The End of SportsCenter: ESPN’s Flagship Show Hits Bottom

TMC1982

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Jun 26, 2008
206
2
http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/03/the-end-of-sportscenter-espns-flagship-show-hits-bottom/

“SportsCenter” has been in decline for years, but now it is in absolute freefall.

When ESPN added live weekday editions of SportsCenter in 2008, the move was long overdue. Up until that point, ESPN televised the 1 AM “SportsCenter” on repeat all morning long. Important stories that broke early in the day — such as the 2007 death of Sean Taylor — were not covered adequately. In addition, having the same highlights and same commentary hour after hour made ESPN a stale location on weekday mornings.

The live SportsCenter allowed ESPN to have fresh content and the ability to react better to breaking news. It has also, however, resulted in six hours of airtime that need to be filled — and hardly ever, at this point, by highlights.
Over the years, the morning SportsCenter has become a plague of bombastic analysis, artificial debate, and whatever is racking up hits online. Highlights take a backseat, unless they are used in the service of more debate.

The worst aspects of the morning “SportsCenter” were evident on Monday. The morning shows led with a viral video (a high school basketball buzzer beater) and then conducted separate lengthy interviews with the player and coach involved. The fans would get to decide whether the buzzer beater or a Jadeveon Clowney hit from earlier in the year was the ‘best of the best’ play, a distinction that means nothing. During the interview, Ravens RB Ray Rice called in to congratulate the players; anchor Jay Crawford asked him which play should win an ESPY Award — the high school buzzer beater, or Rice’s own 4th-and-29 run during the NFL regular season.

As the topping on the ESPN sundae, star pundit Stephen A. Smith was allowed to opine about the Blackhawks’ NHL points streak, a subject about which he was strikingly ignorant. During the Noon ET show, he debated Barry Melrose on the issue, because of course he did. Indeed, this is SportsCenter — endless debate, fan interaction, and once in awhile, some highlights.
Briefly, here is a look at the factors that have made the morning SportsCenter some of the worst television ESPN has to offer.
 
I haven't watched sportscenter in years.It's boring and outdated.It's much easier to find sports scores and highlights of teams,or their favorite sport stars,via the web.Much faster,no filler.
 
I'd also say with the birth of NFL Network, MLB Network, NHL Network, and NBA TV (I guess you could add Tennis and Golf channels too) didn't help. Now you can get news about the sports you only care about.


Posted Using The New SatelliteGuys Reader App!
 
I don't like Sportcenter.
Almost never watched it, because I don't like all sports, and they mix them up, so you have baseball, then some highlights of NBA, then an interview with a NASCAR racer, debate, then a fun thing, then the Top 10, more debate, then a higlight form a hockey match, then baseball again... :rolleyes:

That's why I also dislike ESPNews, the whole channel, which is almost SportsCenter 24/7.

For me sports is better live or the higlights show but from anything special, like the Champions League highlights show on Fox Soccer, just action, no debate :p
 
It's interesting that articles like this that are critical of Sportscenter seem to appear during slow periods like this in the sports world (between the SB and March Madness). They, and the other sports networks have a lot of time to fill and there's bound to be programming content seen as filler.

If you don't find it worth watching, don't watch!!!
 
It's interesting that articles like this that are critical of Sportscenter seem to appear during slow periods like this in the sports world (between the SB and March Madness). They, and the other sports networks have a lot of time to fill and there's bound to be programming content seen as filler.

If you don't find it worth watching, don't watch!!!

Exactly!
That's the problem with sportscenter,more and more people are finding it not worth watching.;)
 
Exactly!
That's the problem with sportscenter,more and more people are finding it not worth watching.;)

Yet, a lot of those same people (especially the sports media blogs) do watch to tell you how bad it's supposedly become. Looks like they've got nothing better to report on either...
 
I read today on thebiglead that ESPN is thinking about bringing Olbermann back.

Talk about jumping the shark.

Maybe he and Bayless could do a show together callled "2 a**holes"
 
I read today on thebiglead that ESPN is thinking about bringing Olbermann back.

Talk about jumping the shark.

Maybe he and Bayless could do a show together callled "2 a**holes"

Waste of time and money bringing Olbermann back but great name for the show Hart5150 :D ;) :)
 
I read today on thebiglead that ESPN is thinking about bringing Olbermann back.

Talk about jumping the shark.

Maybe he and Bayless could do a show together callled "2 a**holes"
yikes! i don't know who would be worse out of those two. does olbermann secretly want to marry tebow too? :love
 
I stopped watching sportscenter a few years ago, I hate the scrolls in the bottom and side.

Posted Using The New SatelliteGuys Reader App!
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)