Arena ESPN Discussion Thread

Completely misses the point. And not remotely the same thing.

As an athlete or someone involved in sports, you have a microphone - hell, a megaphone - to enact, enable, and empower change. Ditto for celebrity of any kind.

That's a far cry from a news reporter trying to give information on sports.

Put, yes, when you turn on CNN, you might see Piers Morgan talk about Arsenal. Poor guy.

 

Uh, Inty, Morgan hasn't been with CNN in a couple of year now.

 

Meh. My point remains, if even that minutiae of the moment escaped me.

 

ESPN Is claiming the reason for bad ratings is the internet and streaming TV If other sports fans are like me The MLB Network and The NFL Network are constantly on my TV In my house. I haven't watched ESPN Regularly since 2009 which was the first year of the MLB Network

 

If someone wants their sports and politics to mix then that's fine. It doesn't mean I don't care about what issues an athlete may have. It's just for those few hours they're on the field I want to see what they do best.

 

Another casualty: Business reporter Andrew Brandt has also been let go.

Also True Hoop is gone.

 

The way I look at It being that I am a progressive Liberal I don't care If TV hosts and celebrities talk about Democrats in a good light or at all but I don't care to have my hosts and celebrities talking about Evil Trump and Republican agenda, unless they are trashing them. I know that sounds bias but It Is what It Is. what Schilling did with posting that supposed transgender photo was disgusting and he deserved to be fired. That photo he posted was not a transgender person it was either a joke at the expense of the LGBT Community or the whole thing was staged. that kind of politics and everything Trump preaches is ignorance and hate and has no place in this world. if that is who ESPN Is weeding out with its firings I'm all for it!

 

Keep in mind with Schilling, the transgender photo and his opinions on it were not his first offences by a mile. That may have forced ESPN's hand, but he should have been let go long before that (the Hitler stuff he posted comes to mind)

 

ESPN is primarily sold as a sports network first with entertainment being the second. I think there's a segment of viewership that looks at it like this: "If I wanted to watch cable news like CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, or C-Span I'd watch them." I can identify with that to some degree, but honestly if I go to ESPN I'm usually heading to the scores section to check a score or get a summary for a game I didn't get to see or don't want to watch (mostly Rangers games, because I'd rather not watch and my soul be slowly crushed).

FWIW, sports can't be divorced completely from politics since it can be used as a platform to bring awareness. Like DarthIntegral mentioned on the last page with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and you pointed out, are great examples of that. However, professional athletes and the TV personalities on networks such as these are not only employees of the league or network, but representatives for them. As such, their decisions and comments on politics can impact people's decision to watch, spend money, or check the website of an organization. I think citing cord cutting ignores that as a contributing factor. And I think that the streaming services still offer ESPN as a service you can subscribe to.

If ESPN wasn't lumped in with some pretty basic cable packages, it's possible they might have felt this sooner IMO. So to some degree it's politics and cord cutting, but also you could say that the programming just isn't enticing enough to warrant people subscribing to it after the fact.

Actually Schilling was who I was thinking of an employee who's behavior reflected badly on the company.

 

My main point Is I am a progressive liberal if a TV Host is Liberal or Democrat I like them preach away but if your republican I don't want to hear it. I know that is bias but It Is what It Is.

 

NFL Insider Adam Caplan just tweeted out he's been laid off as well.

 

Apparently the Vertical to ESPN is all but confirmed.

 

So any plans to do away with their Insider articles?

 

Considering they fired so many of their insides.

 

Having Steven A Smith yelling at me doesn't help my veiwership.

 

Sportscenter anchor Sara Walsh returned from maternity leave today... Only to find out she was among those laid off.

Stay classy, Disney.

 

But by him yelling that's how you know he's right.

 

I saw that this morning. Very very sad.

 

You saw that and didn't spread the news? You feeling okay?

Regarding her death, I would like to point out the driver who killed her was 89 years old. I've been a long time supporter for getting old people off the road. There should be required road tests for people when renewing licenses after the age of 70.

 

So it turned out Berman was at fault. I still stand by my old people suck at driving rant.

 

I completely agree. I live in Los Angeles, and way too often I see a news report about somebody being killed by an elderly driver.

Can you imagine that? Being out to Sunday brunch and having a relaxing morning with your wife/husband/son/daughter/mother/father/brother/sister, and then watching them get crushed to death because some elderly driver couldn't figure out the brake pedal from the acceleration pedal? How can you possibly reconcile that?

I'm all for equality and whatnot. But I read about this happening way too often.

 

**** the Mouse.