ c---" during a New York Yankees game earlier this month.
Embiid "likely doubtful" for game 1. Awesome phrasing.
Doc Rivers: Joel Embiid likely doubtful for G1 vs. Celtics
Doc Rivers: Joel Embiid likely doubtful for G1 vs. Celtics
High school students have far greater maturity over getting a C than a mob of NFL fans.
ESPN used stock footage of NYC during Knicks-Heat game ... FAIL
https://www.si.com/nba/2023/05/01/espn-apologizes-twin-tower-clip-abc-nba-playoffs
https://www.si.com/nba/2023/05/01/espn-apologizes-twin-tower-clip-abc-nba-playoffs
Looks like ESPN is landing Pat McAfee.
View: https://twitter.com/AndrewMarchand/status/1655960876900577280
NEWS: ESPN has emerged as the leading candidate to be Pat McAfee's new home as he moves closer to exiting his $120 million FanDuel deal, The Post has learned.
View: https://twitter.com/AndrewMarchand/status/1655960876900577280
NEWS: ESPN has emerged as the leading candidate to be Pat McAfee's new home as he moves closer to exiting his $120 million FanDuel deal, The Post has learned.
I've never listened to this guy. I've never watched a minute of any of his shows. But I know who he is, at least I know his name. Is he good? He looks like the next generation of the Mad Fisherman, is he as much of a doofus edgelord? He obviously buys all of his tank tops from Gap Kids, so I'm obviously judging a book by its cover. But at the same time, I've never heard anyone talking about him.
The times I have caught him, he's fairly good. He definitely does lean into some stuff like having AJ Hawk on there having to smoke a huge cigar at that very moment cause AJ needs to show how cool he is.
The Sunday Night Baseball crew decided to interview Triston Casas during the game tonight. On Mother’s Day. His mother is dead.
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Good get for ESPN, only listened to the Pat show a handful of times (regrettably around the Aaron Rogers b.s.) but it seems like he takes great care of his team.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/disney-is-actively-preparing-for-eventual-launch-of-espn-standalone-streaming-service-report-6b4f73ae
Disney is planning to offer ESPN as a standalone streaming channel. Maybe the biggest indicator that cable TV is on its way out.
Disney is planning to offer ESPN as a standalone streaming channel. Maybe the biggest indicator that cable TV is on its way out.
They say this:
What are they referring to? SportsCenter? What is ESPN's "flagship programming"? Live sports? That's all on ESPN+ isn't it?
There are sometimes things that are on ESPN but not ESPN+ - when you go to stream, if it says ESPN3 and not ESPN+, then you need a cable subscription to watch it.
I just don't see how this even works out for ESPN. If you, ESPN, are going to make huge $$ off of subscriptions that enable people to watch live sports, why wouldn't the leagues themselves just cut through the middle man and offer that content directly to their fans? There's a house of cards thing going on here where the financial incentives of the leagues, the leagues broadcast partners, advertisers, and the fans aren't going to line up. I never watch TNT except to watch basketball, and I never watch ESPN except to watch basketball and maybe 6 or so MNF games a year. Without those games (and MLB, which I don't keep up with as much as I used to), the channel is basically a bunch of loud-mouthed Twitter personalities pretending to yell at each other for a half-hour. It sucks.
Here’s a more in-depth article on today’s news. It’s paywalled, but sometimes you can get around that by Googling the article’s title.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/espn-lays-plans-to-stream-flagship-channel-eyeing-cable-tvs-demise-ad0fb727?st=2axei1wcmjbsr5r&reflink=article_copyURL_share
@ManicCompression makes a good point about ESPN’s tenuous position as a middleman. Leagues sell rights to big games, playoffs, etc. to ESPN instead of relying on their own streaming services because ESPN reaches a much larger audience than the subset of fans devoted enough to buy the league’s streaming offering. That will be less true if ESPN isn’t part of the standard cable bundle, such the vast majority of TV-watching households have it.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/espn-lays-plans-to-stream-flagship-channel-eyeing-cable-tvs-demise-ad0fb727?st=2axei1wcmjbsr5r&reflink=article_copyURL_share
@ManicCompression makes a good point about ESPN’s tenuous position as a middleman. Leagues sell rights to big games, playoffs, etc. to ESPN instead of relying on their own streaming services because ESPN reaches a much larger audience than the subset of fans devoted enough to buy the league’s streaming offering. That will be less true if ESPN isn’t part of the standard cable bundle, such the vast majority of TV-watching households have it.
The leagues won’t go direct to fans because they don’t get the massive rights fees that way. There’s a reason why the NFL Network doesn’t air many actual games.
This is the case right now. My post is referencing the future. If ESPN offers a subscription based streaming service, how is it sustainable that they could offer massive rights fees to the leagues AND charge the consumer enough to make a profit? It currently works now because the cable companies get carriage fees plus advertising revenue. If ESPN stops getting carriage fees and their advertising revenue is less (because they're reaching less viewers in streaming), then it's likely that they won't be able to pony up the billions necessary for league rights.
The future of league revenue is likely Apple, Amazon, and Youtube, but only because those companies make their money from other things and could view sports rights as a loss leader.
It isn’t sustainable. Apple, Amazon, and YT certainly have the money to take a loss on airing sports, but I’m not sure they will. They’ll dabble, as they have.