The Fall of ESPN as an Information Source? (1 Viewer)

[Pittsburgh United]

I used to use ESPN's website a lot around 1995-1997 when it looked like this:

http://web.archive.org/web/19971210130400/...sportszone.com/

But they kept adding the latest flash ads and increasing numbers of popups that I stopped going there somewhere around 1999. I've used Yahoo! sports as my basic outlet ever since because they were basically text like ESPN used to be. In the past year Yahoo has undergone a revision and its starting to get cluttered. I expect in another 2-4 years I'll stop going to Yahoo! sports as well as they move away from text.

AFC: The Kordell conundrum

The Zone's Clare Farnsworth examines the riddle of the Steelers' Kordell Stewart.

Those were the days.....

 

[BigJim®]

I saw this article on PFT today. I could not agree more that this is an outlandish double standard for ESPN, and its hard to imagine a more damning indictment to its credibility as a news provider:

EYEBALL SUGGESTS "HO" IS A TERM OF ENDEARMENT

ESPN host Stuart Scott, appearing Thursday on ESPN Radio's Man-Girl & Meatball in the Morning, explained away the use of terms like "nappy" and "ho" in rap lyrics by suggesting that rappers mean such words "in an affectionate way."

Okay, Eyeball is just stupid. [Editor's note: We still will call him Eyeball despite our new commitment to decency because he deserves to be called Eyeball. Besides, we mean it in an affectionate way.]

As Michael David Smith of AOL's FanHouse (we often refer to it as a HoHouse, but in an affectionate way) points out, "It's always wrong for a man to call a woman a ho, and for Scott to suggest otherwise is insulting."

The other problem we have with all of this is that we think ESPN has no business debating the questionable statements made by sock puppets at other networks when ESPN management refuses to allow its on-air talent to talk about the questionable statements made by their own sock puppets. On Tuesday, John Seibel of ESPN Radio's The Sports Bash essentially admitted that folks in Bristol were not allowed to talk about Michael Irvin's inflammatory comments regarding Tony Romo's lineage for fear of possible discipline.

Instead, ESPN and its various media outlets ignored the issue in the hopes that it would die over the extended Thanksgiving weekend. When it didn't, Irvin publicly apologized with scant commentary from others at ESPN.

Then there was the Sean Salisbury "Jew or Chew" conundrum. And, of course, Sean's alleged cell phone photography habit. Not a word of either issue was ever addressed on ESPN, to our knowledge.

"I railed against that whole story off the air," Seibel said on April 10. "I didn't say a thing about that on the air. I was never a Michael Irvin fan, not even close. . . . We all have the people that we have to satisfy. We all have to make some kind of concessions to maintain our employment. That is sad. . . . Had I come out and spoke my mind on Michael Irvin, it would have been my last show."

We've complained about many things regarding ESPN over the years, but that quote from John Seibel is perhaps the most pathetic thing we've heard yet regarding the network's prevailing culture. To all of you who work there in non-management positions, please accept our sincerest condolences.

In contrast, NBC didn't sweep the Imus matter under the rug. Instead, NBC has embraced the topic -- in fact, some would argue that NBC is paying too much attention to it.

Regardless, ESPN has no business commenting on the alleged wrongdoing of folks who work for other networks if ESPN is going to continue to be the "Worldwide Leader" for all portions of the world except Bristol, Connecticut.

 

[perry147]

Nice bump BigJim® but what does this controversy have to do with "The Fall of ESPN as an Information Source"? This just means that ESPN has a double standard more than anything (which most large corporations do).

 

[BigJim®]

Nice bump BigJim® but what does this controversy have to do with "The Fall of ESPN as an Information Source"? This just means that ESPN has a double standard more than anything (which most large corporations do).

You don't think highly selective news reporting/commentating is relevant to whether they've fallen as an "Information Source"? I understand the main point of this thread is that they've become virtually worthless as a news source, but to me selective reporting is relevant when discussing amount and quality of information being broadcast.

