ESPN becomes E!SPN for Tony Parker and Eva Longoria
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It's no coincidence that simultaneously their website, cable channel, & radio all discuss the same team, angle, or story. This is how they do things. It's a far reaching philosophy I've noticed more and more the past few years. They care very little about the sport or the game and more about driving compelling storylines that they can use to push their audience through their many media outlets to follow.
But all that said why is today the day that I lost my patience? It's because today ESPN decided they would become E!. Let's call it E!SPN. It really started with the ridiculous and in many ways shameful "Who's Now" segment they've been forcing down our throats. It's more or less a popularity contest where people vote which athlete has the best combination of a professional resume, endorsements, TV career, celebrity girlfriend/boyfriend ect. I don't know about you, but as a man in his mid 20s I've never paid all that much attention to who my favorite sports stars are dating. Nor has any other man I know. So what is ESPN going for here?
Watch Stewart Scott, Keyshawn Johnson, Wilbon & co become Ryan Seacrest. I'm not kidding this is ridiculous. An actual quote from the segment "Matt Leinart has that LA buzz! He's been linked with Paris Hilton!"
Again, I've still not gotten to what really set me off today... so here I go. Sportscenter devoted an entire segment to covering the lavish wedding of Eva Longoria & Tony Parker in France. It was no mere mention of the story or a few pieces of video of Eva Longoria to look at... They actually brought on a British gossip correspondent and had the sportscenter anchor interview her for a good 5 minutes. They went over the details of how the couple had to have a civil ceremony this past week, they went over the full celebrity guest list, they showed photos of the castle the reception would be held in blah blah blah... During that interview the celeb gossip lady and the Sportscenter anchor proceeded to tell us multiple times how "Sports fans are interested in this wedding just as much the women who watch desperate housewives are!" NO WE AREN'T!!! No matter how many times you tell us we are, we really aren't!
Who are they kidding? I've never sat at a bar during an Eagles game or stood by the water cooler in my office with a couple of guys(who are supposed to be in ESPN's target demo) and discussed Tony Parker's wedding. Frankly, I've never even discussed Tony Parker.
There's a reason I don't watch E!. Because I don't care. Now that ESPN has become E!SPN I really don't care about them either...
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Tony Parker who?
ESPN (E!?) is worth watching for:
- NFL Matchup
- Monday Night Football
- NFL Primetime
- Occasional random football shows and college games
- Australian Rules Football (but do they even still show it?)
by Andrew on Jul 7, 2007 10:10 PM EDT 0 recs
ESPN = MTV
I see this coverage of his wedding, more than anything else, as an act of desperation by ESPN. Baseball is the only major sport going on right now, so they're grasping at straws to come up with something, anything to fill their hour time slot.
Unfortunately, if recent history is any indicator, we're going be subjected to a lot more mindless programming from ESPN.
We've seen this sort of phenomenon before. Just look at MTV -- a similar niche network that evolved into a "pop culture channel." I expect ESPN will enter a similar downward spiral in the next couple of years, with less real sports coverage and more celebrity worship and reality shows.
I rarely watch Sportscenter (or ESPN in general) at all anymore, especially not during the NFL offseason. For the most part, their only worthwhile programming is live sporting events.
Let's face it: the Internet is a much better source of sports information than Sportscenter ever was. The nuggets of wisdom you can glean from just this blog alone blow anything on TV out of the water. We, the end users, are slowly but surely wresting control over media away from the big conglomerates.
We're the future, not ESPN or any other TV network. Viva la revolution.
by rhy on Jul 8, 2007 10:40 AM EDT 0 recs
Or maybe not
by JasonB on
Jul 8, 2007 11:30 AM EDT
up
0 recs
Oh...My...
Is there a reason why he couldn't wear the standard knee-length shorts?
by rhy on
Jul 8, 2007 2:34 PM EDT
up
0 recs
Stuart Scott
by Wilbert Montgomery on Jul 9, 2007 7:22 AM EDT 0 recs
yeah...
by 700 Level on Jul 9, 2007 8:54 AM EDT 0 recs
What's worse?
- The whole concept of this stupid Who's Now segment.
- The people running it who elevated Bill Jean King to the level of Jordan, Ali and Ruth.
- Stuart Scott and his lazy eye.
by brooksy on Jul 9, 2007 4:20 PM EDT 0 recs
Definitly #2
by 700 Level on Jul 10, 2007 9:54 AM EDT 0 recs









