In many ways, the blog-o-sphere is a place where anything goes. Of course, this can be for good things or bad things. For a famous person, blogs are often a place where he or she can get free publicity. Conversely, blogs can also make famous people a target, in which information can be made up with little accountability.
Consider this recent comment by ESPN's Erin Andrews: "There's been situations where stuff that's been false has been written (about me on the internet). We've kinda had to take action on our own. Whether it's my agents or lawyers or stuff. It's kind of hard to stay away from it....It's amazing that people can write the stuff that they write and not be held accountable for it. Can you imagine if you and I went on air or on the radio and said some of the stuff that these people get away with. We'd be fired. It's unbelievable."
There was a point early in my life where being famous would have been attractive. Not now. Anonymity is just fine with me.
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hannah Storm making 'SportsCenter' worth watching again
For the last several years, I have been unable to stomach ESPN's SportsCenter. This is primarily because of the people delivering the information on the program. There is an emphasis on smarminess and lame humor that usually has me rolling my eyes a few minutes into the program. Plus, the anchors provide a steady dose of editorializing. They have their pet teams they support, and it shows.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Vols face big challenges if they want to advance in the NCAAs
Though it wasn't pretty at times, the Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team took care of business in Birmingham over the weekend and scratched out wins over American University and Butler.
Fortunately, we don't have to worry about style points in the tournament. All teams have to do is survive and advance, which is exactly what the Vols did.
This week, the competition remains stiff. On Thursday, we play Louisville who demolished Oklahoma on Sunday. The Cardinals have played extremely well in the second half of the season, and because of their whitewashing of Oklahoma, I expect most of the national media to pick them.
The analysts at ESPN (especially Dick Vitale) are infatuated with Italian coaches, so expect them to be slobbering over Louisville coach Rick Pitino all week.
This is okay with me. The Vols are at their best win they can play the "no respect" card, and trust me, Louisville will be the trendy upset pick of most commentators.
If we get by the Cardinals, we will play the winner of the North Carolina/Washington State game.
We have never advanced passed the round of 16 in the tournament before. This team has a good chance to make history on Thursday.
Fortunately, we don't have to worry about style points in the tournament. All teams have to do is survive and advance, which is exactly what the Vols did.
This week, the competition remains stiff. On Thursday, we play Louisville who demolished Oklahoma on Sunday. The Cardinals have played extremely well in the second half of the season, and because of their whitewashing of Oklahoma, I expect most of the national media to pick them.
The analysts at ESPN (especially Dick Vitale) are infatuated with Italian coaches, so expect them to be slobbering over Louisville coach Rick Pitino all week.
This is okay with me. The Vols are at their best win they can play the "no respect" card, and trust me, Louisville will be the trendy upset pick of most commentators.
If we get by the Cardinals, we will play the winner of the North Carolina/Washington State game.
We have never advanced passed the round of 16 in the tournament before. This team has a good chance to make history on Thursday.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Bob Knight is being hypocritical by taking ESPN job
There is no question that college basketball coach Bobby Knight knows a lot about his sport. Additionally, when he was coaching, he always ran a clean program, and his team had good graduation rates.
As most know, Knight has a lot of negative traits, most of which I will not re-hash now. However, I have to take him to task for his recent acceptance of a job with ESPN as a commentator/consultant. For years, he has been critical of the media, but only weeks after quitting at Texas Tech, he has accepted this cushy gig.
Of course, we see this all the time. Athletes and coaches are quick to tell the media that they don't know what they are doing, yet they accept jobs with them once their playing/coaching days are over.
Howard Cosell used to refer to this influx of athletes into the media as the "jockocracy." Many times, these folks have no experience and qualifications to have these high paying jobs. Most turn out to mediocre at best.
However, there are exceptions. During his prime, Pat Summerall was one of the best play-by-play announcers in the business. Also, even though he tends to be over the top, John Madden is still a good analyst.
As for Knight, he has sold out. He thinks most in the media don't know what they are doing, but money talks, I guess.
As most know, Knight has a lot of negative traits, most of which I will not re-hash now. However, I have to take him to task for his recent acceptance of a job with ESPN as a commentator/consultant. For years, he has been critical of the media, but only weeks after quitting at Texas Tech, he has accepted this cushy gig.
