How do I hate thee ESPN?, let us count the ways

**smmokan** · 01-27-2011, 04:38 PM

Bump because you know what's awesome? ESPN.com auto-playing really annoying commercials on every page you visit. Since when is that OK?

Oh, and the fact that 90% of their articles are on the "Insider" subscription. No thanks assholes, I'll just read better content on CNNsi.com or MLB.com.

Your baseball coverage sucks too.

**Benny Profane** · 01-27-2011, 08:57 PM

I'm enjoying Sportsdome a lot. Very sick humor at times.

**powski3** · 07-10-2011, 10:01 PM

Wtf is with ESPN pretending the Tour de France no longer exists? You'd think they'd want to show the crashes at least. Is it because of Lance, or because VS is now owned by NBC? How can there be nothing anywhere on espn.com about it? Lance may be gone but it sure as hell still beats women's soccer.

**smmokan** · 07-10-2011, 10:14 PM

It's because Versus is owned by NBC. ESPN only toots their own horn. Plus, with absolutely nothing happening with the NFL but them feeling the need to tell the viewer that for 8 hrs a day, how are they supposed to find time to cover anything else?

Oh, and they do a really good job of pretending that DUI's don't happen. They give Jalen Rose more air time now than before he was arrested, and the only coverage they gave the Hines Ward story was a quote from his lawyer saying he didn't do it. Fuck ESPN in just about every respect these days- they have the worst sports "coverage" on television. It's too bad they have so much damn money that they buy the rights to all the good sports events.

**belgian** · 07-10-2011, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by smmokan

Plus, with absolutely nothing happening with the NFL but them feeling the need to tell the viewer that for 8 hrs a day

This is exactly why I can't watch ESPN or read their website anymore. Hell, they're pretty much single handedly ruining the entire NFL experience for me period. I don't give two fucks about off field drama during the season, let alone 4 months removed from either end of one. Fuck yourself ESPN, I can barely watch football anymore because of you.

**smmokan** · 07-11-2011, 12:19 PM

I've never changed the channel faster than just now when I saw Adam-douchebag-Shefter's face blabbering about how he thinks the NFL lockout is going to end within the next 10 days.

Before, I could give a shit if it ended or not. Now I just want it to end so the fuckwads on ESPN stop talking about it.

**RockChalk** · 07-11-2011, 03:10 PM

I absolutely cannot watch ESPN anymore unless there is some relevant sporting event on. It all started after old man Favre threw away the Vikes season against the Saints two years ago, I just couldn't bare to watch them dissect it over and over.

I am now a happier, more well adjusted sports fan who listens to/watches the Dan Patrick show every morning, and podcasts Bill Simmons when I get a chance...The talking heads on ESPN are fucking terrible, I can't believe half of them still have jobs. Van Pelt is the only one I can stand, Cowherd is a douche of the highest order, Gottlieb is an arrogant hypocrite, and Mike & Mike are just plain annoying.

**Flexon Phil** · 07-11-2011, 04:35 PM

Skip Bayless. Hate him. Of of the few people I will change the channel for.

**sftc** · 07-11-2011, 05:18 PM

Remember when you could come home and turn on MTV as harmless background noise and occasionally they'd play a decent video or at least "...Baby One More Time"? Then all of a sudden fuckin' "Total Request Live" came along, it spawned a ton of shitty shows, and now their bread & butter is "Jersey Shore".

ESPN is several steps beyond TRL towards becoming irrelevant in sports in the same way MTV recently dropped the words "Music Television" from everything they do.

Hugh Conway · 07-11-2011, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by smmokan

Not true. Watch MLB Network for baseball coverage- your concept of good coverage for sports will do a 180.

They subbed in Bob Costas and Al Michaels for a couple innings of the Giants game recently. Horrid putrid word vomit from two senile narcissists.

**smmokan** · 07-11-2011, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by sftc

ESPN is several steps beyond TRL towards becoming irrelevant in sports in the same way MTV recently dropped the words "Music Television" from everything they do.

This is very true, except for the fact that they keep paying billions of dollars for the rights to college sports and all the major sporting events. It'd be nice if Fox snatched up some more of those rights too, but only if they promise not to put Tim McCarver on TV anymore.

**fool** · 07-11-2011, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by RockChalk

I am now a happier, more well adjusted sports fan who listens to/watches the Dan Patrick show every morning, and podcasts Bill Simmons when I get a chance...

If you're a fan of Bill Simmons - and you may have already heard about this - but checkout grantland.com, his new sports article spot. There's a fair number of contributing writers, such as Chuck Klosterman. For instance, he wrote a pretty entertaining article on the absurdity of the NBA half-court rule: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...alf-court-rule

**AdironRider** · 07-11-2011, 08:04 PM

Grantland is the shit, some of it is a little to pop culture for me, but the underlying sports goodness is there.

