Category Archives: ESPN

Manchester Premier League showdown does big rating for ESPN

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Only a few years ago, it would have been inconceivable for ESPN to knock out afternoon programming on the Mother Ship to air a soccer game from Europe.

ESPN did it Monday, and the result is yet another sign of how the sport is growing in this country.

Monday’s Manchester derby, a 1-0 home win for Manchester City over Manchester United in a 2011-2012 Premier League showdown, was seen on ESPN by an average of 1.033 million viewers (832,000 television homes), based on a 0.8 rating, making it the most-watched Premiership telecast on U.S. cable television, according to Nielsen.

The Manchester derby telecast out-delivered the previous high, an ESPN2 telecast of Arsenal vs. Chelsea, seen by an average of 610,000 viewers on Monday, Dec. 27, 2010.

To attract that large of an audience on a Monday afternoon is a huge deal for soccer. And for the networks who continue to track the rising numbers.

Here is a list of the top-rated PL games in the U.S.

Date Matchup Viewers – P2+ Network
Mon, April 30, 2012 Manchester City vs. Manchester United 1,033,000 ESPN
Mon., Dec. 27, 2010 Chelsea vs. Arsenal 610,000 ESPN2
Sat., Feb. 11, 2012 Liverpool vs. Manchester United 588,000 ESPN2
Sun., Feb. 6, 2011 Liverpool vs. Chelsea 579,000 FOX Soccer
Mon., Dec. 13, 2010 Arsenal vs. Manchester United 570,000 ESPN2

The news definitely is encouraging to Fox Sports. On May 13, its networks will show nine games simutaneously from the PL’s “Survival Sunday.”

 

SI’s Deitsch knocks Berman; examines Twitter in draft analysis

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Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch channeled his inner Peter King. He wrote a 4,000-plus word analysis of the networks’ coverage of the NFL draft.

Imagine if the draft was 17 rounds like it was in the good old days. He’d be the Leo Tolstoy of the NFL draft.

Deitsch started his treatise by dumping on ESPN’s Chris Berman:

The bellowing never stops. It pummels you over the head like a hard rain, and  it’s forever accompanied by outdated references (“Mel Kiper, to quote Stan  Laurel, ‘Here’s another mess you have gotten me into, Ollie.’ “) and long-winded  intros that last nearly as long as a Presidential campaign. Mostly, there is  Chris Berman simply talking and talking and talking.

It’s a shame, really, that Berman remains the ringmaster for ESPN during the  first two days of the NFL Draft, because the network has terrific draft assets  and a first-rate production.

Berman obviously is getting touchy by the criticism. Later, Deitsch detailed this weird exchange:

I think, during a discussion on Memphis nose tackle Dontari Poe prior to the  Chiefs selecting him at No. 11 overall, this exchange happened on ESPN:

Berman: “Maybe they are reading Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories. I  don’t know. There are some good ones, you know.

Gruden: He’s got a lot of Poe-tential

Berman: See, now if I had said that, I’d be ripped for about three  years. You can go with it. You are a rising star.

Gruden: I learn quick from you, Chris.

Why was the exchange particularly amusing? Because last week Berman told USA Today that he doesn’t pay attention to  criticism. Show me a person in sports television who doesn’t read stuff about  them and I’ll show you a Kardashian who can act.

Deitsch also got into the whole impact of Twitter on the draft coverage, with picks being tipped in advance by the networks’ reports. He had this passage:

I think it’s interesting that NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger  told La Canfora to back off tweeting picks during the draft. “Mike Lombardi and  Jason could have tweeted every pick Thursday night but they didn’t,” Weinberger  told SI.com in an interview Sunday. “We sort of unleashed Jason on Friday and he  was doing it, he was picking off picks on Twitter. And the reason we were able  to do it is the picks were coming in so fast that there were backups of three  picks at some times. So there was more time to get the information out  there.

