Author Topic: ESPN-bashing (2018)  (Read 1674 times)

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Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #50: May 16, 2018, 01:28:35 PM »
 :roll:
You can certainly believe that if you want to; but ratings are down, attendance is down, the demographic of baseball fans is aging and dying.  :shrug:

Kids (future fans/players) think the game is boring and they're participating in other sports.  Baseball actively clings to these "respect the game," "play the right way," "unwritten rules" stupid bullcrap cultural tenets. They actively try to suppress creativity and showboating by the players, yet the two leagues that embrace that style (NFL and NBA) are up in ratings among the younger generations.  And soccer is rapidly gaining popularity and players who self-aggrandize are among the most popular players.

You can fight it if you'd like but baseball is a dying sport because they fail to embrace change.  And you old freaks are in here complaining about broadcasting.  You sound like a bunch of old freaks.

I'm here because I like DC sports teams and I like the sport of baseball - it's the game I played as a kid and a game I still play as an old kid.  I'd love it if my children liked baseball, but it's too slow and too rigid and too stifling for kids.  Adapt, or die.


Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #52: May 16, 2018, 01:43:26 PM »
You can certainly believe that if you want to; but ratings are down, attendance is down, the demographic of baseball fans is aging and dying.  :shrug:

Believe what, that you sound freaking stupid going on a baseball forum and yelling, "BASEBALL IS BORING!!!"  That's not a belief, it's a fact.

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Kids (future fans/players) think the game is boring and they're participating in other sports.  Baseball actively clings to these "respect the game," "play the right way," "unwritten rules" stupid bullcrap cultural tenets. They actively try to suppress creativity and showboating by the players, yet the two leagues that embrace that style (NFL and NBA) are up in ratings among the younger generations.  And soccer is rapidly gaining popularity and players who self-aggrandize are among the most popular players.

What does any of this have to do with cutting away from at-bats from star players/playoff-contending teams to show stupid ass skits that nobody gives a freak about?

Do you see the NFL or NBA cutting away from the game when Tom Brady is about to take a snap or Lebron has the ball in his hands in order to show "Durant yoga"?

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You can fight it if you'd like but baseball is a dying sport because they fail to embrace change.  And you old freaks are in here complaining about broadcasting.  You sound like a bunch of old freaks.

1. I'm younger than you, Mr. Projection.

2. You're reaching to connect dots that aren't even remotely related.  I'm actually FOR things like replay (and making it TIME LIMITED so that these stupid ass umps can't delay the game for ten minutes just to make an obvious call), limited mound visits, limited timeouts by wussy batters, etc.  I'm also all for breaking all of the stupid "unwritten rules."  I was at the game when Harper stole home against Mr. Fake Tough and I stood and cheered. 

None of that has a damn thing to do with having craptastic presentation of a baseball game.

For the record, hockey is in a much, much more financially precarious position, with far worse ratings than baseball, and you don't see hockey broadcasts doing this stupid crap.  Why?  Because it has no value.  It's just idiotic and something ESPN does out of folly because they have clueless dipcraps in suits who THINK they're connecting with a younger generation.

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I'm here because I like DC sports teams and I like the sport of baseball - it's the game I played as a kid and a game I still play as an old kid.  I'd love it if my children liked baseball, but it's too slow and too rigid and too stifling for kids.  Adapt, or die.

Adapt to what?  Like I said, there isn't a single major sport that does crap like this.  Football is the single most popular sport in the U.S., bar none, and you don't see them doing anything remotely similar to this in any telecast - college or pro.

Offline bluestreak

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #53: May 16, 2018, 01:58:55 PM »
I feel like I’ve seen many football games where they cut away to interviews in the booth during play. Maybe I’m wrong. Football and basketball lend themselves much less to cutting away anyway. There is so little chance that anything of consequence will happen on any single pitch. It’s annoying, but it happens a couple of time in the first couple of innings and it really doesn’t strike me as something to get worked up about.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #54: May 16, 2018, 02:04:11 PM »
I feel like I’ve seen many football games where they cut away to interviews in the booth during play. Maybe I’m wrong. Football and basketball lend themselves much less to cutting away anyway. There is so little chance that anything of consequence will happen on any single pitch. It’s annoying, but it happens a couple of time in the first couple of innings and it really doesn’t strike me as something to get worked up about.


You're not entirely wrong, but I feel like it's a lot less overbearing and distracting than the way ESPN has been doing it during their baseball broadcasts this year.

ESPN/ABC actually did, on a couple of occasions, try to inject their national telecasts of the NFL with outlandish, "comedy" bullcrap that had nothing to do with football.

The first time was when they had Dennis Miller in the MNF booth.  FLOP.

The second time was when they had Kornhole in the MNF booth.  BIGGER FLOP.

This stupid crap just doesn't work and adds zero enticement for people who wouldn't otherwise tune into the game.  It's indefensible.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #55: May 16, 2018, 02:10:01 PM »
You forgot about the Ultimate Bloviator, Rush Limbaugh. Remember that cluster freak?

You're not entirely wrong, but I feel like it's a lot less overbearing and distracting than the way ESPN has been doing it during their baseball broadcasts this year.

