I don’t start many pit threads, but this is my second about ESPN’s website. Every time you go there they start attacking with video clips. Cut it the fuck out already! Give me the choice to watch the clip or not. And on your home page, you ignorant twats? Don’t start it Every Fucking Time I go back there. You do realize what a home page is for, right? Yet you think anyone wants to launch the same clip each and every time? I’m done. You may be the best source for sports information, and I enjoy Bill Simmons’ work, but I’ll just have to go to Fox Sports or somewhere else.
Several web sites do that and I hate it. There should be NO automatically-launched video – with sound, no less – on a home page. Gaaaahhh
I have a web designer friend who sometimes sends me sites she’s working on for fashion, media and design companies, mostly. Every time I tell her to cut the music completely or have it set to Off as a default. If I want to listen to music, I’ll use iTunes. If I don’t, I don’t. And every time she tells me the clients insist on it, despite her protests. Maybe if enough people complain…
I’m on board with this pitting. ESPN.com could be so fucking cool, but they insist on playing videos without any sort of provocation (that is, unless you simply go to their URL).
So, even though it takes more time, I go to each sport’s association’s home page to get my sports news, instead of the sports news aggregate that is ESPN.com. There are better writers on the other sites, too.
I’m assuming they’re actual video clips, yes?
Then CTV in Canada is much worse. Not only do the video clips start playing automatically, they’re prefixed with thirty seconds of commercials, AND THE GOD DAMN PAUSE BUTTON IS DISABLED.
Argh.
One of the great advantages of using Firefox with the Flashblock extension is that it stops these automatic playing videos.
I use Safari and I have an ESPN.com account. I haven’t been assailed with one of their videos (making noise, at least) in about three years. I turned the volume down, I think, and it’s done the trick.
I agree with the OP, though. Any website that plays video (and worse yet, with sound) should post the name of the web designer, so everyone affected by the issue can kick said designer in the nuts.
And what’s with the “Insider” shit? “To read the rest of this article, you must be an insider.” Fuck, I can read just as much inadequate sports for free with Bill Plashke and the like.
There’s an autoplay toggle in the video window - once you turn it off, the videos stop playing automatically until you delete all your cookies. ESPN.com pisses me off for a number of reasons (Len Pasquarelli, for example, may be the worst “journalist” in America who doesn’t have a steady gig on Fox, and the above-mentioned insider crap really grinds my gears), but the videos are easily avoided.
Well that takes the wind out of my sails! I had honestly never noticed that, but sure enough, it works. Thanks for pointing that out.
I’ve stopped going to more than 1 web site because they automatically play sound. Like a lot of people, I’m often listening to music on my computer while web surfing. I also usually have multiple tabs open. So when sound starts stomping all over my music, and I can’t figure out what tab it’s coming from, I get pissed.
And I refuse to jump through hoops or reconfigure my browser to make this not happen. Fuck that. I just won’t go to the offending site anymore. They should work to make me happy and want to visit their site. Not make me work to make their site less of a pain in the ass.
I second the “insider” crap on ESPN’s site. I stopped going there a couple of years ago because of that. There’s enough sports information on the 'net to keep anyone busy for days, no need to use ESPN ever.