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ESPN Should Just Drop the S

11
Vote

by user Tmizzle

It's a commonly held perception that ESPN has gone downhill in the recent years, but I've still watched it. I enjoy Outside the Lines, Baseball Tonight (when Steve Phillips and Eric Young are not involved), and PTI most of all, but Sportscenter continued to be watchable, even though the anchors have tried to make the show about themselves a little more than about the highlights.

All that being said though, ESPN may have even outdone themselves. I was a little bored this afternoon, and I decided I would watch a little TV. On consecutive shows, I saw the Sopranos finale discussed on NFL Live, Jim Rome Is Burning, Around the Horn, PTI, and now it'll be on Sportscenter too(actual quote: "Was the Sopranos finale a flop?...find out next on Sportscenter!").

Seriously?

I'll admit it...I've never watched the Sopranos. I'm sure it's a great TV show. It's won a ton of Emmys, and everyone seems to love it. I don't even have HBO. It's not the actual show that bothers me.

ESPN used to stand for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. I say used to both because it actually stands for ESPN now, and also because they are slowly losing the Sports part of the acronym. Between A-Rod's tabloid stories about his mistress (by the way, what serious baseball fan cares about that?), and this Sopranos fiasco, and countless other transgressions, ESPN should just change their name to the Entertainment Programming Network and get it over with.


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False ProphetAll-Star
883 days ago
Score 0+-
It's all over everything. This stuff happens. It'll be over soon. Thank god Comcast is getting the NFL Network
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Tmil42AAA-er
882 days ago
Score 0+-
Like I said though, it happens all the time. Not always to this extent, obviously, but it still bothers me. I know there's too much money involved to stop having the Coors Light 6-Pack of Questions about college football in June, and that people actually enjoy hearing about whatever gossip is going on with Alex Rodriguez, but I guess I'm idealistic in that I wish I could watch Sportscenter and know what's going on in the world that don't involve a player's social life or a sport that is 3 months from starting. I hope I'm done ranting now. I don't seem to be able to stop.
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JuTMSY4Legend
882 days ago
Score 0+-
Meh, the NFL network is ok...nothing more than an option to sportscenter when they do stories about bicycling, running & soccer, otherwise its nothing to gawk at...
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
882 days ago
Score 0+-
The Sopranos finale was the biggest thing in the news this past weekend without a question. If ESPN wanted any viability as a media outlet it had to give the people what they wanted and that was Sopranos. Not since who shot JR has the nation all watched and had questions about a TV show. Even as a semi flop episode it was still better than Game 2. Dont believe me just check out the ratiings
Permalink
Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer
882 days ago
Score 5+-
It is hard to condone a network that actually pays for the appearance of Jay Mariotti.
Permalink | Reply
Tmil42AAA-er
882 days ago
Score 1+-
I'm going to have to overwhelmingly agree with you on that one.
Permalink
JuTMSY4Legend
882 days ago
Score 0+-
and: Woody Paige, Skip Bayless, (the aforementioned) steve Philips, John Kruk, Joe Morgan...i could go on...
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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
882 days ago
Score 3+-
the 'S' should be replaced by a '$'... E$PN
Permalink | Reply
Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
882 days ago
Score 3+-
Actually the name never meant anything... it was just supposed to be ESP Network because they were running instant scores when the idea was unheard of.
Permalink | Reply
JuTMSY4Legend
882 days ago
Score 0+-
maybe its a typo and its really "Entertaining Sports Programming Network," hence the reason they stopped broadcasting hockey...
Permalink
Tmil42AAA-er
882 days ago
Score 2+-
Really? It's certainly plausible, and I did always think that Entertainment and Sports Programming Network was a very strange name for a station.
Permalink | Reply
IlliniEdVarsity
882 days ago
Score 0+-
I was under the impression that it was Every Sports Persons Network.
Permalink | Reply
IlliniEdVarsity
882 days ago
Score 0+-
Actually, a gentleman that I used to listen to back home in Chicago used to refer to ESPN as the Boo Yah Network. Name seems to work and seem approriate for what the station has become. All flash, very little substance. I want my RUGBY!!!
Permalink
Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer
882 days ago
Score 0+-
I wonder what the original envisionist for the network now thinks when turning on the channel and seeing Jay Mariotti babbling incoherently on camera.
Permalink | Reply
I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer
882 days ago
Score 1+-
I thought it was E(Woody) S(Paige) P(is) N(Creepy) Seriously though, ESPN does a lot more sports than MTV does music. I don't think it's wrong for a network to branch into other areas every now and then to stay relevant with the huge topics in the country and the Sopranos finale was national news. Granted, they should have had better communication and not had it on every single show, but all of those shows go through topics so often that I doubt it was more than five minutes total airtime about it compared to two or three hours of sports.
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Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer
882 days ago
Score 0+-
Not sure if comparing it to the atrocity better known as MTV actually helps defend ESPN.
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DRE-LOAAA-er
882 days ago
Score 1+-
Is anyone honestly surprised that ESPN covered the Sopranos Finale????? For a while now ESPN has branched smack-dab into the entertainment world which has taken the authencity and uniqueness out of the network completely. Only on ESPN would they interview Jay-Z for his upcoming album during a huge Giants-Cowboys game on Monday Night Football. Jay Mariotti, Woody Paige, Skip Bayless and Jim Rome........and that's all I have to say.
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Tmil42AAA-er
881 days ago
Score 0+-
That's exactly what I was trying to convey with this article.
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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
881 days ago
Score 0+-
I only ever saw the first episode of Sporanos and never saw another episode... what happened?
Permalink | Reply
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This page was last modified 22:23, 11 June 2007. Content is available under the GFDL.

Categories: Opinions | Opinions by User Tmil42 | June 11, 2007

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