ESPN/ABC actually did, on a couple of occasions, try to inject their national telecasts of the NFL with outlandish, "comedy" bullcrap that had nothing to do with football.

The first time was when they had Dennis Miller in the MNF booth.  FLOP.

The second time was when they had Kornhole in the MNF booth.  BIGGER FLOP.

This stupid crap just doesn't work and adds zero enticement for people who wouldn't otherwise tune into the game.  It's indefensible.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #56: May 16, 2018, 02:12:23 PM »

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #57: May 16, 2018, 02:12:39 PM »
Believe what, that you sound freaking stupid going on a baseball forum and yelling, "BASEBALL IS BORING!!!"  That's not a belief, it's a fact.

"You sound freaking stupid" is a matter of opinion, not fact.  ;)

What does any of this have to do with cutting away from at-bats from star players/playoff-contending teams to show stupid ass skits that nobody gives a freak about?

Again, matter of opinion, not fact.

2. You're reaching to connect dots that aren't even remotely related.  I'm actually FOR things like replay (and making it TIME LIMITED so that these stupid ass umps can't delay the game for ten minutes just to make an obvious call), limited mound visits, limited timeouts by wussy batters, etc.  I'm also all for breaking all of the stupid "unwritten rules."  I was at the game when Harper stole home against Mr. Fake Tough and I stood and cheered. 

None of that has a damn thing to do with having craptastic presentation of a baseball game.

All a matter of your artistic opinion on presentation.

For the record, hockey is in a much, much more financially precarious position, with far worse ratings than baseball, and you don't see hockey broadcasts doing this stupid crap.  Why?  Because it has no value.  It's just idiotic and something ESPN does out of folly because they have clueless dipcraps in suits who THINK they're connecting with a younger generation.

1.  Hockey is a niche sport with a niche audience (like baseball now) but has much better attendance figures (per capita).

2.  Are you really going to point to "AT LEAST WE'RE BETTER THAN HOCKEY!!!!!"?

Adapt to what?  Like I said, there isn't a single major sport that does crap like this.  Football is the single most popular sport in the U.S., bar none, and you don't see them doing anything remotely similar to this in any telecast - college or pro.

Yeah, I've never seen the NFL or the NBA cut away to some owner doing something retarded or a bunch of knuckleheads in the crowd going shirtless in -35* weather.  My bad.....   :roll:

1. I'm younger than you, Mr. Projection.

You got one fact.  :clap:

If baseball as a sport was succeeding with the younger demographics and would give us any sort of sense that things will get better when they get to playing age, fine.  But I don't see it.  Everything I see points to the contrary.  And while crappy skits with crappy ex-ballplayers looks amateur (at best) it's what kids are watching.  Have you seen the popular YouTube stuff?  It's largely garbage, but it's what they like.

And, baseball plods along for 3 to 3 1/2 hours per game, 162 times per year. And we're here nagging about 30 seconds in a game with no significance.  "OH NO!  I MISSED A COUPLE OF PITCHES IN ONE OF BRYCE HARPER'S 600 PLATE APPEARANCES THIS YEAR!!!   WAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


:roll:

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #58: May 16, 2018, 02:14:08 PM »
It was a little soapbox-y.


Whatevs.  I'm going to keep watching and keep playing because I love the sport.  I'll leave the whining to you snowflakes who missed two pitches to Bryce Harper.   ;)

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #59: May 16, 2018, 02:15:59 PM »
Whatevs.  I'm going to keep watching and keep playing because I love the sport.  I'll leave the whining to you snowflakes who missed two pitches to Bryce Harper.   ;)

Wow. Your triggered, aren't you. :)

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #60: May 16, 2018, 02:17:07 PM »
Wow. Your triggered, aren't you. :)

Always.  I'm the SJW of MLB!

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #61: May 16, 2018, 02:18:10 PM »
Always.  I'm the SJW of MLB!
And you've chosen the hill on which to die.  :mg:

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #62: May 16, 2018, 02:23:38 PM »
And you've chosen the hill on which to die.  :mg:

Nah.  In all honesty, I want the sport to return to being the top sport in the country, I just don't see it happening any time soon.  The Millenials and the iGen just don't care for baseball unless they have strong ties through their parents.  The NFL and NBA are going to be tough to topple and soccer is gaining traction quickly.  I just don't think it ever comes back.

So worrying about a crap skit on ESPN just seems so stupid.  Believe it or not, it may have resonated with the kids - we'll never know because they aren't watching.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #63: May 16, 2018, 02:40:22 PM »
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"You sound freaking stupid" is a matter of opinion, not fact.  ;)

Again, matter of opinion, not fact.

You're right, going on a baseball forum and yelling, "THE SPORT IS BORING, WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF HOW IT'S PRESENTED!!!" is just the god damn smartest thing ever said in the history of the interwebz.  My bad.

1.  Hockey is a niche sport with a niche audience (like baseball now) but has much better attendance figures (per capita).

Your "per capita" qualifier means bupkis in terms of the bottom line, and the simple fact of the matter is that baseball gets more fans per game in attendance despite having twice as many games in a season.