Of course, we see this all the time. Athletes and coaches are quick to tell the media that they don't know what they are doing, yet they accept jobs with them once their playing/coaching days are over.
Howard Cosell used to refer to this influx of athletes into the media as the "jockocracy." Many times, these folks have no experience and qualifications to have these high paying jobs. Most turn out to mediocre at best.
However, there are exceptions. During his prime, Pat Summerall was one of the best play-by-play announcers in the business. Also, even though he tends to be over the top, John Madden is still a good analyst.
As for Knight, he has sold out. He thinks most in the media don't know what they are doing, but money talks, I guess.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Hank Steinbrenner should provide us years of quality entertainment
Let me say right up front that when it comes to baseball I am an Atlanta Braves fan, but I have always been a Boston Red Sox sympathizer because of my intense dislike for the New York Yankees.
I just don't like the Yankees style. They are one of those teams that you either love or hate.
In recent years, the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry hasn't quite been the same because owner and team patriarch George Steinbrenner has faded into the shadows because of his age and health issues. George always ran his big mouth and personified all the things I disliked about the Yankees.
Now, his sons have taken more control of the team, and his son Hank seems like a chip off the old block.
He recently had this to say about the Red Sox and their fans:
"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of (expletive) that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
I will give the Yankees credit for one thing. They were the best baseball team of the 20th century.
However, we now live in the 21st century, and the Sox have won two World Series' titles and the Yankees have won zero. The score is 2-0.
Go Sox!
I just don't like the Yankees style. They are one of those teams that you either love or hate.
In recent years, the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry hasn't quite been the same because owner and team patriarch George Steinbrenner has faded into the shadows because of his age and health issues. George always ran his big mouth and personified all the things I disliked about the Yankees.
Now, his sons have taken more control of the team, and his son Hank seems like a chip off the old block.
He recently had this to say about the Red Sox and their fans:
"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of (expletive) that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
I will give the Yankees credit for one thing. They were the best baseball team of the 20th century.
However, we now live in the 21st century, and the Sox have won two World Series' titles and the Yankees have won zero. The score is 2-0.
Go Sox!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Apathetic Christians strike again
As we all know, advances in technology during the last few decades have made it easier to receive information.
Whether it is on television, in a newspaper, or in cyberspace, news spreads rapidly. This is a good thing because a person can never have too much access to information.
However, for public figures, it means every word they speak is analyzed and re-analyzed until it is ground into a fine powder. This isn't a problem when times are good.
The big problem for them comes when they say something stupid. A slip of the tongue or a lapse in judgment can turn a person's life upside down as their mistake becomes cannon fodder for the media.
And as we have all seen before, once the public shows an interest in a person's mistake, the media will beat the topic to death until it is time to move on to the next issue of the day.
Recently, one of the biggest gaffes of this type was made by somebody who is a member of the media.
ESPN personality Dana Jacobson put her foot in her mouth when she spoke at a roast for two of her colleagues at the network.
Usually, roasts are a forum where people come to make jokes at the expense of those who are being honored at the event. Unfortunately for Jacobson, she went too far and the fallout had to have been a public embarrassment for her.
According to The Press of Atlantic City, she was "swilling Vodka" and "cursing like a sailor" while speaking at the event.
However, her biggest mistake was when she allegedly starting dropping f-bombs and made an anti-Jesus slur. When speaking about the University of Notre Dame she allegedly said "F--- Notre Dame. F--- Touchdown Jesus. F--- Jesus."
Notice that I said "allegedly" because ESPN has failed to release video or a transcript of the event so this can be officially verified. Apparently, ESPN has no problem pointing its white hot spotlight at others when they make mistakes, but they are willing to close ranks to protect one of their own.
Jacobson was suspended for one week, and she has already returned to the air.
However, the one aspect of this controversy that caught my attention was that no uproar was created by it.
For example, radio shock jock Don Imus lost his lucrative morning show last year when he made a derogatory slur about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. As offensive as Imus' comment was, it pales in comparison to the slur that Jacobson made against Jesus.
