I haven’t had their app for years but the bleacher report app is pretty good for customizing and aggregating based on preferences.
ESPN firings
- Thread starter Mulder14
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Impact of cord cutting, on sports outlets, in just the past quarter (Jan 1 through March):
- ESPN and ESPN2 saw a 1.2 per cent fall in customers since December, with the latter dropping by 926,000
- Fox’s FS1 channel was dumped by 668,000 households, representing a 0.9 per cent decrease, with sister channel FS2 dropped by 423,000
- The Tennis Channel customer base fell by 1.28 million, equating to a 3.1 per cent drop
- NBC’s Golf Channel was dropped by 998,000, a 1.6 per cent decline
- BeIN Sports customers were down 7.5 per cent to 829,000
- MLB Network lost 1.2 per cent of its customer base, which equates to losing 488,000 subscribers
- NFL Network, NBA TV and Big Ten Network were relatively steady, seeing drops of 0.8 per cent, 0.3 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively
- The Spanish-language TUDN saw the biggest drop, losing 8.93 million households – a 27.2 per cent decrease
ESPN will not renew Vince Carter's contract
ESPN expected not to renew Vince Carter’s contract come September.
tarheelswire.usatoday.com
I can't imagine most Conservatives...of which there are many millions in this country...would be willing to pay $20-$30 per month to ESPN as long as that organization continues to beat the liberal activist drum. None of my Conservative friends subscribe to Netflix or Disney any longer. Not necessarily as part of any organized boycott but, because the programming on those platforms no longer aligns with their values and interests.
Everything has a tipping point. As an example, I walked away from the NFL when the kneeling, BLM messaging and false martyrdom stuff started. Haven't watched a single minute since. I'm sure the NFL doesn't miss me but, in kind I don't miss it either. But, the bottom line is there is NO WAY I would pay to have that nonsense be pushed on me. And I think at some level ESPN and the other networks realize they would lose a LOT of money going to a streaming format. Or, they would already have done so.
Everything has a tipping point. As an example, I walked away from the NFL when the kneeling, BLM messaging and false martyrdom stuff started. Haven't watched a single minute since. I'm sure the NFL doesn't miss me but, in kind I don't miss it either. But, the bottom line is there is NO WAY I would pay to have that nonsense be pushed on me. And I think at some level ESPN and the other networks realize they would lose a LOT of money going to a streaming format. Or, they would already have done so.
Those that would argue Van Gundy's comment was racist are same ones claiming the 40 hour work week is a white supremacist thing. Those people are race-baiters and buffoons.
You brought up conservatives, a liberal activist drum, Disney, kneeling, and BLM. At this point you're seeing what you want to see and not looking at this logically. Not everything in life is political and no one talks about kneeling any longer except some conservatives who simply refuse to let it go. It's as if a moment of kneeling has become a traumatic event for some. As already stated, ESPN's model is out of date. There's no longer a need for blocks of shows filled with constant "hot takes" and there's not really a reason to watch a clip show like Sportscenter in 2023, as you can find scores and clips instantly through social media and apps. Younger millennials and Gen Z also aren't as obsessed with sports as we were growing up. There's other options now to occupy their time.
FWIW, you probably shouldn't speak for most conservatives. Buddy of mine is very conservative and he'll never allow a black shirt or a moment of kneeling from over three years ago ruin the value and joy he holds in watching his teams. Your post imo is pure misery and resentment. You're allowing politics to make the decisions for you instead of enjoying the game. You do you and all, but as I've said in the past, most athletes, esp. younger ones, have probably never thought the way you do politically, yet you enjoyed those sports and those athletes until they began speaking about issues they're bothered by on their own platforms and occasionally during pressers. It's not like 2020 arrived and suddenly lots of athletes "turned" lib. Come fall I'll be enjoying the hell out of some football even though my Colts are awful. Apologies if I'm coming off a bit harsh, but we only have one life. We should actually try to enjoy it and if you once enjoyed watching a sport, why the hell would you stop? For some personal stance because the people you once watched don't align with your political views? Just silly to me.
