ESPN buys stake, gains TV rights to AFL

I can't understand the raging ESPN bashing here. They got a chance to bid for NHL rights. They had a chance to match OLN/Versus' offer. They decided it wasn't the business move they wanted to make.

Now they get a business deal they think will reap them a profit with the AFL, and people complain they don't show hockey.

They give over big bunches of the 11 and 1 p.m. SC's to Melrose and his best of the night. They show just as many highlights as when they did own the rights to the League. And they have a ton of money invested in the NFL, NBA and Nascar.

Just because hockey isn't on NHL doesn't mean ESPN hates it. They just thought the buying price that Versus paid was too high.

 

ESPN goes out of its way to overpromote the sports it is in bed with. The problem is they'll shove Arena Ball down everybody's throat now even though few people watch it.

 

Sure, because it was doing big numbers when it was on. The sad reality that when they were on WWL side by side, poker drew more viewers than the NHL.

I know this sounds perverse, but if the NHL began scheduling games for 4 p.m. starts, I'm sure they'd look into showing it instead of paintball and poker, but they don't. And you're not winning if you're up against college hoops, the NBA, or even some of these lower level bowl games at this time of year.

I love hockey, and wish it got more play, but if I were in charge of scheduling, I'm putting the show in that gets higher ratings. It's just business. You know what the E stands for.

 

And that's my point. Now that they own an actual stake in the league, it will only be worse, because it will be their little toy.

 

ESPN Classic and Arena Football. I'll take five words that shoudl never ever be in the same sentence for $100, Alex.

Against my better judgment, I'm going to disagree.

People just...do...not...care about Arena Football. Even the harried parents who take their ritalin-addicted kids to games don't give a shit. It's just a way to keep the kids occupied for a couple hours. I bet if you went to an Arena game and asked fans as they departed questions such as "Who won?" and "Who played well?" few would be able to answer. The biggest football fan I know has the attention span of a gnat. Even he doesn't like Arena Football.

This will mean some Arena highlights on SportsCenter, but even as self-promoting as ESPN is, I'd be surprised if there's Arena Football Tonight or some awful god-forsaken shit such as that. Unless ESPN wants to further ruin the Classic with more original programming (RIP Classic Now, we hardly knew ye). I could see such shit buried there.

 

Maybe, but some of us make good money as stringers for AFL games.

 

SoSueMe must string for ESPN. Buffeted?

 

Everyone cowers when the NHL's ratings come up. But fail to remember ESPN/ABC paid (or overpaid) close to a billion dollars for those TV rights and the terrible ratings that came with them. They had a nightly show on ESPN2 and they were showing about 8-9 games a week with twice weekly doubleheaders.

ESPN didn't force the NHL to go on strike and bring to light those horrible TV numbers that forced them to reduce the cost of their national rights by about 70%. And when they went dark ESPN filled the programs with higher-rated mid-major college ball and poker, which caught on far better than they could've expected. So the NHL's lack of time on ESPN is the fault of a disorganized league and players who never knew how good they had it. Their punishment is to suffer for 3-4 years in cable hell. By 2009 they will be back on ESPN and all will be good again.

But on the TV business they are not high on the depth chart right now.

 

Sweet. I love Arena Football. </notsarcasm>

Maybe we'll see Bon Jovi perform at the Soul's first Monday night halftime! </sarcasm>

 

I like watching AF on occasion. But this cannot be a money-making enterprise.

The Arena player pool consists of players who were not good enough to play in the NFL. They will not become personalities. Kids will not put big posters of the Columbus fullback/linebacker on their bedroom wall. And personalities sell today.

 

Kurt Warner would like a word with you.

 

Did Jaworski broker the deal? The Philly Soul are on the tube half of the season.