# sports pre-empting regular programming **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 8, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667 "2004-12-08T02:21:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/61 "2004-12-08T22:48:51Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Jesus, I don’t demand y’all remember where you were the day you heard Bette Davis died Bette Davis is dead? Wow. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/62 "2004-12-08T23:10:52Z")
friend ravenman > [@](#): > > Now, I can accept the frustration from those who complain about some local sporting event – like high school sports – preempting other programs. cutting to the chase, this was exactly my complaint. the pre-emption was not done by the network, but at the local level where they ran a local college basketball game. the rest of the network ran the programs as scheduled. imagine your chagrin if, in your market the super bowl was pre-empted by the local college drama department televising a perfomance of “the sound of music” lh ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/63 "2004-12-09T00:03:23Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > Well, you don’t need to see it. You want to see it. Just like I want to watch my shows. What you watch isn’t any more “important” than what I watch, even if it does make more money. It’s all just TV. You’re right. What I meant was I need to see it just as much as the OP needs to see The Amazing Race. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/64 "2004-12-09T00:28:39Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > Nope. We’ll use the time alloted by the preparers of the TV schedules in both cases. Well, since we can’t seem to comprimise, we’ll just stick with things the way they are. Works fine for me. And most viewers. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/65 "2004-12-09T02:06:22Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Well, since we can’t seem to comprimise, we’ll just stick with things the way they are. Works fine for me. And most viewers. And we know what happens when we listen to the majority, we get exactly what we deserve… ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/66 "2004-12-09T02:28:10Z")
> [@Jayn\_Newell](#): > > What I hate is that I have never, ever seen a game end when it’s supossed to. It always goes at least 10 minutes over (speaking mostly about baseball here, though other sports are just as guilty). I either miss the beginning of the show that was _suppossed_ to be shown right after the game, or it gets preempted entirely. Geesh, you guys know that the game is going to last more than three hours, it always lasts longer. Tack on an extra half hour or whatever, and fill the extra time with talking heads. Don’t make me think I’ll get to see the Simpsons when that’s not going to happen. I totally agree. I like most sports, but this still bugs me. Would it kill the networks to plan their schedules based on the time games usually take to complete? I wouldn’t mind so much if a game went into OT. I really don’t like televised baseball, but even I have been sucked into watching an exciting game going in extra innings. Yeah, I do figure that games will run over and plan accordingly. I’d just like the networks to figure that out too. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/67 "2004-12-09T03:35:13Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Bette Davis is dead? Wow. Who was Bette Davis? Some member of the LPGA? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/68 "2004-12-09T13:36:00Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > The Miracle on Ice was the US winning the Olympic Men’s Hockey gold medal in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games (quibble: is the Mirable them winning the gold, or beating the Soviets in the semifinal game?). The “restoring America’s pride” argument generally has to do with that game being a tonic to the embarrassment of the Iranian hostage crisis. > > And while **Ellis Dee** is clearly exaggerating somewhat, I would bet that more Americans know what the Miracle on Ice is than can point to Mexico or Canada on a map. > > Not saying that’s right… I had no clue as to what the miracle on ice was. I don’t think I was ever aware of it, and I was an adult in 1980. The thing is, if you don’t care about sports, you don’t pay any attention to them. I don’t care about sports, other than to resent the way they interfear with TV programs I want to watch. I used to watch the olympics, because others in the house had them on, but I can’t say I cared about them. Some of them, unlike pro sports, were quite pretty, but that’s about it. I didn’t care who won, I just enjoyed watching, say, figure scating, or diving, or gymnastics – the graceful events. But the talk, talk, talk that accompanies them is a bore. Re letting us know what’s going on. I’m not suggesting that text should crawl across the bottom of the screen continuously for the rest of prime time. I’m suggesting that it do so for a few minutes at the supposed start time of shows whose starts are delayed. If you tune in at 9:00, you should be informed as to (a) why the 9:00 show isn’t starting, and (b) just when the heck it _will_ start. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/69 "2004-12-09T14:06:28Z")