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2.  Are you really going to point to "AT LEAST WE'RE BETTER THAN HOCKEY!!!!!"?

That wasn't my point at all.  My point was that even a sport with a tiny audience and thus much more incentive to reach for a broader audience doesn't resort to this stupid bullcrap, so that shows you how futile and pointless ESPN's tactics are.

If I were actually comparing the popularity of the two, well, I wouldn't need to because there is no comparison.  Baseball is still far more popular than hockey and not that far behind basketball.  It definitely has problems with an aging and declining audience, but that's just built into the nature of the game.  Younger people have crappy attention spans these days because of technology and no amount of lame in-broadcast skits is going to solve that.

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If baseball as a sport was succeeding with the younger demographics and would give us any sort of sense that things will get better when they get to playing age, fine.  But I don't see it.  Everything I see points to the contrary.  And while crappy skits with crappy ex-ballplayers looks amateur (at best) it's what kids are watching.  Have you seen the popular YouTube stuff?  It's largely garbage, but it's what they like.

LOL, you sound old as freak.  The stupid crap ESPN is doing is nothing like the crap kids watch on the internet.  Thanks for proving my point about clueless old suits futilely attempting to appeal to teenagers and failing miserably.

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And, baseball plods along for 3 to 3 1/2 hours per game, 162 times per year. And we're here nagging about 30 seconds in a game with no significance.  "OH NO!  I MISSED A COUPLE OF PITCHES IN ONE OF BRYCE HARPER'S 600 PLATE APPEARANCES THIS YEAR!!!   WAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And yet who has the most posts in this thread at this point, most of which are defending the CNN of sports?

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #64: May 16, 2018, 02:42:49 PM »
There are so many options now, there's bound to be dilution of ratings. Maybe it's time to lower the mound and increase the number of balls in play.

My (young adult) son loves baseball, but he listens, then watches condensed games because he refuses to pay for cable. I point that out only to say that there are lots of moving parts to track. 

But I think your predictions are too dire. This is 2016 I think: MLB topped $10B in 2017.



Imagine how good it could be if ESPN wasn't wrecking every baseball broadcast.  :mg:

Nah.  In all honesty, I want the sport to return to being the top sport in the country, I just don't see it happening any time soon.  The Millenials and the iGen just don't care for baseball unless they have strong ties through their parents.  The NFL and NBA are going to be tough to topple and soccer is gaining traction quickly.  I just don't think it ever comes back.

So worrying about a crap skit on ESPN just seems so stupid.  Believe it or not, it may have resonated with the kids - we'll never know because they aren't watching.

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #65: May 16, 2018, 03:01:19 PM »
There are so many options now, there's bound to be dilution of ratings. Maybe it's time to lower the mound and increase the number of balls in play.

My (young adult) son loves baseball, but he listens, then watches condensed games because he refuses to pay for cable. I point that out only to say that there are lots of moving parts to track. 

But I think your predictions are too dire. This is 2016 I think: MLB topped $10B in 2017.

Everything is much more expensive nowadays with broadcasting rights.  I recall reading something a few years back (I think when the Dodgers were sold for over $1BB) where regional network contracts were ballooning out of control and they expect that will burst as ratings continue to dip for regular season baseball. 

And you're 100% right on options.  I can watch television on the go - live or recorded - on multiple different devices.  I can take SiriusXM with me and listen to all the baseball I want.  As for kids, they can take YouTube everywhere and they are doing just that.  My kids don't even watch regular television.

I honestly think there are so many ways to make the game more interesting; but I don't think that's the whole answer.  With soccer gaining popularity in leaps and bounds it might be time to start thinking about cashing in on what makes them succeed and I think it's time spent watching.  Baseball AVERAGES 3:05 per game.  Even if you add a ridiculous amount of stoppage time AND include halftime, you're in for a soccer match for a MAXIMUM of 2 hours.  That's a huge disparity.  As KFYM points out, kids have a short enough attention span and we have games that last 3+ hours and 30 seconds between pitches.  It's mind-numbingly slow to watch if you aren't a super-fan and it takes an eternity to play a single game.  Plus, with 162 games per season, most people don't care about game #47 against a non-division opponent (and with inter-league play it's even worse).  Players take games off, go on the DL for boredom (err, I mean, "blisters").  If the players don't care, why should fans?

As for ESPN, I hate some of the stuff they do to "add to the broadcast" but I'm a baseball fan.  I just don't see getting all worked up over trying to add something to bring in a different audience (and a younger one at that).

Imagine how good it could be if ESPN wasn't wrecking every baseball broadcast.  :mg:


Or . . .  The revenue is as good as it is because networks like ESPN are bringing in different audiences?    :stir:





:mg:

Offline catocony

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #66: May 18, 2018, 08:42:30 PM »
I find it interesting that someone complaining about wasting time posting about ESPN has twice as many posts on the the ESPN thread than anyone else. 

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: ESPN-bashing (2018)
« Reply #67: May 21, 2018, 09:44:16 AM »
I find it interesting that someone complaining about wasting time posting about ESPN has twice as many posts on the the ESPN thread than anyone else. 

I like to complain about complainers.   :shrug: