I remember a time when ESPN was about Sports Center, Baseball Tonight, the odd baseball or football game and fishing shows. Ok, maybe it hasn’t changed so much in that sense, with the exception of the inane reality show here and there, but ESPN used to be about the sports. I can’t really pinpoint what exactly happened, or when it happened, so I’m left with the conclusion that it was a gradual process.
Sports Center, an institution that used to be a staple in my day-to-day life, isn’t even something I try to catch anymore. I’ve seen some of the things, like the stupid quiz shows that don’t seem to have much point, but what seems to really have changed Sports Center is the anchors. It’s like they’re more concerned with style over substance. Everyone is trying to be cute so they come up with catch phrases that much of the time don’t make any sense. There are more gimmicks that borrow from the Faux News school that pits commentators against each other in screaming matches. That’s where the news part has gone wrong.
For some reason ESPN has also tried to venture into the realm of entertainment in the form of TV shows and movies. The things are constantly promo-ed and aren’t very good. I can’t remember what the football show was that ran for one season, but it was atrocious. I could usually figure out what would happen on the show by seeing one of the dozen promos run every half hour. I kept waiting for the crack-smoking star-running back to get thrown in jail for an attempted assassination of a world leader. That’s how ridiculous that show was.
Where did ESPN go wrong? Did they fall victim to the cultural black hole the rest of TV has sunk in to? Is there any way the network can be saved?
Please advise.