Has ESPN Lost the Thread?

[Dennis K]

A trivia show featuring a possible savant syndrome patient?

A reality show with Bobby Knight?

A reality show with Barry Bonds?

[StoneGold]

Yeah, because they were so much better off when they were showing championship ping ping from Guam.

[HomerJay]

Yeah, because they were so much better off when they were showing championship ping ping from Guam.
Ping ping?
Is that the Guam Zoo's new baby Panda?

[FanboyStranger]

I don't think so, but they have worn themselves pretty thin with expansion. They're not quite at the Ocho yet, but perhaps someday we'll see professional stickball and Magic the Gathering tournaments. I think it's also a product of the season-- college basketball season is over, so there goes four nights of solid, reliable programming, baseball season is just beginning, so the excitement isn't really there yet, hockey exists in its own parallel universe in between fishing shows for the seven people who still care, and the NBA is split with TNT. While I don't care for him personally, I think the Bonds show is important as another look into what-- regardless of what you think of him-- is a significant moment in sports history. The legend of Babe Ruth is intrinsic to baseball's appeal, and the fact that Bonds will probably surpass his record sometime in the next week is important and deserves all the documentation it will inevitably get in this media saturated age. Knight School was a disappointment. I admire Knight as a coach, I often find his soundbites and antics amusing, but I don't need a whole half hour of him and a handful of uninteresting walk-ons. I think a better idea for a fill-in show would have been a half-hour look into a different storied program every week-- Duke, Carolina, Florida, UCONN, Syracuse, Gonzaga, UCLA, whatever. But I'm a college basketball fanatic and go into a huge depression every April, so I'm probably not the most reliable programming guide.

[kmeyers]

Ping ping?
Is that the Guam Zoo's new baby Panda?
I'd watch panda wrestling.

[Royal]

I don't think so, but they have worn themselves pretty thin with expansion. They're not quite at the Ocho yet, but perhaps someday we'll see professional stickball and Magic the Gathering tournaments. I think it's also a product of the season-- college basketball season is over, so there goes four nights of solid, reliable programming, baseball season is just beginning, so the excitement isn't really there yet, hockey exists in its own parallel universe in between fishing shows for the seven people who still care, and the NBA is split with TNT. While I don't care for him personally, I think the Bonds show is important as another look into what-- regardless of what you think of him-- is a significant moment in sports history. The legend of Babe Ruth is intrinsic to baseball's appeal, and the fact that Bonds will probably surpass his record sometime in the next week is important and deserves all the documentation it will inevitably get in this media saturated age. Knight School was a disappointment. I admire Knight as a coach, I often find his soundbites and antics amusing, but I don't need a whole half hour of him and a handful of uninteresting walk-ons. I think a better idea for a fill-in show would have been a half-hour look into a different storied program every week-- Duke, Carolina, Florida, UCONN, Syracuse, Gonzaga, UCLA, whatever. But I'm a college basketball fanatic and go into a huge depression every April, so I'm probably not the most reliable programming guide.

I got a better idea. Why not show actual SPORTS. People compete in more then four events y'know.

[FanboyStranger]

I got a better idea. Why not show actual SPORTS. People compete in more then four events y'know.
Mostly because most sports occur within the same time frame (evenings and weekends), and the only sports big sponsors get behind are basketball, football, baseball, tennis, auto racing, hockey, golf, and certain "event" sports like Olympic trials, the Kentucky Derby, or the World Cup, although sports like Arena Football and Major League Soccer are on their way up. Consequently, prime time is simply too valuable to spend on curling or badmidton when more people will watch Bobby Knight go skeet shooting. In ESPN's defense, they do devote a significant amount of their "garbage time" (post-midnight ET and weekend mornings, in particular) to things like Pro Bowling, rodeos, Spelling Bees, and professional snooker, etc., that have marginal appeal. The problem is that the results of these sports are generally already known because they have been tape-delayed and may have already appeared on SportsCenter or the internet, at least.

Me, personally? I prefer to watch shows about that jerk Bonds as he stares down Babe Ruth's record because it is a moment of true cultural significance. What's running through his mind does interest me as a historian and as a fan of baseball. Granted, I think most of Bond's thoughts come with dollar signs attached, but that's what the game has become. (I'm a Red Sox fan, and Johnny Damon comes to mind.) That is simply more interesting to me that, say, figure skating or college lacrosse. And I'd rather watch a rebroadcast of thee 1989 Michigan-Seton Hall game on the Classic than watch poker, which, while fun to play, simply astounds me as a viable spectator sport.

[Guts/Batman]

Heh...

I find myself watching less and less "mainstream" sports anymore so I'm not particularly in a baseball/basketball/football mode...

I like watching golf, chess, ping pong and all that other stuff. I also love the NFL Films specials stuff during the day.

Wait...I should get ESPN Classic...

[Dennis K]

I should get ESPN Classic...


If for no other reason than the mid '70s bowling.

[Guts/Batman]

If for no other reason than the mid '70s bowling.

Definitely.

I love watching bowling. Especially from the mid '70s. Great television. :D

I'd be watching that and going "Damn I wish I could bowl like that."

I had cable in college. Now that I'm not living in the dorms I lack cable.

[monkeysweat]

I got a better idea. Why not show actual SPORTS. People compete in more then four events y'know.
I feel like they deliberately shun soccer. Important or interesting matches are relegated to ESPN2 while the main station shows Strong Man competitions or Lumberjack Olympics or something.

[FanboyStranger]

Definitely.

I love watching bowling. Especially from the mid '70s. Great television. :D

I'd be watching that and going "Damn I wish I could bowl like that."
.

I watch it and say, "Damn, I wish I could dress like that!"

[Guts/Batman]

I watch it and say, "Damn, I wish I could dress like that!"

Definitely as well. That's awesome stuff...

[FanboyStranger]

I feel like they deliberately shun soccer. Important or interesting matches are relegated to ESPN2 while the main station shows Strong Man competitions or Lumberjack Olympics or something.

I totally agree. I just got updated and expanded cable, so I get some big international matches on Fox Soccer Channel, but I think ESPN underestimates soccer's appeal, particularly amongst Hispanic people. I work with a lot of people for Mexico and Central America, and during the last World Cup, they'd all show up to work drunk because they'd have to go to a bar at 5AM to watch their team. This may have been remedied somewhat by ESPN Desportes, but I guess my boss will just have to wait and see.

[monkeysweat]

I think ESPN underestimates soccer's appeal
I don't think they underestimate anything. I think it's just stubborn refusal.