Like I said, everyone has a tipping point. Everyone's standards and values are different. Me filled with "misery and resentment"? Hardly. Walking away from the NFL has freed up a lot of very valuable time for me. Time I have been able to spend with family (immediate and extended) that I wouldn't trade for every NFL game ever played.
At the same time, I have no problem with anybody doing what makes them happy. If watching hours of the NFL makes you happy then, have at it. Me? My self-worth isn't tied up in the performance of preachy millionaire divas. Heck, I don't even bet on the NFL either. Don't have enough knowledge of the teams/players to do that.
I am enjoying my life just fine thanks and yes, I agree we only have one life. You have to prioritize things. More and more people are figuring that out. I think "cord-cutting" is allowing a lot of people to realize there are good options out there beyond being married to pro sports. Among my friends, most spend their Sundays outside or taking day trips, hiking, etc.
As you get older time becomes more valuable. You tend to streamline your life, expelling the nonsense whenever possible.
I've been watching these one hour shows on Super Bowl winning teams from the 70s. The players all had jobs in the off-season. One guy said his salary went from 15k to 17.5 to 21. Now those numbers would be millions.
The Breen/Jackson/Van Gundy team had a very good chemistry. Knowledgeable. Plenty of good-hearted, back and forth banter, but all within the flow of a game. Easily ESPNs best crew (although Hubie Brown is my favorite individual commentator).
Been that way for me for years.
Oversaturation. Not enough non-game material to actually fill up 24hrs a day all year long, so you start filling in with opinion shows and people creating the news where there is not real news to be created.
Someone mentioned Lunardi. PERFECT example. When he first did his thing around tournament time, it was a novel concept and was fun when it got to the end of February/beginning of March. Fast forward a few years and he's putting out brackets for the following year before the portal even closes and we literally have to listen to him for the entirety of the college basketball season. Every halftime has an updated bracket, in between every game has a bracket segment, and they even go to him during games. Now, i can't stand when he's on.
I may be in the minority for my reasoning, but I almost don't turn it on anymore. And now that i get NBA league pass, i'd MUCH rather watch an NBA game with some homer announcers than the garbage that ESPN has turned college basketball into.
I don't know if i'm just getting older or what, but the commentators for ESPN, for the most part, are just abysmmal.
If i never hear Jay Bilas call another game, it won't be soon enough. Bill Walton is a joke (he actually used to be quite good when he did NBA games on NBC with Steve Jones and Marv Albert or Dick Enberg (?)).
This is the same network that employed Bob Knight (arguably the biggest horse's ass in sports at the time) as a color guy that refused to even say 'Kentucky' on air for a while.
Stephen A Smith was why the mute button was invented.
His voice gets on my nerves.
The only thing I watch anymore is the games
and when he comes on the mute button is pressed.
His voice gets on my nerves.
The only thing I watch anymore is the games
and when he comes on the mute button is pressed.
So they are trying to make it more unwatchable + it’s crazy when you look at your cable bill basically you are paying 20 bucks a month for ESPN.
Can you cite a few examples of how ESPN is beating a liberal drum? The only politicization of sports that I have seen from ESPN was when they brought in the late right wing talker Rush Limbaugh several years ago who they quickly nixed after realizing what a disaster it was to mix politics with sports.
If you could give examples I would agree with you, otherwise I think you may be seeing something that isn't there at least not that I've noticed. ESPN is a business and they make business decision primarily for financial reasons. I suspect that just like some pro sport teams cut lose players because their contracts have become too bloated, ESPN has determined that some of their legacy people can be replaced by new people at a much lower cost.
You aren't serious.
Curt Schilling
Jemele Hill
George Floyd
Moment of Silence
Kaepernick
Sarah Spain
RvW
Sage Steele
Sam Ponder
Lebron James
You're free to research the examples I listed, and you're welcome.