However, she appears to have gotten little more than a slap on the wrist from her employer.
Let me be clear -- I don't have that big a problem with ESPN letting her keep her job. Forgiveness is critical, and showing mercy toward somebody who is genuinely sorry (as Jacobson appears to be) is something we need to see more of these days. However, I thought her suspension was too short.
My main beef is that her comments generated little outrage. Suppose she had said the same about Mohammed or Jews or African Americans or homosexuals.
Given the climate that we currently live in, I believe the reaction would have been far more hostile and Jacobson would have been in a lot more hot water.
So, who is to blame here?
I suppose we can blame ESPN for her relatively light punishment, but it was only doing what most corporations do when faced with this type of situation.
ESPN downplayed the incident, punished the person who made the mistake, and then prayed that nobody would make a big stink about the matter.
And that is exactly what happened. The situation came and went fairly quietly.
I guess my frustration should be directed at Christians. A public figure made a shockingly insulting comment about Jesus, and believers barely uttered a peep.
Christians like to complain that their faith is under attack, but when an opportunity comes along to stand up for their faith, they sit quietly like a puppy.
As a Christian, it makes me sad to realize that my brothers and sisters don't mind rolling over and being a punching bag.
I guess it's just a sign of the times.
Whether it is on television, in a newspaper, or in cyberspace, news spreads rapidly. This is a good thing because a person can never have too much access to information.
However, for public figures, it means every word they speak is analyzed and re-analyzed until it is ground into a fine powder. This isn't a problem when times are good.
The big problem for them comes when they say something stupid. A slip of the tongue or a lapse in judgment can turn a person's life upside down as their mistake becomes cannon fodder for the media.
And as we have all seen before, once the public shows an interest in a person's mistake, the media will beat the topic to death until it is time to move on to the next issue of the day.
Recently, one of the biggest gaffes of this type was made by somebody who is a member of the media.
ESPN personality Dana Jacobson put her foot in her mouth when she spoke at a roast for two of her colleagues at the network.
Usually, roasts are a forum where people come to make jokes at the expense of those who are being honored at the event. Unfortunately for Jacobson, she went too far and the fallout had to have been a public embarrassment for her.
According to The Press of Atlantic City, she was "swilling Vodka" and "cursing like a sailor" while speaking at the event.
However, her biggest mistake was when she allegedly starting dropping f-bombs and made an anti-Jesus slur. When speaking about the University of Notre Dame she allegedly said "F--- Notre Dame. F--- Touchdown Jesus. F--- Jesus."
Notice that I said "allegedly" because ESPN has failed to release video or a transcript of the event so this can be officially verified. Apparently, ESPN has no problem pointing its white hot spotlight at others when they make mistakes, but they are willing to close ranks to protect one of their own.
Jacobson was suspended for one week, and she has already returned to the air.
However, the one aspect of this controversy that caught my attention was that no uproar was created by it.
For example, radio shock jock Don Imus lost his lucrative morning show last year when he made a derogatory slur about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. As offensive as Imus' comment was, it pales in comparison to the slur that Jacobson made against Jesus.
However, she appears to have gotten little more than a slap on the wrist from her employer.
Let me be clear -- I don't have that big a problem with ESPN letting her keep her job. Forgiveness is critical, and showing mercy toward somebody who is genuinely sorry (as Jacobson appears to be) is something we need to see more of these days. However, I thought her suspension was too short.
My main beef is that her comments generated little outrage. Suppose she had said the same about Mohammed or Jews or African Americans or homosexuals.
Given the climate that we currently live in, I believe the reaction would have been far more hostile and Jacobson would have been in a lot more hot water.
So, who is to blame here?
I suppose we can blame ESPN for her relatively light punishment, but it was only doing what most corporations do when faced with this type of situation.
ESPN downplayed the incident, punished the person who made the mistake, and then prayed that nobody would make a big stink about the matter.
And that is exactly what happened. The situation came and went fairly quietly.
I guess my frustration should be directed at Christians. A public figure made a shockingly insulting comment about Jesus, and believers barely uttered a peep.
