by First-Aid » Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:13 pm
- Motto: "This won't hurt me a bit."
- Weapon: Laser Scalpel
I know i have issues. Believe me. But my point is valid. Any two weeks at any point of the year watching ESPN- the "WOrld Wide Leader in Sports". SPecifically, watch Sportscenter. Record it. Then go back and break down the amount of time spent on the following teams (without regards to how poorly or good they are doing): New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, BOston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys. If you break it down numerically, these teams make up a total of 6.5% of the sports teams in the four major sports. However, by percentage of time per one hour broadcast, on the average, per day they receive more than 48% of the coverage. So, at any given time, nearly half of any broadcast focuses on these eight teams and their players/owners etc. It is honestly as if the rest of the sports world does not exist. I'm very glad I have spent the last few years in a pro hockey locker room that has the Canadian version of ESPN (TSN) so that there is a much more balanced approach to ALL sports teams. They spend as much time on the Kansas City Royals as they do the Yankees or Red Sox. THe point is this: ALL major media outlets are located in the New York City area (Bristol is close enough). As a result these people see the fans of these teams every day and become convinced that, since everyone around there roots for them, it is the same way all over the rest of the country. Also, since that area has so much money floating around as compared to other regions, they think that if they cater to these fans then more money will come their way in advertising and the like. This is the main reason ESPNs ratings continue to drop and why all of a sudden CBS and NBC are getting into the sports channel business. THey have realized that a huge percentage of fans are disenchanted and annoyed with ESPNs coverage and reporting (they also realized that there is a bit of money involved) and they are ready to offer an alternative. Case in point: when ESPN did their "Who We Lost in 2011" segment, they completely ignored the fact that and ENTIRE PRO HOCKEY TEAM DIED in a plane crash last year. They also ignored Bob Probert- who was an exceptional hockey player- and several others. WOrldwide Leader my ass. If it doesn't pad their pocketbooks (in their biased eyes) then they won't talk about it. But they would make more money if they appealed to a larger fan base. Why focus on 7% of the fans when you can include 70-80%? Why take 7 cents of a dollar when you can take three bits?
I agree with you on New York teams and this is most of the reason. My other complaint is Bill Belechick. I still don't understand how a coach who has been caught cheating TWICE by the NFL still is coaching. It's because of the conceived popularity of the Patriots and the money they make. They've cracked down hard on PEDs...why they can't do the same for coaches who send people to sneak in and videotape opposing teams practices and coaching signals is beyond me. As far as I am concerned, everything he has won should have an asterisk.
ANyways, by this reasoning, a Giants-Patriots Super Bowl was inevitable if you look at it from a conspiracy point of view. A Ravens-Niners SB would have been much more interesting to the rest of the country- first ever brother vs brother as head coach, Ray Lewis playing in maybe his last Super Bowl, the turnaround of the Niners and Alex Smith...way more storylines in that to interest the rest of the country. But they are smaller markets...I mean how many fans can they really have? After all, they have proof and polls and stuff that says they have to divide up 3% of the nation's fans with 114 other sports teams. It really can't be that many, and they won't make money off of it.
A good chunk of this is sarcasm, but the main points are valid. ESPNs viewership has dropped nearly 40% over the last 5 years. The main reason is that alternatives are popping up that actually cover the teams tha majority of fans- the 3%- want to see and hear about. Occupy ESPN!
Scalpel...blood bucket...priest...next patient!
Would ye care fer a wee nip of scotch whiskey?
Yes I am a Cubs fan. You may pity me now.