ESPN had a god damn moment of silence for Roe v Wade going down on its women's college basketball coverage.
Gene Wojciechowski let go by ESPN as mass layoffs at network continue
Gene Wojciechowski, a longtime college football writer, announced on Twitter that his time with the World Wide Leader had come to an end.
nypost.com
Jemele Hill is the ultimate example , she never even actually commentated on actual sports. She tried some racist show on Showtime and it didn't last long. I miss the original Sports reporters with Dick Schapp on Sunday mornings. Didn't always agree but they had good sports reporters on there. Jemele Hill is nothing but a disruptive low IQ person trying to cash in.
Dropped Disney and Netflix a few months ago myself.
I don't have to.
Posts #179 and #180 just did the work for me.
But of course you already knew all those names and their history. Didn't you?
In all the years I have had Direct TV , I installed my own I bought from Wal Mart to tell you how long that is, I have maybe had the Disney channel on 10 hrs total. It is really sad because of the library of movies they have from 60's 70's . I remember when Sunday nights growing up with maybe 5 channels was an event. Marlon Perkins with Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and then the Wonderful World of Disney .
if you like old Disney then Disney+ is an incredible deal. Except I wanted to watch Johnny Tremain yesterday and it wasn't on there
Not really but I'll take you're word for it.
I think of sports as the great escape where folks can retreat from the issues of the day, so political narratives being injected by ESPN is wrong.
If only that was the case, but when athletes/coaches use their sport and/or team as their soapbox for those issues, it then becomes a political situation.
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I agree with you there, but you can't blame ESPN for what comes out of the mouth of a player they are interviewing. But their own employees, different story.
Just skimmed this thread and this statement is exactly how I feel, would a lot rather sit on the back porch with a beer in hand, talking to my wife, and cranking up some tunes on Spotify (or about 1000 other things) than watching some talk show commentators on ESPN, et al. Plus there is DVR for actually watching a ball game, in about 1/3 of the time. Read a book, ride a bike, facetime with your kids/grandkids, in short, get a life and quit worrying so much about non essential crap like what some jock is saying on TV. (TBH, I am not even on this site nearly as much as I once was, for the exact same reasons)
Has to be a troll post. Or you haven’t watched ESPN over the last 10-20 years or so. There are hundreds of examples over that span if not thousands…any time Bomani or Kellerman or Hill opened their mouth on air would be a good start. But here’s a few articles to consider…
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/espn-woke-moments-america-bashing-july-4-china
https://www.outkick.com/sage-steele-suing-espn/
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/oth...nick-curt-schilling/5goo5xpn3hhd1eiwiqm9vmahl
That last one is from 2017 where espn’s own poll showed that of the people who thought the network was politically biased 67% thought they leaned too far left & 30% thought they leaned too far right. In ESPN’s public announcement they only referenced the 30% that thought they leaned too far right. When asked by Sporting News why they left off the 67% number…ESPN said they had to keep the response short. Smh
I bet if they did the same poll in 2023 it would look even worse…which I am sure is why they haven’t done another poll lately.
Lebraon is trying to eliminate all the people that covered his finals losses so he can continue calling himself the goat.
Yeah, I mean, I lean to the left politically, but even I know that ESPN leans very liberal in terms of politics. I'm even on that side of the aisle and it drives me crazy sometimes.
It was fun for me when it was all college players and I knew who most of them were. Once high school players started getting drafted I stopped watching. Exceptions were Wall, AD, and KAT. I watched them go #1 then changed the channel.
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ESPN’s Wendi Nix Latest On-Air Talent To Exit Network
Wendi Nix, the host of College Football Live, has announced on Instagram that her time at ESPN has ended after 17 years. “Exactly 17 years ago, I walked into ESPN wide-eyed and excited. This week, …
deadline.com
Watched the Sage Steele interview w/ Kilmeade recently...eye opening to just how woke and liberal that network is.
It was great.
I watch live games and the svp sportscenter. That's all. The shows have gotten so terrible now.
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