Sportscenter is still good in 20 minute spurts. The first half hour at 10pm every night gives me the lowdown, and the late night west coast feeds where they just fuck up half the time and roll with it are usually pretty entertaining. Short to the point 20 second game spots. Witty commentary, a solid top ten, move on. Thats ESPN's bread and butter, and honestly, where else can you go that has what you want to know about the 4 major leagues, plus golf, and the X games in a quick hit format. Yahoo sports sucks balls. Insider costs like 3 bucks a month. Thats the cost of one newspaper these days. Ive had it since I was 15. I could afford it at 15, not bitch worthy if you ask me.

Christ, if you have nothing better to do than watch ESPN all day, lets just say the problem is not with ESPN its you. Nothings changed until they play another game.

**geomorph** · 07-11-2011, 08:43 PM

Ahem, Grantland is still firmly attached to ESPN. Deadspin had an article today about trying to re-create Dock Ellis' LSD no-no on XBox. Pretty sure that wouldn't fly on Grantland. Don't get me wrong, it is some of the better parts of the ESPN family, but it is still very much ESPN. In general though, ESPN is pretty good production/camera angle wise for live events, that's all I care about. Look to your local papers or the beat writers of your local teams, and Fangraphs/Football Outsiders/pick your internet outfit for analysis.

**smmokan** · 07-12-2011, 08:51 AM

Bill Simmons' lost his appeal about 4-5 years ago. Maybe it was his pop-culture influence that brought the rest of ESPN down?

**smmokan** · 07-14-2011, 10:33 AM

One more gripe... why does ESPN.com think it's OK to auto-play their commercials on every single page you visit? That, combined with the "Insider" subscription on 75% of their articles, make it the most annoying and money-hungry website I've seen.

**BmillsSkier** · 07-14-2011, 10:53 AM

Turned on the home run derby the other night for 4 minutes. I heard, "BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, ..."

Oxygen network sounded good at that point. Ugh, stick to NFL highlight reels Boomer...

**fish** · 07-14-2011, 11:21 AM

one reason i dont hate ESPN... they love to show a lot of her...

**booner** · 07-14-2011, 11:48 AM

Seth Myers killed it last night

**fool** · 07-14-2011, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by geomorph

Ahem, Grantland is still firmly attached to ESPN.

Yes, true: sorry, while I knew that, I forgot to mention it. At the same time, I think there is some pretty good writing at Grantland and it seems to, at least initially, feel a little different from ESPN.

**Like a Boss** · 07-15-2011, 10:25 PM

Try watching CNBC instead. I DARE YOU!!!

ESPN isn't ALL bad. Those 30-for-30 documentaries are mostly awesome. PTI is tolerable. Their coverage of the Open is okay. The one upside of Chris Berman being at the MLB All-Star festivities is he can't do golf this week. He was ungodly bad at the U.S. Open this year. Every time a guy missed a 4 footer he'd grunt. That was his commentary. "And here's Jacobson for par...harumph." Thanks Chris.

**ass-to-mouth** · 12-07-2011, 12:27 PM

It's the St. Tebow hour!

ESPN’s "SportsCenter" is planning to dedicate an entire hour-long program to the Tim Tebow phenomenon. Barring major breaking news, the show from 2-3 p.m. ET Wednesday will be dedicated to the young Denver Broncos quarterback. Tebow has brought his team into the playoff mix by winning six of seven starts this season and five games in a row.

**Bobcat Sig** · 12-07-2011, 01:20 PM

The ESPN commentators are great, save for Chris Berman. What a fat, douchey gas bag. SVP is brilliant.

But I swear they are clubbing a baby seal with their coverage of the MLB, and all things Boston/New York. I don't need to hear every god damned day that Pujols has this 10 year contract out there. It's FUCKING BASEBALL. Who the fuck cares!? And ... it's their off-season. Can't the MLB go away for just a little while. Fuck, I hate baseball.

I watched FOX try and broadcast some college football recently. Horrible.

And what the fuck is up with that weasel John Clayton. Seriously, how is he not in jail for being a child molester? Such a skeezicks.

**smmokan** · 12-07-2011, 01:32 PM

You fail if you're watching ESPN for baseball coverage. Turn on MLB Network and watch guys who know what the fuck they're talking about and don't try to stir up drama with each segment they do. MLB Network is light years better than ESPN.

Interesting thought from yesterday... Barry Melrose just got busted for DUI. Jalen Rose was arrested and had absolutely nothing happen to him- think Melrose will get fired? If it's typical ESPN bullshit, then you can expect him to be on the set tomorrow night.

**smmokan** · 12-07-2011, 01:33 PM

You fail if you're watching ESPN for baseball coverage. Turn on MLB Network and watch guys who know what the fuck they're talking about and don't try to stir up drama with each segment they do. MLB Network is light years better than ESPN.

Interesting thought from yesterday... Barry Melrose just got busted for DUI. Jalen Rose was arrested and had absolutely nothing happen to him- think Melrose will get fired? If it's typical ESPN bullshit, then you can expect him to be on the set tomorrow night.

Oh, and Sage Steele fucking sucks as a SportsCenter anchor. She was never good to begin with, but she mailed it in a long time ago.