My ESPN question

[Moderator1]

I've never joined in the ESPN bashing much around here. I don't watch ESPN all that much and don't mind too much of what they do except for all the "cool" talk and catchphrases on Sports center.

But.

This a.m., I'm packing up and getting ready to clear my hotel. Sports center is on and I notice clips of some pee wee football game. Then the anchor - not sure which woman it was today - is INTERVIEWING the kid on the phone. It is about as brutal as you can imagine, given that a nine-year-old is on the other end.

I was astonished that this would make the air. How long have they been doing this and does anybody really think it is a good idea?

 

[Chi City 81]

It's news to me, Moddy. Then again, when isn't ESPN infuriating the average viewer?

 

[Moderator1]

Apparently, parents submit video of their kids at work and the winner gets interviewed!!

 

[Chi City 81]

I've reached the point where I only watch SportsCenter after big events just to catch the HD highlights.

For most of my highlight needs, I just tune into ESPNews when I get home at 1 a.m.

 

[21]

It's news to me, Moddy. Then again, when isn't ESPN infuriating the average viewer?

ESPN doesn't infuriate the average viewer, it infuriates viewers who know the difference between entertainment and sports.  

Countless--probably most--viewers are happy to turn on ESPN, and co-exist with it in the background all day and night. You don't like what's on, wait five minutes, there'll be something else.

 

[Chi City 81]

It's news to me, Moddy. Then again, when isn't ESPN infuriating the average viewer?

ESPN doesn't infuriate the average viewer, it infuriates viewers who know the difference between entertainment and sports.  

Countless--probably most--viewers are happy to turn on ESPN, and co-exist with it in the background all day and night.

Excellent point, 21. Hatred toward ESPN is probably five times higher per capita on SportsJournalists.com than it is in the rest of the world.

 

[Moderator1]

Let me make it clear that I do not hate ESPN.
I pretty much hated that segment.

 

[Evil Bastard (aka Chris_L)]

Moddy - I saw that interview and it was painful. Another dumb promotion by ESPN that I don't think gets anywhere. I can't wait for football to start so we get all the highlights and these gimmicks bite the dust.

 

[WSKY]

It's summer, what else is there for them to chat about?

 

[Moderator1]

Let's see:
Baseball.
World Cup.
Auto racin'

Wasn't the NHL draft this weekend?
Isn't the NBA draft coming up?

I suspect they could have filled an hour without talking to a nine-year-old.

 

[Zeek]

ESPN: the partial sports network. Nothing infuriates me more than watching SportsCenter in the winter. 30 minutes of the NBA, 28 minutes of NCAA basketball, and 2 minutes of hockey. Kiss my ass, ESPN.

 

[suburbanite]

ESPN: the partial sports network.  Nothing infuriates me more than watching SportsCenter in the winter.  30 minutes of the NBA, 28 minutes of NCAA basketball, and 2 minutes of hockey.  Kiss my ass, ESPN.

No, 28 minutes of Duke, Duke, Duke and more Duke. Hey, baaaayyy, beeeeee!

 

[Chi City 81]

ESPN: the partial sports network.  Nothing infuriates me more than watching SportsCenter in the winter.  30 minutes of the NBA, 28 minutes of NCAA basketball, and 2 minutes of hockey.  Kiss my ass, ESPN.

No, 28 minutes of Duke, Duke, Duke and more Duke. Hey, baaaayyy, beeeeee!

Paging IJAG.

 

[BigRed]

Apparently, parents submit video of their kids at work and the winner gets interviewed!!

So ESPN = youth/community sports journalism?
That's even worse than Stuart Scott's NBA Def Poetry Slam.

 

[JBHawkEye]

Here's your ESPN schedule:

Winter (colleges): DukESPN, and ACCSPN. Also, NBASPN.
Spring and summer: YankeESPN and Red SoxPN. Some Barry BondSPN as well.
Fall: EaglESPN (all things Donovan McNabb) and Terrell OwenSPN.

 

[PEteacher]

Well, they haven't (yet) devoted a show purely for youth sports. But, a month back, when they interviewed the shy high school centerfielder who made a great diving catch in the state finals game, that was just plain stupid. And they made it the #1 play of the day. Any major league centerfielder would have been under that ball, waiting for it to come down.

 

[suburbanite]

Here's your ESPN schedule:

Winter (colleges): DukESPN, and ACCSPN. Also, NBASPN.
Spring and summer: YankeESPN and Red SoxPN. Some Barry BondSPN as well.
Fall: EaglESPN (all things Donovan McNabb) and Terrell OwenSPN.

Can't argue with any of this.

 

[leo1]

most of the phone interviews they do are just brutal. i saw the baseball tonight crew interview the kid who got a hit off clemens in clemens' first game in class A (or maybe the opposing pitcher? i don't know) and it was unbearable. there's no reason to do a phone interview on sportscenter, baseball tonight or any other show.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Well, they haven't (yet) devoted a show purely for youth sports. But, a month back, when they interviewed the shy high school centerfielder who made a great diving catch in the state finals game, that was just plain stupid. And they made it the #1 play of the day. Any major league centerfielder would have been under that ball, waiting for it to come down.

Maybe so, but it was still an unbelievable catch in the biggest game of the kid's life.

 

[PEteacher]

Well, they haven't (yet) devoted a show purely for youth sports. But, a month back, when they interviewed the shy high school centerfielder who made a great diving catch in the state finals game, that was just plain stupid. And they made it the #1 play of the day. Any major league centerfielder would have been under that ball, waiting for it to come down.

Maybe so, but it was still an unbelievable catch in the biggest game of the kid's life.

The most unbelievable play in the biggest game of my life was when I guessed the right vowel that sparked my teammate to correctly say the winning phrase during the fifth week and a weekly series of lunchtime boy-vs-girls first grade Hangman. Put me on SportsCenter's top plays and phone interview me live on primetime.