“But after following him on Twitter and me watching the show, we told Jason  to pull back. And I don’t think at this juncture it’s as simple as saying,  ‘Don’t follow him on Twitter.’ It’s what people do. It’s hard to say turn your  tablet off. Everyone is watching TV with a tablet. We have to find ways to  continue to grow these sporting events and this is becoming an obvious one: The  viewer wants it to be a TV show and the way they like it now is they want to see  it on the podium.”

 

 

 

Sports Emmys: NBC, Costas big winner

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Unfortunately, I had a family emergency Monday morning and never made it to New York for the Sports Emmy Awards. Too bad, because I was looking forward to seeing everybody.

Anyway, here are some of the highlights. Fang’s Bites has the complete list.

NBC was the big winner, collecting nine awards, the most of any media company. And the network won in the most recognizable categories.

Outstanding Live Sports Series — Sunday Night Football (four straight for producer Fred Gaudelli and the gang).

Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Host, Bob Costas (23rd; requires a separate wing).

Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Event Analyst, Cris Collinsworth (four straight).

Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Reporter, Michele Tafoya.

Outstanding Playoff Coverage — Wild Card Saturday.

Other winners:

Outstanding sports personality – Play-by-Play, Joe Buck, Fox.

Outstanding Live Sports Special — The World Series, Fox.

Outstanding Sports Journalism — Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: The college game money trail (outstanding piece).

Outstanding Studio Show — MLB Tonight, MLB Network (Big award for that network, given that show is its staple.)

Outstanding Sports Personality — Studio Analyst, Charles Barkley, TNT (of course).

Outstanding Studio Show — Weekly, Inside the NBA, TNT (nice recognition here).

Outstanding Sports Documentary — A Game of Honor, Showtime (big win in loaded category).

Outstanding Short Feature (tie) — “Together”-E:60 — ESPN “Time Out of Mind”-Outside The Lines, ESPN

Outstanding Long Feature — Outside The Lines: The Man in the Red Bandana, ESPN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twitter removes draft suspense for ESPN, NFL Network

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How far were ESPN and the NFL Network behind Twitter for the draft? Let’s put it this way: I just heard Roger “Hug-Me” Goodell announce the Bears selected Gale Sayers.

If you were on Twitter last night, you knew the upcoming team’s selection several minutes before the NFL Commissioner went up to the microphone to formally announce the pick. And is he the most affectionate commissioner in sports history? I mean, could you imagine Bowie Kuhn handing out so many hugs? Definitely not Clarence Campbell.

Twitter took all the suspense out of the draft. It felt like that cell phone commercial where the annoying users already posted the video to Facebook.

The league and the networks had hoped to preserve the suspense of the draft by not showing players on their cell phone talking to teams prior to the official announcement. Now they’ll have to figure out a way to shut down Twitter.

Various outlets on Twitter were disclosing a team’s pick. Heck, even Seattle owner Paul Allen was tipping off picks.

Among his tweets:

Dallas takes Claiborne at 6

Tampa takes S Barron #7

I’m sure the league will ask Allen to cool it. However, it will be much more difficult to stop the information flow of an upcoming pick prior to the announcement from reporters who want to get it out now.

Early on, while the TV guys were speculating on who Cleveland would take,Twitter followers already knew it was running back Trent Richardson at No. 3.

That’s when I first noticed something was amiss. Pretty soon, it felt like being at a poker table where somebody was tipping cards.

Finally it dawned on me: Is the suspense being phonied up here? For instance, Chris Berman & Co. were trying to build up the drama about whether Cleveland would take Brandon Weeden with the 22d pick.

But if you were on Twitter, you already knew the Browns took the Grandpa QB. In fact, it was out there for several minutes.

Surely, ESPN’s producers had that information. Surely, master tweeters Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter knew it was Weeden.

But over on the main stage, Berman, Gruden and Kiper were acting like anxious kids waiting to see what’s inside the box. Seriously, they didn’t know?