Christians like to complain that their faith is under attack, but when an opportunity comes along to stand up for their faith, they sit quietly like a puppy.
As a Christian, it makes me sad to realize that my brothers and sisters don't mind rolling over and being a punching bag.
I guess it's just a sign of the times.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
'The Nightly Daily' recommends: 'Awful Announcing'
In the latest installment of blog's I like, 'Awful Announcing' keeps close tabs on an area that is of interest to many men my age: sports broadcasting.
Sports have a prominent presence on the broadcasting landscape, especially on weekends. One big pet peeve of mine is that the largest and most powerful sports network, ESPN, is not objective when it comes to presenting sports news and analysis. Their commentators play favorites and often take cheap shots.
However, this blog does a good job of keeping folks in this industry on their toes. They don't just focus on ESPN, but on all the networks. It is good to hear other folks offer criticism in this field because I often feel like a lone wolf in the wilderness when it comes to some of the things I see and hear.
Sometimes the blog does get a little nit-picky, but it is worth a read if this field interests a person.
Sports have a prominent presence on the broadcasting landscape, especially on weekends. One big pet peeve of mine is that the largest and most powerful sports network, ESPN, is not objective when it comes to presenting sports news and analysis. Their commentators play favorites and often take cheap shots.
However, this blog does a good job of keeping folks in this industry on their toes. They don't just focus on ESPN, but on all the networks. It is good to hear other folks offer criticism in this field because I often feel like a lone wolf in the wilderness when it comes to some of the things I see and hear.
Sometimes the blog does get a little nit-picky, but it is worth a read if this field interests a person.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
ESPN's 25-hour pregame show another example of overkill
ESPN's decision to air a 25-hour pregame show in advance of Thursday's LSU-Mississippi State football game can only be described as overkill. What is the point of this? I enjoy college football probably more than the average person, but the prospect of spending 25 hours with all of ESPN's college football talking heads makes my head woozy just thinking about it.
The marathon begins on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT and will continue until game time the following evening at 7 p.m. CT. Given ESPN's penchant for favoritism, this program has a chance to be a real train wreck. Even though it is leading up to a Southeastern Conference game, I find it hard to believe that they will not spend a substantial amount of time flogging their pet teams and conferences.
Just imagine how many times they will mention Ohio State and Michigan or imply that the Big 10 conference has the football credentials of a conference the caliber of the SEC. ESPN definitely has a raging love for the Big 10.
Or, how many times will Lou Holtz sing the praises of South Carolina and Notre Dame, both of which are places he coached at? Or, how about Lee Corso talking up his beloved Florida State. Or, how about Kirk Herbstreit singing about his alma mater Ohio State.
I know this is only sports, but I don't think it is asking too much for the most prominent sports network to at least keep up the pretense of objectivity when it comes to their reporting and commentary. However, that does not happen. Commentators openly campaign for programs that they have connections to.
I may watch a little bit of this program, but I can't imagine spending much time with it. College football is special, but some folks want to exploit it until it is worn into a fine powder. It's too much, too soon in the year.
The marathon begins on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT and will continue until game time the following evening at 7 p.m. CT. Given ESPN's penchant for favoritism, this program has a chance to be a real train wreck. Even though it is leading up to a Southeastern Conference game, I find it hard to believe that they will not spend a substantial amount of time flogging their pet teams and conferences.
Just imagine how many times they will mention Ohio State and Michigan or imply that the Big 10 conference has the football credentials of a conference the caliber of the SEC. ESPN definitely has a raging love for the Big 10.
Or, how many times will Lou Holtz sing the praises of South Carolina and Notre Dame, both of which are places he coached at? Or, how about Lee Corso talking up his beloved Florida State. Or, how about Kirk Herbstreit singing about his alma mater Ohio State.
I know this is only sports, but I don't think it is asking too much for the most prominent sports network to at least keep up the pretense of objectivity when it comes to their reporting and commentary. However, that does not happen. Commentators openly campaign for programs that they have connections to.
I may watch a little bit of this program, but I can't imagine spending much time with it. College football is special, but some folks want to exploit it until it is worn into a fine powder. It's too much, too soon in the year.
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