Espn

[danKohner]

Sorry if this has already been brought up, but I found this regarding Wednesday evenings ESPN broadcast of the DC United vs Seattle Sounders match. It is from a Sounders fan, but says it all from the POV of a United Fan as well as a Sounders fan. I'm sure fans of both teams feel the same way. I know I do.

http://www.nextseasonsports.com/2009/06/sounders-fc-column-well-done-espn2.html

[John L]

ESPN was showing a do-or-die baseball game of University of Virginia - There was probably a heck of a lot of interest in this game outside of DC United fans throughout the mid-Atlantic and the South - I wasn't surprised that they continued to televise this game

But they do have tons of alternate ESPN stations to put either of these two games on - And they didn't - They're just not very bright

[JeremyEritrea]

Sorry if this has already been brought up, but I found this regarding Wednesday evenings ESPN broadcast of the DC United vs Seattle Sounders match. It is from a Sounders fan, but says it all from the POV of a United Fan as well as a Sounders fan. I'm sure fans of both teams feel the same way. I know I do.

http://www.nextseasonsports.com/2009/06/sounders-fc-column-well-done-espn2.html

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=heidi+game

[fatbastard]

It sucked giant donkey balls for us, but you cannot really blame ESPN for staying with an elimination game in the college "world" series.

I've watched enough weather-delayed NASCAR stuff roll over the top of other people's programming to be able to handle it happening to me now and again.

To be upset is natural, to be upset AT ESPN is a bit stupid.

Yes, it turned out to be a great game, but it could have just as easily have been the shit-fest of MLS soccer ESPN served up Saturday, which really should have been pre-empted by something more exciting like a college underwater basket-weaving competition ;)

[DC06]

The issue I had was the scheduling a live sporting event (baseball) that very likely will run late as it is not bound by time. If you flipped the games it would be very hard to see the MLS match running past its allotted time slot (cup matches would be another story).

I just never felt ESPN understands sports, just an amateur channel to me. Wednesday merely confirmed that for me.

[BigKris]

ESPN was showing a do-or-die baseball game of University of Virginia - There was probably a heck of a lot of interest in this game outside of DC United fans throughout the mid-Atlantic and the South - I wasn't surprised that they continued to televise this game

But they do have tons of alternate ESPN stations to put either of these two games on - And they didn't - They're just not very bright

I agree with both parts of this.

I'm confused why ESPN could not have moved the MLS game, at least temporarily, so that it would be on live but on a different channel. As far as I could tell from my flipping around, none of the other ESPN family of channels had a live event on at the time. Hell, they produce a live TV broadcast of the radio studio where they do their morning radio show, and they manage to move THAT to another channel in real time when there's a conflict with another live event. Why can't they pull that off with soccer?

[monster]

The issue I had was the scheduling a live sporting event (baseball) that very likely will run late as it is not bound by time. If you flipped the games it would be very hard to see the MLS match running past its allotted time slot (cup matches would be another story).

I just never felt ESPN understands sports, just an amateur channel to me. Wednesday merely confirmed that for me.
Are you really saying that a company that has basically transformed sports in America doesn't understand sports? A company that built in a 30-minute pre-game show for the soccer game in case baseball ran over doesn't understand sports because a baseball game ran extra-ordinarily long?

You know, I was disappointed they didn't spill the game to Classic (I'm guessing the USGA had some contractual clause that kept ESPN from moving last year's US Open replay), but I can't fathom why something that is so simple would make you think they don't understand sports.

[monster]

I agree with both parts of this.

I'm confused why ESPN could not have moved the MLS game, at least temporarily, so that it would be on live but on a different channel. As far as I could tell from my flipping around, none of the other ESPN family of channels had a live event on at the time. Hell, they produce a live TV broadcast of the radio studio where they do their morning radio show, and they manage to move THAT to another channel in real time when there's a conflict with another live event. Why can't they pull that off with soccer?
The funniest part is that ESPNU was running the US-Italy match. Now, I know that has a much smaller distribution, but I can't see how they would have angered someone or caused some contractual issue since SUM manages both properties. It wouldn't have helped me, but it might have helped some people.

Since they have moved other games to Classic, there is a precedent and I wish they would just be honest and give us the reason it didn't move. Most of us are reasonable and can take it. I think we'd all just like to understand the protocol. At least I would.

