Scoop comments in ESPN: Not Waving but Drowning:
A lot of what Mushnick has to say seems to tie in with what we said earlier about the ESPN guys always being expected to chew over the latest listing of “hot chicks” as deemed by some magazine or other, with Dan enjoying the task to a frightening extent for a married man and Keith recusing himself to a ridiculous extent for a (still) single man. Hello?? I thought this was a sports network??
Then again, many people would tell you that ESPN has been going downhill for a long time. If you ever have some free time with nothing better to do, read the comments about SportsCenter alone at JumptheShark.com (http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/sportscenter-general-comments/1849). You’ll be pleased to note that Keith’s departure ranks as the second most popular “jumped” moment for those who believe it jumped, but many other reasons are given, and not all of them have to do with the Dan-and-Keith successors’ lame attempts at filling their shoes. Lately the complaints about “Who’s Now” seem to be taking center stage, to join the complaints about too many sponsors for every little feature, painful graphics and too much focus on personality over news.
Not that style is bad, but ESPN is getting way too heavy on the style and increasingly weak in the Department of Substance. They are getting away from their meat and potatoes (sports news) and serving up too many marshmallow desserts (e.g., “Who’s Now?”). I like marshmallow dessert, but I don’t want to have it at every meal. (And only in America would anyone have the balls to call it a “salad.”)
I watched Meet the Press yesterday morning; in the discussion of the presidential campaign it was reported that Hillary Clinton made an appearance before a hairdressers’ convention and that a related ad featured the various hairstyles she has had over the years. (Meet the Press transcript, page 4.) Lady, I don’t care what’s on your head, I want to know what’s going on between your ears. It’s kind of disconcerting that some voters have such a great need for marshmallow desserts. Which is why we keep getting stuck with marshmallows when what we really need is a good, hearty main dish.
For me, DP had a good balance of entrée, side dish, and dessert. The meal wasn’t always perfect, but it was for the most part quite satisfying. Most of the replacements that have filled in for DP the past two weeks (it’s only been two weeks, but it feels like two years) have given me some burnt main dishes, soggy vegetables, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts (sickeningly sweet, I can’t stand them). I want the old menu, but it is gone. Darn it.
Your title says it all. Though for me it is the unbearable emptiness of 10-1:00 PT. Especially in the car since I am often commuting at 10:00am, and then again late at night after the kiddies are all tucked in and I used to catch up with the podcasts. I think I am in the anger stage of grief because whoever is on instead of Dan, I am angry at. Especially Stephen A. Smith. Talk about from the top to the bottom of sports broadcasters in a few short weeks (Smith could be the “deadmike era” becaue I would rather listen to a dead mike than him). I don’t even dislike Colin Cowherd as much as I used to because at least he is in the time slot he is supposed to be in, not moving in on DP’s. The way things have been I have been wandering over to another station and actually listening to Jim Rome, and I don’t even like Jim Rome. Are there really no other good radio sports broadcasters (local ones aside)? So anyway, as I said and you can read, I am definitely in the anger stage.
I certainly hope Dan gets it together soon and starts up his new radio gig. If he doesn’t I may go back to car audiotapes.
Comment by Hawaii — 30 July 2007, Monday @ 19:12:07
as I diligently follow the discussion between true sports fans, it seems that some ground isn’t being covered. maybe ESPN is showing it’s age. all of the athletic people I know pursue personal recreational sports that don’t make news - don’t generate revenue for anyone other than the vendors of shoes, paddles, wheels, car carriers, etc. “extreme” sports aren’t team sports; kids growing up move away from organized teams pretty quickly, either weeded out by hyper-competive recreational programs or attracted to something that doesn’t require half a day several times a month for training and/or organized games. I see the trends in my friends and family that organized sports just aren’t as much fun as getting up and doing something. the kids I know aren’t spectators, and they don’t identify with the players.
the talkers are floundering to find something that will bring the personal performance kids back to the radio (or TV) and if sports news won’t do it, maybe personalities and gossip will. (it seems to me they’re grasping at straws.) I know this topic got bounced out once in a while with DP and KO, but the talkers keep trying to push it back under the rug. they keep yakking louder to get some attention, any attention at all.
Comment by rrgirl — 30 July 2007, Monday @ 19:33:06