Why is there a “sports segment” on the news? Sports is not “news.” No wonder we’re so underinformed as a nation: instead of hearing about what’s going on in the rest of the world (or in American politics), we have to waste ten minutes hearing about whether or not the Brooklyn Dodgers are going to win the Super Bowl this year. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/70 "2004-12-09T14:07:40Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > You’re right. What I meant was I need to see it just as much as the OP needs to see The Amazing Race. The thing is, the Amazing race and other network shows always run for the same length of time, usually an half an hour or an hour. Network shows generally wont’ cause other shows schedules to be changed. Sports games are set on TV to run for about 3 hours usually, and almost always go over that allotted time, screwing up the schedule. Why is it sooo hard for networks to allot more time for the games? I mean, I’d rather my show come on later than for it to literally be cut in half. If they game doesn’t run for entire time it’s scheduled for, then that’s the time for the commentary on the game! While I don’t usually watch sports myself, i understand they’re a huge money-maker for networks, as many people DO watch them. However, a little more logic when figuring out how long to make a football game’s time slot might be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/71 "2004-12-09T14:14:33Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > we have to waste ten minutes hearing about whether or not the Brooklyn Dodgers are going to win the Super Bowl this year. Not with their current goalie situation, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/72 "2004-12-09T15:05:38Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Why is there a “sports segment” on the news? Sports is not “news.” No wonder we’re so underinformed as a nation: instead of hearing about what’s going on in the rest of the world (or in American politics), we have to waste ten minutes hearing about whether or not the Brooklyn Dodgers are going to win the Super Bowl this year. Hear hear! Sports do not deserve the amount of inordinate amount of attention they get. I’m angry that the Iraqi war has to compete for airtime with the whole hoodlum-basketball-riot scandal as if they are both equally important. I’m sick of seeing grown-ass, potbellied, non-muscle-having men wearing basketball jerseys in the middle of the day. I’m sick of turning to the classic rock station in the mornings and finding only BORING-ASS sports commentary. I’m sick of 60 Minutes being screwed because of a damn football game. I’m sick of people who know more about some roided-up, gold-teeth-wearing, muscleheads than the people in the White House. Or even their next-door neighbor! Yes, I realize sports are interesting to a lot of people. But you know what? A lot of trashy things are interesting to a lot of people…most things in popular culture, in fact. And the only reason why sports–especially American sports–are deemed so “culturally important” is because they bring in $$$$$ and they are male-dominated institutions. Take away these facts and sports aren’t any more important than anything else. Yeah, I said it! If soap operas were something enjoyed predominately by men, we’d see a world where the news included a ten-minute “soaps” segment (plus a thirty-minute “week-in-review” show on Sunday evenings). Saturday and Sunday afternoons–the time when most of us are free to watch TV–would be dominated by five-hour long _Days of Our Lives_ and _Passions_. We could turn on a multitude of radio stations and get our “stories”. Those football and basketball games would get shoved to God-forsaken timeslots, because nobody important watches those things except lame people! You better not touch the TV during season finale week either, lame people! Watching soaps would be partaking in the all-American pastime. One that everyone is expected to enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/73 "2004-12-09T15:59:54Z")
Fuck off. Whatever you like sucks, too. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/74 "2004-12-09T16:52:31Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Why is there a “sports segment” on the news? Sports is not “news.” No wonder we’re so underinformed as a nation: instead of hearing about what’s going on in the rest of the world (or in American politics), we have to waste ten minutes hearing about whether or not the Brooklyn Dodgers are going to win the Super Bowl this year. C’mon, sports is news, it’s recent events. You want to talk about a wasted time during the news broadcast it’s weather forecasting. It isn’t news, it isn’t factual, it’s guestimation and projections. And if you tell me to get my sports reporting from ESPN, why don’t you get your polictal news from CSPAN? Good God, get your hoity-toity ass off it’s imagined pedistal. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/75 "2004-12-09T17:35:06Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > C’mon, sports is news, it’s recent events. You want to talk about a wasted time during the news broadcast it’s weather forecasting. It isn’t news, it isn’t factual, it’s guestimation and projections. And if you tell me to get my sports reporting from ESPN, why don’t you get your polictal news from CSPAN? > > Good God, get your hoity-toity ass off it’s imagined pedistal. My ass is _not_ hoity-toity. It’s hotsy-totsy. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/76 "2004-12-09T18:35:05Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > My ass is _not_ hoity-toity. > > It’s hotsy-totsy. Now that will need to be seen to be believed. No really, post a picture. Please? Pretty please? With cream and sugar? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/77 "2004-12-09T19:42:03Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > My ass is _not_ hoity-toity. > > It’s hotsy-totsy. And this is why, even though I vehemently disagree with her on the main topic of the thread, I dearly love **Eve**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/78 "2004-12-09T20:46:11Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > And this is why, even though I vehemently disagree with her on the main topic of the thread, I dearly love **Eve**. 🙂 I’ll second that, on both counts. I completely disagree with her stance in this thread, but it takes rare poise and wit to respond to an insult with charm and humor rather than vitriol. **Eve** , either you actually _are_ a starlet magically transported from the golden age of cinema, or you’ve learned a lot from them. (golf clap) ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/79 "2004-12-09T21:00:12Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > What a bizarre thing to say. Do you really believe this? You’ve never been surprised by a TV show, movie, book, or stage play? _I’ve_ been surprised, sure. I’m saying that sports are spontaneous and unscripted. _Nobody_ knows how the game is going to end, and that is what gives them the element of the unknown. > [@](#): > > Horsecrap. Sports have no intrinsic value at all. They have enormous subjective value, in that millions of people enjoy them to the point that they will frequently riot when their favorite team wins, but they have absolutely zero intrinsic value. No, in fact they do have an intrinsic value. They promote youth leagues which fosters teamwork and other useful skills (like taking charge, maintaining your responsibility, being held accountable, following orders, doing your part even when it’s not glamorous, etc…) in our nation’s youth. > [@](#): > > Mind you, the same applies to any other programming on TV. I disagree here as well. I think some movies do have intrinsic value, and many other forms of entertainment do as well. Even some TV shows do, in particular those with educational value. > [@](#): > > That’s one of the most pathetic things I’ve ever heard. “I’ve spent years in a rotting hellhole with a gun to my head while my alternatingly impotent and apathetic government did nothing to help me, but that’s all okay because some Americans can skate real good.” Jesus. Can someone explain how that makes any kind of rational sense? I didn’t claim it; the _actual hostages_ did, you dope. Way to attack the hostages as being pathetic. Good show, **Miller**. To all those who claim ignorance of and are dismissive of the Miracle on Ice, you aren’t helping your case any. It was an example of several things. It is a modern day David vs Goliath parable. It was a demonstration of average Americans _not_ allowing themselves to be bullied in a time where our friggin’ government was allowing itself to be bullied. The main difference between sports and acting is the element of active, head to head competition. This also happens to be a fundamental principle of capitalism, but hey, there’s no intrinsic value to our economic system either, right? Only Malcolm in the Middle is worthy of our time. Many people wear their disdain for sports as a badge of honor. There are countless reasons to scorn sports as they are today. To dismiss the _idea_ of sports is a badge of ignorance. I could just as soundly dismiss the idea of books as being worthless. Why? Look at this trashy romance novel. Look at the crap on the bestsellers lists. If I held this opinion, wouldn’t I be kind of missing the point of books? In the same way, many of you are missing the point of sports. Sports offer the closest example you can get to a true meritocracy in the world of entertainment. You don’t win it all unless you earn it. That makes them more intrinsically valuable than the vast majority of what is on television today. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667/80 "2004-12-09T22:17:15Z")
> [@](#): > > I guess to my mind, if there were really that many people that wanted to watch Futurama or whatever in its entirety all the time, the networks would air it that way. Instead, they’ve decided that football and other sports are where the money is. It sucks to be in the minority sometimes, but we all end up there on various issues. This one just happens to be yours. Yes, I’m sure everyone understands this. That’s not an issue. However, us non-sports folks would just like real consideration from the networks rather than being shoved off just because their too incompeten to schedule properly. That said, Futurama is a bad example for you, since they were deliberately trying to destroy it. > [@](#): > > No, in fact they do have an intrinsic value. They promote youth leagues which fosters teamwork and other useful skills (like taking charge, maintaining your responsibility, being held accountable, following orders, doing your part even when it’s not glamorous, etc…) in our nation’s youth. Ah… those things (and the degress with chich they foster them with respect to other organiztions are all subjectively valued… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-pre-empting-regular-programming/278667.md?page=5)