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ESPN. It is the four letters that signify one of the biggest sports network on Earth. It is also the name of a company who has seen one of the most remarkable growth spurts in the history of American broadcasting. ESPN is a network that went from showing city softball matchups in 1979 to obtaining Monday Night Football in 2005. This expansion is truly the most unbelievable and amazing quantum leap in the history of television. I believe that growing pains are a predictable result of this unbelievable phenomenon. However, ESPN is poised and ready to continue to maintain its top spot in sports programming even if they lose a couple of sports fanatics along the way.
One of the basic tenets of ESPN has always been to change the way they program in order to adapt to the way people view sports. In the 80s, Sportscenter was more content-laden and satisfied the diehard sports fans like you and I. They saw a great amount of growth, but they knew that they would eventually hit a glass ceiling. Therefore, they decided to cut back somewhat on the content and add broadcasters with more personality and flair. They wanted to draw in the casual fan as well. They did a successful job of this and now they are bringing in MNF to cement their status as the best broadcasters of sports in America.
The anchors of Sportscenter are diverse and engaging because we as a society demand that to tune in. In the 80s, showing great plays and walkoff homeruns were enough to grab our attention. In this era of suicide-bombers, and school shootings, networks have to go to much more extreme lengths to grab your attention. Unfortunately, the highlight reel is not enough anymore. Also, the demographic of the family has changed, and there are much more women viewers in the household. The reason my fiancée watches Sportscenter and the reason I watch it are totally different. She tunes in because she thinks Neil Everett is cute, and Stuart Scott is funny. Of course, I watch it for the content and some of the personalities. Herein lies my point; ESPN has to try to capture every viewer if it is going to maintain being "the sports leader". ESPN has to hire the Dan Patricks and the Keith Olbermanns as well as the great Chris Berman in order to do that.
I think its funny that Mos Def was mentioned previously, because rappers like himself who gain elite status (Eminem, 50 Cent, Ice Cube) all put out music that appeals to a wide audience. ESPN is only doing the same thing that these rappers are. It could be that I grew up around athletes and have that background, but I don't blame anyone for trying to broaden their appeal. I think ESPN knew that they might alienate some diehards such as myself when they made their strategic decisions, but it comes with the territory. Is Ice Cube as "hard" as he was when he was with NWA? Hell no...but I still love him and he will still go down as one of the best rappers on Earth, and he makes much more money now.
It is easy to "hate" on ESPN. The phrase "hindsight is 20-20" comes to mind. I agree with everyone that thinks that shows like "Beg, Borrow, and Steal" shouldn't have been on ESPN...but it shouldn't have been on any channel. Should "The Real World" have been on MTV?? That seemed like an unpopular fit, but the premise and content were good, so it became the most legendary reality show of all time. My point is that shows with good content will survive no matter where they lie. Hopefully, those shows will be broadcast on a channel whose theme matches, however it is not a prerequisite in my book. I believe that Tilt & Playmakers would have failed on any network because the shows were bad. Also, for every "Tilt" and "Playmakers", there are the great shows like Sportscentury and PTI. Another shrewd maneuver was creating ESPN Classic. I love being able to watch Ali knock out Oscar Bonavena & Jurgen Blin. ESPN Classic gives the diehard fan the most content you can get (the whole game) and totally appeals to the sports fanatic.
As far as the corporate sponsorships go, unfortunately, all of American sports have been besieged by this. As much as it disgusts me that the Celtics play in "The Fleet Center", instead of the Gahden, it is a part of sports that has to be tolerated. If I were to be upset and not tune in to ESPN about this, I could never watch my beloved Lakers in the "Staples Center" or watch my Dodgers at "Pacbell Park", "Petco Field", "Bank One Ballpark" and "Coors Field". I guess I'd have a lot more free time in September, but I digress. This trend is not going anywhere anytime soon, and ESPN is by far a very minor part of this problem.
There is never going to be a network that is all things to all people. I think that the brass at ESPN recognizes this and does what every artist, actor, or sports network does when they get big...cross over. I don't think crossing over is bad, especially when you attempt to still provide good content. Sportscenter has always been ESPN's flagship program, and it has changed nowhere near as much as every other sports channel. Trust me, shows like Monday Night Football, and the coverage of March Madness on CBS has gone through much more dramatic changes than Sportscenter. ESPN is just like Allen Iverson when they see an opportunity...they both use a killer crossover.
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