 

[BigJim®]

their staff (particularly Len P) does have relationships which compromise his opinions,

Example #1046 from PFT

LEN THROWS A BONE TO VICK, SEGALIn a video from one of the umpteen ESPN networks that is currently available on ESPN.com, Len Pasquarelli throws a bone to Michael Vick by saying that Len is "not very sure at all" that Vick was aware of the dog-fighting operation discovered two weeks ago at Vick's house in Virginia."If I was sure of it I would have probably written the story instead of having SI.com write it," Len said. "I've lived here [in Atlanta] during Michael Vick's entire career with the Falcons. I've followed Michael Vick. I can't tell you the name of a single member of Michael Vick's so-called posse that I could call right now and get on the record or even off the record commenting on Michael Vick's alleged involvement in that dog-fighting ring." Sure you can, Len. You know the ringleader of Vick's posse of enablers. You know him well.His name is Joel Segal. And he's Vick's agent.But Segal is one of the primary guys who spoon feeds information to Len, so that Len doesn't have to engage in the kind of journalism that would require him to find out the names of the people who hang around with Vick, or to then try to get them to talk.Do we think Segal would come clean on this one to Len? No. But we think that Len's relationship with Segal is clouding Len's approach in this specific case, resulting in a subtle dissing of Don Banks of SI.com via the suggestion that, if the all-knowing Len Pasquarelli isn't aware of the names of any of Vick's friends despite living in Atlanta for all of Vick's career, Banks doesn't either, and therefore must be making up those quotes from unnamed Vick friends who are convinced that he knew about the dog-fighting operation.Segal also represents receiver Todd Pinkston, the man whose "Stinkston" nickname was the catalyst for Len's radio "move on or move out" meltdown. In the days before the 2007 draft, Len was again pimping Pinkston, who completely fell off of the NFL's radar screen in 2006.

 

[massraider]

their staff (particularly Len P) does have relationships which compromise his opinions,

Example #1046 from PFT

Yeah, that was am interesting read. in the interest of fairness, it should be noted that PFT was the first to mention the Lombardi-on-his-way-out story in January. I slam PFT a lot, but they scooped that one.

 

[GroveDiesel]

their staff (particularly Len P) does have relationships which compromise his opinions,

Example #1046 from PFT

LEN THROWS A BONE TO VICK, SEGAL

In a video from one of the umpteen ESPN networks that is currently available on ESPN.com, Len Pasquarelli throws a bone to Michael Vick by saying that Len is "not very sure at all" that Vick was aware of the dog-fighting operation discovered two weeks ago at Vick's house in Virginia.

"If I was sure of it I would have probably written the story instead of having SI.com write it," Len said. "I've lived here [in Atlanta] during Michael Vick's entire career with the Falcons. I've followed Michael Vick. I can't tell you the name of a single member of Michael Vick's so-called posse that I could call right now and get on the record or even off the record commenting on Michael Vick's alleged involvement in that dog-fighting ring."

Sure you can, Len. You know the ringleader of Vick's posse of enablers. You know him well.

His name is Joel Segal. And he's Vick's agent.

But Segal is one of the primary guys who spoon feeds information to Len, so that Len doesn't have to engage in the kind of journalism that would require him to find out the names of the people who hang around with Vick, or to then try to get them to talk.

Do we think Segal would come clean on this one to Len? No. But we think that Len's relationship with Segal is clouding Len's approach in this specific case, resulting in a subtle dissing of Don Banks of SI.com via the suggestion that, if the all-knowing Len Pasquarelli isn't aware of the names of any of Vick's friends despite living in Atlanta for all of Vick's career, Banks doesn't either, and therefore must be making up those quotes from unnamed Vick friends who are convinced that he knew about the dog-fighting operation.

Segal also represents receiver Todd Pinkston, the man whose "Stinkston" nickname was the catalyst for Len's radio "move on or move out" meltdown. In the days before the 2007 draft, Len was again pimping Pinkston, who completely fell off of the NFL's radar screen in 2006.

Len P's pimping of Todd Stinkston is ridiculous. Andy Reid LOVED Pinkston and was still forced to cut him because of how terrible he is. The only commendable thing about Len's coverage of the Vick thing is that ESPN didn't run a story under his name saying that he broke the story.

 

[burd]

If you would go onto there site ANYTHING that seems remotely interesting has the "IN" symbol besides it. :( NO THANKS!

It's ridiculous the amount of info they have earmarked as INsider only. They're supposedly the "source for sports information" but when hardcore football fans don't even bother checking your website, how much of a source of sports information are you really??

 

[Banger]

The NFL network has more sources/access/etc. and seems to be the source of most news worthy info. They've really taken a bite out of ESPN news wise/draft wise.