[tallguy]

The issue I had was the scheduling a live sporting event (baseball) that very likely will run late as it is not bound by time. If you flipped the games it would be very hard to see the MLS match running past its allotted time slot (cup matches would be another story).

I just never felt ESPN understands sports, just an amateur channel to me. Wednesday merely confirmed that for me.

Hmmm, it's all about the benjamins. The College World Series probably draws ratings two or three times higher than the ratings the MLS game of the week draws. If MLS ever starts getting credible ratings, ESPN will give us more love -- assuming that ESPN deigns to re-up with MLS once the current contract runs out.

It's not that ESPN doesn't understand sports, it's that ESPN doesn't value MLS as a commodity. As far as ESPN is concerned, MLS is about at the same level as tractor pull contests.

[monster]

Hmmm, it's all about the benjamins. The College World Series probably draws ratings two or three times higher than the ratings the MLS game of the week draws. If MLS ever starts getting credible ratings, ESPN will give us more love -- assuming that ESPN deigns to re-up with MLS once the current contract runs out.

It's not that ESPN doesn't understand sports, it's that ESPN doesn't value MLS as a commodity. As far as ESPN is concerned, MLS is about at the same level as tractor pull contests.
The CWS has drawn a .7 the past few years on ESPN and ESPN2. MLS is at about a .2.

I think the problem is that some people see valuation as a commodity as a personal judgement. It's about money. If the Confed Cup final goes to PKs, they will bump programming. Then it could be time to break out the "ESPN hates LPGA golf" mantra." :p

[fatbastard]

Are other colleges around the world invited to this college "world" series, or just those in central North America?

[blockski]

The issue I had was the scheduling a live sporting event (baseball) that very likely will run late as it is not bound by time. If you flipped the games it would be very hard to see the MLS match running past its allotted time slot (cup matches would be another story).

I just never felt ESPN understands sports, just an amateur channel to me. Wednesday merely confirmed that for me.

It's very likely to run late? Really?

You do realize that the vast majority of baseball games actually finish in 9 innings. And the usually take the same amount of time. It's not an exact science, but that's just the way it goes.

It's worth noting that the only other game in the CWS that's gone to extra innings was over in the 10th. Most extra inning games end then, too - as this one probably should have, if UVA had competent baserunning.

ESPN built in a 38 minute buffer with the pregame show. They did all they could with the schedule. It's live TV, you have to adapt on the fly.

As frustrating as it was that they didn't put the game on a different channel, it's fairly obvious that since they've done this in the past, the fact that they didn't do it now is likely because they couldn't - either due to contractual obligations or some other circumstance.

[nobletea]

Are other colleges around the world invited to this college "world" series, or just those in central North America?

As Americans, we are anything but arrogant, so I'm sure that we've reached out to the entire world to make the accomplishment universally legitimate.

So the only possible conclusions are that nobody else plays baseball, no other countries have colleges, or no collegians play baseball.

And since the great American pasttime is such an awesome sport that everyone plays, it's more likely that there are no colleges in other countries.

[DC06]

Are you really saying that a company that has basically transformed sports in America doesn't understand sports? A company that built in a 30-minute pre-game show for the soccer game in case baseball ran over doesn't understand sports because a baseball game ran extra-ordinarily long?

You know, I was disappointed they didn't spill the game to Classic (I'm guessing the USGA had some contractual clause that kept ESPN from moving last year's US Open replay), but I can't fathom why something that is so simple would make you think they don't understand sports.

I think they are smart business people. They know how to market sports much like 24 hour news knows how to market news. They filled a void first to have a sports channel and have packaged it in a way to drive viewer ship. Good for them, likely made lots of money.

I use to watch it and gave up largely because the analyst never offer me insight or understanding of the sport they are suppose to be an expert on. It always comes off as the same as listening to some guys in a bar. This is part of a larger trend that this channel is not about sports to me. I gave up on SportsCenter when they started thinking they were the show and trying to be funny with absurd catch phrases and gimmicks years ago. Their commentators come off as lazy and laughable to me with no skill in that craft.

From a technical standpoint there is money there, quality picture and studios look like they cost small fortune, but substance is lacking from their programming.

I will consent that perhaps this is that ESPN does not package sports as I feel about them so our understanding is different in how they should be presented and discussed. I watch soccer, nothing else and every time a sport runs over like this I see how poorly (from my perspective) that network is handled by putting ratings above the substance of sports.

