Has ESPN finally woken up?

Game is On TBS tonight, just like last year's play-in game.

 

Translation: ESPN showing ANY soccer is "shoving it down [his] throat." :

 

Hear, hear.

 

It's 2008. TBS, TNT,  ESPN and ESPN2 are national television.

Stuff I'd like to see more of on ESPN: NHL; world soccer; sports-car racing; MLB games on Memorial Day, Labor Day and Independence Day; MLB games every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday; CFL; Formula 1; all kinds of rugby; Australian Rules Football; college baseball (ESPNU doesn't count).

Stuff I'd like to see less of or none of on ESPN: Busch Series racing (Look, it's a support/development series. I don't care if some Cup guys are running, we don't have Indy Lights shoved down our throats like this and it's of equal importance. Stop pretending we give a shit and tell Nicole Manske to stop talking about it.); poker; spelling bees; Scrabble bees; dog shows; geography bees; ballroom dancing; And1 mix tapes; Little League, Pony League, Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth; high school football; high school basketball; marching-band competitions; Madden Nation; and last but not least, Jim Rome (he has a take and it sucks).

I reserve the right to add to the second list at any time with cause.

 

Pinks (all iterations) must die. And it must take Unique Whips, Livin' The Low Life, Super Bikes! and Wrecked to hell with it.

 

You see, here's where I and and others differ.

I don't think there's that much wrong with High School football and basketball. I don't mind Nationwide Series races, although NASCAR isn't really my thing. Maybe Little League could drop, but as cynical as I can be I don't mind it too much.

The thing that's completely done to death at this point, though, is the talking heads shows. Too many, too much. If you're going to do the NFL 365, how about a half-hour MLB or NBA show at 4:30 p.m. to get viewers set for the evening's games?

I really don't understand why there aren't specialized highlights shows late on ESPN2 instead of And1 Mixtape, Poker, Madden, etc. I really think ESPN misses the boat by not having a half-hour soccer, hockey or whatever else highlight show at night during those sports seasons.

I know those take manpower, and producers, and sometimes it's easier to fill content with stuff that is produced outside the fold, but I think they're losing more eyes that want this over the eyes they get from that stuff.

 

Bring back the Wednesday night baseball doubleheader, so being on the east coast isn't a requirement for national television candidacy.

 

Yes, I can get completely behind this. Can't understand why they did away with it.

 

Word for fucking word. And the fascination with the Nationwide Series by the networks blows my mind.

 

Ditto.

 

Crossprogramming [/vincedoria]