billyjack wrote:The Federalist is very conservative, and the article was an opinion piece. A lot of people have linked to it, but it should be expected to have a rightwing slant and jab at the other side... again, the article is someone's opinion... actually, looking at the author Sean Davis's bio, again, whether you support his opinion or not, understand that he has worked for both Rick Perry and Tom Coburn, so will look at subjects with a conservative angle... but his opinion isn't Gospel.
Also, i completely agree that few people want to hear about Caitlyn Jenner (who actually supported Trump) 24/7, nor Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, or Lebron 24/7...
The simple answer, i think, is that ESPN decided incorrectly that it was a good idea to:
- fan the flames of controversial subjects that people are sick of hearing about or don't give a shit about, and have countless shows where people debate by screaming at each other.
- promote the shit out of their properties while ignoring all others, including 24/7 promotion of SEC football, ACC hoops, plus Tim Tebow and Lebron James... while shitting on G5 programs, the NHL, the Big East, and anything else they didn't own... totally and unfairly disregarding and alienating huge portions of the sports-viewing public.
- meddle and break up conferences and their longtime rivalries, causing resentment... then expecting, say, an average New Yorker to adopt a different team as their own... as if they would easily switch from watching Georgetown-Syracuse to watching Pitt-Clemson.
Also, keep in mind that ESPN is the station that once believed that hiring Rush Limbaugh would be a good idea. So a series of poor decisions, bullying, not reporting on sports, and a drip by drip realization from sports fans that ESPN blows.
Last thought... has anyone watched the Weather Channel lately... it turned from being a reliable, helpful station, to a station that discusses catastrophic weather events and tragedies... completely sucks, i can have it on 45 minutes and never get the forecast. MTV, The Weather Channel, and ESPN are three formerly good but now sucky stations.
Really nice commentary BJack. I whole-heartedly agree with most of what you stated.
I'm an independent...just got tired of the non-sense from both sides. One thing I do find funny though is any complaint from the Right about "the liberal media,"
as if it is some all-powerful force that brainwashes the masses. The left also just can't grasp the obvious right leaning of Fox. The truth is people seek out the outlets that mirror their own political agendas. None of these stations are concerned with unbiased reporting or "news." People will not tune in if their own partisan leanings are not fed. It's why many are convinced that Obama is a Kenyan muslim and that there were Russian operatives in the Trump campaign.
The Weather Channel (and all local on-air weather personalities) stokes what the viewers crave and seek out, not the boring reality of genuine honest reporting of a storm. They want it to be a like a pile up on an interstate where viewers are afraid to look away.
What's interesting about ESPN's place in all of this is that, like MTV before them, they were like Icarus trying to be more than just a great sports channel. I think fans simply want sports to be the escape from their every day stresses. Me, and the furthest right and left nuts can still sit side by side and enjoy our Wildcats with hugs and high fives. There are no other venues (not church, not family dinner tables, not drinking buddies, not in the movies or on TV) where absolutely everything can be put aside and forgotten during a game. As mentioned when ESPN veered from that with Rush, and personalities like Stephen A and that Dallas Cowboy fan douche' he used to sit across from, it was no longer an escape. I could feel my stress levels rise when watching. 25-30 years ago that was never the case IMO.
Anyway, enjoyed that discussion..thought I'd contribute.