I respect others may like ESPN and are free to do so, I'd never keep them from doing so, I'll just continue to not watching it and we're both happy. :)

[DC06]

It's very likely to run late? Really?

You do realize that the vast majority of baseball games actually finish in 9 innings. And the usually take the same amount of time. It's not an exact science, but that's just the way it goes.

It's worth noting that the only other game in the CWS that's gone to extra innings was over in the 10th. Most extra inning games end then, too - as this one probably should have, if UVA had competent baserunning.

ESPN built in a 38 minute buffer with the pregame show. They did all they could with the schedule. It's live TV, you have to adapt on the fly.

As frustrating as it was that they didn't put the game on a different channel, it's fairly obvious that since they've done this in the past, the fact that they didn't do it now is likely because they couldn't - either due to contractual obligations or some other circumstance.

They have how many channels? Yet two live sporting events are placed on the same one on the same night while others have taped events? You are likely correct it was a business decision and good for business, that does not mean I have to care for the way they conduct themselves or schedule programming.

[fatbastard]

I watch soccer, nothing else and every time a sport runs over like this I see how poorly (from my perspective) that network is handled by putting ratings above the substance of sports.
the substance argument holds no weight at all. There is, simply, more substance to an elimination game in a playoff situation than there is a regular season game not quite halfway into a season, regardless of the sports being played.

It sucked that it was a United game, and a good one, that got bumped. But there is no reason at all it should not have been bumped, and they almost immediately replayed the game from the beginning (after a nice little 25-minute break to talk a little about NASCAR) :)

[JeremyEritrea]

I think they are smart business people. They know how to market sports much like 24 hour news knows how to market news. They filled a void first to have a sports channel and have packaged it in a way to drive viewer ship. Good for them, likely made lots of money.

I use to watch it and gave up largely because the analyst never offer me insight or understanding of the sport they are suppose to be an expert on. It always comes off as the same as listening to some guys in a bar. This is part of a larger trend that this channel is not about sports to me. I gave up on SportsCenter when they started thinking they were the show and trying to be funny with absurd catch phrases and gimmicks years ago. Their commentators come off as lazy and laughable to me with no skill in that craft.

From a technical standpoint there is money there, quality picture and studios look like they cost small fortune, but substance is lacking from their programming.

I will consent that perhaps this is that ESPN does not package sports as I feel about them so our understanding is different in how they should be presented and discussed. I watch soccer, nothing else and every time a sport runs over like this I see how poorly (from my perspective) that network is handled by putting ratings above the substance of sports.

I respect others may like ESPN and are free to do so, I'd never keep them from doing so, I'll just continue to not watching it and we're both happy. :)

You know something that would make a lot of people even happier? If people who have no clue what they're talking about STFU about how much ESPN sucks and how they're trying to screw over soccer in America.

ESPN has the best soccer coverage in the world. Period.

[DC06]

the substance argument holds no weight at all. There is, simply, more substance to an elimination game in a playoff situation than there is a regular season game not quite halfway into a season, regardless of the sports being played.

It sucked that it was a United game, and a good one, that got bumped. But there is no reason at all it should not have been bumped, and they almost immediately replayed the game from the beginning (after a nice little 25-minute break to talk a little about NASCAR) :)

What was on ESPN 1, ESPN U, ESPN News, ESPN Classic?

What substance did those channels have in terms of sports? Ratings I'll grant you, but sports?

[DC06]

You know something that would make a lot of people even happier? If people who have no clue what they're talking about STFU about how much ESPN sucks and how they're trying to screw over soccer in America.

ESPN has the best soccer coverage in the world. Period.

Well, I never said ESPN "sucks". I stated I do not care for the network in terms of how it presents sports. The value of that is subjective.

I don't think they hate soccer, I think they do not understand it in terms of presenting it and explaining it. Again, subjective view.

People who tell others to "shut the ******** up" and end statements with "period." come off as dogmatic and unwilling to listen to differing views.

[blockski]

What was on ESPN 1, ESPN U, ESPN News, ESPN Classic?

What substance did those channels have in terms of sports? Ratings I'll grant you, but sports?

You do realize that there are contractual obligations that ESPN has to meet, right? They can't just start showing sports on their other channels all the time. Sometimes they can, sometimes they cannot.

ESPN's policy is to never leave a live event if it's in progress. And that's absolutely the correct policy to have.

If you want to use this event as a pathway to rant about unrelated hate for ESPN, that's fine. Just don't expect the rest of us to buy your reasoning.