ESPN Layoffs

[Josh Hendy]

I should add to my previous complaints about ESPN commentary that as much as it exasperates me sometimes, sports talk is (at miinimum) 100 billion times more honest and factual than ANY reporting or commentary you will find in the fields of general news, politics and world events. Which is why I listen to sports radio every day and would rather step in dog poo than listen for one minute to a news radio station or TV news channel.

ESPN's endless sports talk isn't enough to carry the entire Disney company on its back, but it ain't all that bad.

 

[Shmily1]

Apparently it does for Fox though as they have Skip Bayless...

He's so annoying.

 

[Bobb_o]

Things I like about ESPN: They still have a lot of games (At least for CFB and basketball) and 30 for 30

That's about it. For sports talk I listen to podcasts.

 

[gmboy95]

Exaclty...

10 years of crickets in foxboro and possibly the biggest two collapses in Super Bowl history...but pay no mind to any of that

two biggest collapses...you were favored in the second one, and the both came down to the last drives of the game....funny definition of collapse.....here is mine.... 28-3

 

[NawlinsGuy80]

two biggest collapses...you were favored in the second one, and the both came down to the last drives of the game....funny definition of collapse.....here is mine.... 28-3

ESPN layoffs here...... If I wanted to listen to sports bickering, I'd watch First Take all day.

 

[gmboy95]

ESPN layoffs here...... If I wanted to listen to sports bickering, I'd watch First Take all day.

Well thats a good thing you only have to read it

 

[lockedoutlogic]

two biggest collapses...you were favored in the second one, and the both came down to the last drives of the game....funny definition of collapse.....here is mine.... 28-3

Haven't grasped that I'm not a giants/jets fan yet, huh?

 

[LSLS]

Nope...NBC has the only US contract and they got it cheap after the lockout and espn declined...they declined again about 5 years ago.

Espn does minimal lip service to hockey and they fired all their writers/commentators an hour or so ago

I thought I read the NHL wouldn't deal with ESPN, ESPN was actually interested when the last NBC contract expired. Anyways, they have eliminated virtually all hockey at this point like you said.

 

[LSLS]

So go away on a cruise and come back to this. Some big names gone here with guys like Werder and Jayson Stark. I'm with LOL, if they thought they had a major market for ESPN streaming, it would have rolled out by now. I don't think they have figured out how to charge little enough to have people pay for it while bringing profits back up.

 

[Geoff_M]

NBCSN has always done a much better job with IndyCar races than ABC/ESPN. There are times when something happens - a driver is out of the race, for example - but you don't know why because Cheever and Goodyear never said anything about it!

I suspect that ABC will drop IndyCar when the contract is up - I already get the impression they no longer care!

Alan Bestwick has announced he is being axed too. I haven't seen it, but I read that Eddie Cheever Tweeted a hint that his time with ABC may be ending. However, apparently Punch, Bestwick, and the others will still do the 500 and other ABC IndyCar races this year, presumably on a contract basis.

 

[dreiwhit]

Alan Bestwick has announced he is being axed too. I haven't seen it, but I read that Eddie Cheever Tweeted a hint that his time with ABC may be ending. However, apparently Punch, Bestwick, and the others will still do the 500 and other ABC IndyCar races this year, presumably on a contract basis.

That's sad. I had read that some folks didn't like him, but I always thought that Bestwick did a good job. He tried to drag Cheever and Goodyear up to a better level of performance.

From time-to-time I watch 1980s vintage Indy 500s on YouTube. I always think how much better the coverage was back then. Jim McKay, Jack Arute, Uncle Bobby and others made it so much better.

 

[Geoff_M]

That's sad. I had read that some folks didn't like him, but I always thought that Bestwick did a good job. He tried to drag Cheever and Goodyear up to a better level of performance.

From time-to-time I watch 1980s vintage Indy 500s on YouTube. I always think how much better the coverage was back then. Jim McKay, Jack Arute, Uncle Bobby and others made it so much better.

I still think the most entertaining pair were Unser and Posey, hands down. I few years ago some friends were talking to Bobby at the Flag Room at the Speedway Motel and after several requests they got to records him saying "Sam, you're wrong!!!"

 

[hakepb]

That's sad. I had read that some folks didn't like him, but I always thought that Bestwick did a good job. He tried to drag Cheever and Goodyear up to a better level of performance.

From time-to-time I watch 1980s vintage Indy 500s on YouTube. I always think how much better the coverage was back then. Jim McKay, Jack Arute, Uncle Bobby and others made it so much better.

The good 'ole days of tape-delayed Indy 500's! (They were shown at night, after the race was finished)

 

[dreiwhit]

The good 'ole days of tape-delayed Indy 500's! (They were shown at night, after the race was finished)

The first 500 that I watched was in 1986, the year that they dropped the tape delay and showed the 500 live. I can remember my Dad listening to an AM radio trying to hear the race.

 

[maxiesmom]

Dr. Jerry Punch, a 30 year employee and one of the best auto racing analysts (also did football and other sports), was one of the ones axed today. Sad.

That makes me very sad. I love when they throw to him.

Am I the only one who really liked Trent Dilfer as a football analyst? I though he was spot on with most of his comments.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

That makes me very sad. I love when they throw to him.

Am I the only one who really liked Trent Dilfer as a football analyst? I though he was spot on with most of his comments.

I liked Dilfer - he will get another job. Not only were his thoughts insightful, but he treated everyone around him on the set and in interviews with respect. He set aside his ego when on the air, and that is so contrary to most of the other former players who acted like the show was about them, not the content or guest.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I thought I read the NHL wouldn't deal with ESPN, ESPN was actually interested when the last NBC contract expired. Anyways, they have eliminated virtually all hockey at this point like you said.

I think it had something to do with the NHL getting $200mil on their last espn deal and espn not offering to beat nbc's 60 mil deal post lockout...

Might be why they didn't pick up the phone. The NHL wasn't a good product for espn after bettman allowed clutch and grab to ruin the game. Can't blame espn for that.

 

[Josh Hendy]

Might be why they didn't pick up the phone. The NHL wasn't a good product for espn after bettman allowed clutch and grab to ruin the game. Can't blame espn for that.

That guy ... whenever I hear a sound clip of him talking the first words that pop into my head are "mob lawyer".

The bush-league officiating and discipline is pretty bad, but what really bugs me about the NHL is that my local team totally disappeared from over-the-air TV and is now only on cable. We don't have cable, never will get cable, and the team kinda disappeared from our lives when that happened. And maybe we're not alone because ticket sales are noticeably off this year, even the playoff games have not been slam-dunk sellouts.

 

[rteetz]

I saw today that Baseball tonight is going to one show a week. Web gems are not important I guess.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

That guy ... whenever I hear a sound clip of him talking the first words that pop into my head are "mob lawyer".

The bush-league officiating and discipline is pretty bad, but what really bugs me about the NHL is that my local team totally disappeared from over-the-air TV and is now only on cable. We don't have cable, never will get cable, and the team kinda disappeared from our lives when that happened. And maybe we're not alone because ticket sales are noticeably off this year, even the playoff games have not been slam-dunk sellouts.

The NHL is a great product when it's designed to be a show of skill...not a jobs program for every Canadian with a pair of skates.

Skill made it great...dilution of talent and limiting of skill made it awful.

They get crap ratings...thats why it's not on your broadcast...it's not coming back.

Sad too...cause playoff hockey is the best thing there is...2 months of guts...every other night. Nothing like it.

And it's really cool when your team needs to think about expanding the trophy case...again...