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Open Letter to ESPN

25
Vote

by user SSreporters

Hello Armchair. Today I'm going to show you my open letter to ESPN I wrote the day after the infamous Colin Cowherd shutting down the site moment. Anyone can feel free to add their frustration to ESPN on this article by editing it.

Dear ESPN,

You used to be one of the best cable channels in the U.S, now you're just a thorn on most people's side. I was happy to see that you kept Monday Night Football and Al Michaels as your top priorities. Yet I was (As well as other bloggers such as myself) extremely baffled on why you let Michaels go to NBC for a cartoon character, you have been constantly ridiculed for your 5 person commentator crew. Whether it's the celebrity chatting, Tony Kornheiser making jokes, or the irrelevant sideline reports from Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya, you are the subject of many jokes in sports blogs.Obviously you aren't aware that most people who watch MNF are hardcore football fans, who could care less about Sylvester Stallone promoting another Rocky movie.

In addition to the MNF debacle, My dad, myself, and about 5 million people were absolutely infuriated at your coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In your effort to dumb down a telecast to the level of most Americans who are not familiar with nor have watched soccer, you also aggravated the true fans of the world's most popular sport to switch to a channel where the announcers are speaking Spanish. Were you even aware of a petition to prevent most of your announcers from announcing anymore games? Did you even notice that our friends across the border in Canada, were teasing us Americans for your poor coverage of the greatest sports spectacle in history? Your sister network in Canada , TSN, used 1 British commentator per game, instead of a person in Dave O'Brien who has never announced a soccer game before, in addition to their simple graphics on the TV. You should've had the common sense to do the same in the USA. Most people don't care which player grew up in which city, what day that player's birthday is, or the other irrelevant stats you use to pollute the television.

Now I hear that yesterday, one of your radio personalities, Colin Cowherd, asked his listeners to shut down a website called www.thebiglead.com because he didn't like what they wrote about him. Not only is that a bully mentality, but what Colin did is against the federal law.


18 U.S.C. 1030 - Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers

Whoever knowingly causes the transmission of a program, information, code, or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally causes damage without authorization, to a protected computer; and loss to 1 or more persons during any 1-year period aggregating at least $5,000 in value, shall be punished (with) a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

The term "protected computer" means a computer which is used in interstate or foreign commerce or communications.

Now he's the butt of many jokes in the blogging world because of his stupidity, what's he going to do, take down every blog that criticizes him? It should be known that thebiglead.com is still shut down because of his shenanigans, and yet you continue to not listen to the public for your responsibilities as a major network, as if we're supposed to accept everything you do, no matter how asinine it is. I for one, as well as most of your current and former listeners/viewers are extremely angry with your network as a whole let alone personalities like Colin Cowherd. If there's one thing my dad can't tolerate, is stupidity and incompetency, and you are showing him just that, I hope that you'll find better ways to improve your network as a whole, and prevent constant rants about your decisions

sincerely, Mookie


Enable Comment Auto-Refresher
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
872 days ago
Score 0+-
I like Colin's commentary on sports but what he did to those guys at thebiglead.com was pretty despicable. Here's to them for standing up for the little guy.
Permalink | Reply
InsanMajor Leaguer
872 days ago
Score 0+-
Cowherd's simple defense: "I was just joking". He won't get fired as long as there are sponsers and people listen to him. The way to get rid of him and don't listen, like me.
Permalink | Reply
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
872 days ago
Score 1+-
Yeah, stop listening to him and start listening to East Coast Bias. Shameless plug.
Permalink | Reply
Phoenix SuperfanVarsity
872 days ago
Score 1+-
The biggest problem with ESPN these days is that they totally ignore the number one rule in journalism, and make themselves the story.
Permalink | Reply
ChristofMVP
872 days ago
Score 1+-
ESPN needs some competition. That will solve the problem. Either ESPN returns to its roots, or the competition willl cream them. We will be better off either way.
Permalink | Reply
Cobras36Red-Shirting
872 days ago
Score 0+-
It's too bad CNN/SI failed as a sports network.
Permalink
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
872 days ago
Score 5+-
ESPN is to sports journalism as EA is to football games. Now if only there was the sports journalism equivalent to 2K Sports.
Permalink | Reply
Sports maniacSoccer Kid
872 days ago
Score -1+-
I am a big fan of the ESPN presentations- I don't understand why their is so much ridicule when it comes to talking about ESPN.
Permalink | Reply
SSreportersLegend
872 days ago
Score 1+-
Because ESPN overdo everything. They are spending less and less time on sports, and more and more on themselves, or the stupid human interest stories.
Permalink
Phoenix SuperfanVarsity
872 days ago
Score 2+-
Exactly. I watch Sportscenter because I want to get sports news and highlights. Not to hear about some 15 year old kid with a prosthetic leg that made his high school soccer team. I wanted that I would read a Rick Reilly column. With Dan Patrick leaving ESPN there has been a lot of talk about the glory days of Sportscenter with Obermann. What made them great is that they made entertaining comentary about the highlights themselves. Now we get loudmouths like Steven A. Smith.
Permalink
JuTMSY4Legend
872 days ago
Score 2+-
MTV of sports i suppose...
Permalink
Cobras36Red-Shirting
872 days ago
Score 0+-
But without the eye candy. :-(
Permalink
JuTMSY4Legend
872 days ago
Score 0+-
How is asking people to boycott a website against the law?
Permalink | Reply
SSreportersLegend
872 days ago
Score 1+-
18 U.S.C. 1030 - Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers

Whoever knowingly causes the transmission of a program, information, code, or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally causes damage without authorization, to a protected computer; and loss to 1 or more persons during any 1-year period aggregating at least $5,000 in value, shall be punished (with) a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

The term "protected computer" means a computer which is used in interstate or foreign commerce or communications.
Permalink
TylersaltAll-Star
872 days ago
Score 0+-
You just got told, JuT. :)
Permalink
Taytay 24All-American
872 days ago
Score 0+-
What constitutes damage? Physical damage? Viruses? Is boycotting a website damage?
Permalink
Taytay 24All-American
872 days ago
Score 0+-
I can think of lots of reasons to not listen to Cowherd other than this.
Permalink | Reply
TyduffyRed-Shirting
872 days ago
Score -1+-
To be fair, the ombudsman at ESPN did publish an article on ESPN.com that criticized Cowherd. Honestly, he is a d-----bag, but so are most radio hosts. There are a number of idiots in the world, and consequently Cowherd still gets ratings. I think that he has Imus potential at any time, so hopefully we will be rid of him soon. There are problems and excesses, but I think in general ESPN does a pretty fair job. As part of actually televising the sports, they can't bite the hand that feeds them as much as us or even they might like.
Permalink | Reply
B-ryeJV Squad
870 days ago
Score 0+-
ESPN has spent so much time attempting to create new shows and movies that theyve completely neglected their coverage of live games, which is why I watch ESPN in the first place. On top of that, their EOE programming is complete crap. With the exception of PTI, they have not created anything good in the past 5 years. Get back to what made you the Worldwide Leader in Sports, and thats SPORTS, not poker or the Spelling Bee.
Permalink | Reply
Anonymous Fanatic #1
740 days ago
Score 0+-
I hate ESPN with a passion, the ape MTV in everyway. But I make Cowherd part of my day. I think he is amusing, he knows sports, he can talk about the world around him, and i'll be damned if his commentary and predictions aren't accurate. Gotta give credit where credits due. For my money, espnradio is top notch and i'll just leave the television off.
Permalink | Reply
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This page was last modified 16:29, 11 July 2007. Content is available under the GFDL.

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