ESPN and Politics (1 Viewer)

[cubd8]

This same issue has come up in local sports radio. Since the Trump election, many of the shows took anti-Trump and pro-SJW type issues. Most couldn't go more than a show or two without making very liberal statements and then they would ridicule text messages received to the show. This went on for close to a year and then the station made large changes to the lineup. They claim this had nothing to do with politics, but what has been missing from the new shows has been politics (there is still an occasional comment or two). Clearly, the political nature of these shows result in upsetting the audience and resulting in changes.

Many of these sports "experts" think that having a microphone in front of them makes them a voice for other issues. Some of these experts confuse their opinions with facts, and often make outrageous statements without any fact-checking or challenges. I'd almost prefer (but not) a counter-voice to some of these loud voices/opinions if they insist in forcing their political views. 

These people have their twitter feeds, which are not the networks. If they insist in sounding like fools, do it on there, but keep the politics out of sports. I know I am not interested in their opinions, and don't want it.

 

[Eephus]

He wrote a whole book on the implications of ESPN not sticking to sports. That’s why I referenced him.

While Travis first started out focused on sports, he’s never been shy about saying that he’s going to talk about things that interest him. 

Totally different. 

Totally different point of view perhaps but Travis is just another Internet age media grifter trading controversy for followers.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Totally different point of view perhaps but Travis is just another Internet age media grifter trading controversy for followers.

I don’t disagree

 

[rockaction]

ESPN lost me with sensationalism and covering sports like gossip pages long before they lost me with politics, so much so that I didn't even really notice the political implications of ESPN's coverage because I'd stopped watching. I will say that when I did tune in, I did notice an emphasis shift towards the politics of the day, something about which most ESPN folk were way in over their heads, much like most of us are. It's hard to talk sensibly about political policy without an expert on the subject that devotes his or her life to it, never mind being a journalist that covers sports doubling as bellwether or policy analyst. 

One exception: Wilbon and Kornheiser always took on political issues on PTI and I watched that, but they had at least a background in politics by working for WaPo and always taking on social issues. They weren't SJW types, they were more grizzled old journalists that saw where politics necessarily -- and I mean necessarily -- intersected with sports and where not talking about the sociopolitical implications of the thing at hand was a dereliction of journalistic duty. There's a big difference in that and viewing everything in sports through a political lens. 

But yeah, ESPN sucked way back when Olbermann and Patrick introduced cynicism and irony into their sports highlights. It was a hit with the late-night talk show crowd that had gotten older and wanted their irony now in primetime, but for the rest of us that didn't like cynic shtick, the downfall of ESPN started at what most people viewed as its apex. No doubt that its main progenitor, Olbermann, went on to start his own version of Hannity from the left. His fulminating schtick and cynicism didn't stop at ESPN and Patrick's straight-man schtick didn't either.

I never liked the tone of ESPN after those two got a chance to mug and castigate their way through Six P.M. EST and were made the station's tone and tenor flagship models. Sportscenter was ruined forever by not-so-funny men trying too hard at the natural comedic hatred of the things they covered that came through with Olbermann and Patrick. Those two were hard-boiled. Patrick had actually been a back-up to the straight-laced Dave Smith at WFSB in CT on the local sports segment before leaving for ESPN and greener cable pastures. He then proceeded to mug and insert himself into the world of sports like he couldn't do at the local level more designed for your grandfather's taste rather than any large clamoring for telegenic personality in what were normally staid sports highlights segments. Anyway, I digress. But...

En fuego?! Non. Muy muerte.