When did ESPN go downhill for you?
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tyler-92 — 9 years ago(February 02, 2017 10:53 PM)
When the internet took hold in the early-to-mid 2000's and people didn't need to watch half an hour of SportsCenter for their teams' highlights anymore. This forced ESPN to try a bunch of new formats and ESPN further attempting to create the news, rather than just report on it.
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fullenw — 9 years ago(February 07, 2017 06:32 AM)
Around 2008 when their bias for certain players and teams started becoming too obvious. At the time, I was starting to question my own knowledge fan because so many people bought in to narratives that ESPN were pushing. Eventually, I started finding other people who felt the same way as me.
Years later, I hated how race, sexism and homophobia started being injected into debates when it wasn't required. I mentioned last year and recently how I was a Panthers fan for years until the racial narrative ruined it for me. Stephen A Smith (who I like aside from his bias against Mike D'Antoni) tried making issues involving RG3, Mike Brown, Todd Bowles, and Jeff Fisher about race. When Lovie Smith was fired and Serena Williams got less money in endorsements than Maria Sharapova, the narratives were related to race. ESPN covered the Oscars last year which had nothing to do with sports, probbaly because of the racial theme.
There's a double standard in terms of gender. Ronda Rousey wasn't held to the same standards of other athletes. It's OK for male athletes to get noticed for their looks, but when females get that treatment it's criticized. Women only went in on Josh Brown after he was an easy target, people on youtube reported about Josh Brown before ESPN did. Michelle Beadle and Hannah Storm didn't go in on them nor the NFL like they did when it was Ray Rice.
Around The Horn has been one of my favorite shows on all of television since 2003. I still watch PTI depending on the topics. I watch Sports Center most mornings and some evenings depending on who's hosting and what the topics are. SportsNation was at it's best when it was Colin and Michelle or Michelle and Marcellus. The show has gotten worse since Max left. First Take is usually fun to watch even though I don't always agree, sometimes the guest debaters are better than the originals. NBA Countdown has declined a lot. I rarely watch their NFL shows and their MLB shows since I haven't watched baseball regularly in years.
Reboot, restart or re-imagining is another word for remake -
justanicknamed — 9 years ago(February 07, 2017 07:05 AM)
I watched a lot in the early to mid 1980's because of my love of sports. I actually enjoyed watching Australian Rules Football and other non-American sports.
I didn't have cable for many years so I rarely watched ESPN. Then, in the late 90's I got cable again and I was really disappointed in how their coverage of sports were 90% coastal cities or Chitcago.
Also, I think their constant barrage of highlights has caused the quality of most sports to go down hill. It's one thing to be 10 years old and want to see your favorite player hit a home run. It is another thing to be 20 and want to see that as opposed to your favorite team win. -
Bob_Loblaw_Lobs_Law_Bombs — 9 years ago(February 07, 2017 08:22 AM)
my problem with espn is really the same problem I have with the news media as a whole in our country. it went downhill when they transitioned away from news/sports reporting and coverage, to news and narrative making and content management. it blurs the hell out of the lines and destroys journalistic integrity.
when you are in the business of commenting on news, speculating about it, debating it, and opining on it then you are in a constant mode of desperation to find new juicy topics to keep it fresh and keep your audience interested. so what that leads to is people doing all of the things that I just mentioned about stories that are just breaking and developing. so you have people driving a narrative and offering up opinions without all the facts. you know, the show isn't called "smartest, most well informed, logical take" it's called first take.
and for me, when my frustration and outrage with this finally hit the tipping point was the duke laccross case. espn went on a literal racial crusade against these young men. destroyed their lives. branded them entitled, racist, rapists. got a coach fired, ruined his reputation and family's livelihood. and then when the facts came out were any of their journalists held accountable for getting the facts wrong? were they fired or suspended which I think you should be when you egregiously screw up at your job nope. they just did the tv equivalent of issuing a page 6 retraction and moved on to the next juicy topic.
and that's the thing that is driving me so crazy with the news right now. there is no accountability for being biased, misleading, or blatently factually incorrect. because they know that by the time the actual facts have come out people have already moved on to the next thing. so there is no reprocusions. like I say, you just enter a meaningless page 6 retraction that no one will see and the people who's lives you have destroyed with your irresponsible journalism and rhetoric are left to pick up in the wake.
Where did you get those clothes, the toilet store? -
artist formally known — 9 years ago(February 07, 2017 08:52 AM)
It's been so long, I don't remember. I never watch it unless my local teams are on. I know I don't appreciate ESPN hiring away 2or3 DC female reporters.
Thats a clown question , BRO.
CLOSE the FRIGGEN BORDER ALREADY!!!