OK, I’ve been told the producers usually know of the pick, but don’t reveal it to the guys on stage. However, this situation is different, because now many, many more people know because of Twitter.

The whole dynamic creates a huge problem. Viewers expect authenticity. There’s nothing worse than phony drama.

The networks and NFL have embraced the new age of social media, especially Twitter. It’s been very good to all.

But not last night. Twitter beat them all to the punch. Or more specifically, to one of Goodell’s hugs.

 

 

 

 

NFL draft: Getting ready for the big night

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It is one of the most anticipated nights of the year, begging the question: What took the NFL so long to move it to prime time?

The NFL draft begins in all of its glory Thursday night. ESPN and the NFL Network will be on an endless clock.

Happy Mel Kiper Jr. day to all.

Here’s some coverage of the coverage to get you ready:

Richard Deitsch at SI.com has an interesting piece examining the behind the scenes at the draft. He writes:

At the NFL Network, Yook said six staffers are involved in finding footage and  double that who work to create graphics packages. “It starts with individual  footage of 150 players by the Senior Bowl and by the time we get to the combine,  I want that number to be as close to 300 as possible,” Yook said. “The goal this  year by the draft was to have footage on about 500 players and 1,800 total video  clips, and I think we will hit that.”

Deitsch also has a story saying broadcast cameras will no longer show first-round draftees on the phone with their teams before being selected. Good move. From the story:

“The league, the NFL Network and ESPN have recognized that it has probably  tilted too far in taking some of the suspense out of the draft,” said ESPN  senior NFL producer Seth Markman, who is overseeing his first draft for the  network. “Part of the problem in this world of instant news and social media is  that you can’t hold the news. But I think we do need to find a way to find a way to bring back some of the suspense of the commissioner making the announcement.”

Fang’s Bites has the details of NFL Network’s coverage with its lineup. He has the complete 2,155-word release. He writes:

NFL Network showing it can throw just about anyone and anybody on its Draft coverage this week, is doing exactly just that. Headlined by Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Charles Davis, Michael Irvin, Michael Lombardi, Jason LaCanfora, Deion Sanders and Melissa Stark.

And Ken has all the info for ESPN’s coverage. The net was a bit more restrained with its release at 1,915 words.

Anthony Olivieri has had enough. He has overdosed on the draft talk. He writes in LostLetterman.com:

A source familiar with the situation told me that the NFL draft is one day away.

Thank God.

I can’t read another thing about the torque on Ryan Tannehill’s release, Robert Griffin III’s ceiling or what countless people think of Morris Claiborne’s elite ball skills. Yeah, the phrase is bad enough.

Did you know that Andrew Luck is really smart? He might even be the next Peyton Manning.

Sorry, that’s not the case for me, Andrew. I can’t wait for tomorrow night.

 

 

 

A no-no: Berman links his situation to Ted Williams

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I winced when I saw the quote and I’m sure the ESPN PR folks did too.

In Michael Hiestand’s column about the NFL draft in USA Today, ESPN’s Chris Berman is asked about his critics. This is his response:

 “I just talk to people everyday walking down the street,” he says. “That’s what I care about. That’s good enough for me. They didn’t like Ted Williams either. Now, I’m not Ted Williams.”

Yes Chris, you’re not Ted Williams, but you just compared your situation to that of Ted Williams. Not good.

It’s totally, totally different. If Williams was a good guy and had a good relationship with the press, much like Ernie Banks in Chicago, he doesn’t hear boos in Boston. Williams, though, could be quite nasty, and it took him longer to be beloved.

Berman receives criticism because there are people out there who don’t like his work. The barbs definitely hurt, regardless of what he says.

Berman would have been fine if he ended his quote with “That’s good enough for me.” Instead, he opened the door to more ridicule by linking his name to that of a sporting icon.

That’s dangerous territory, Chris. Don’t do it again.

Different draft for Bill Polian on ESPN

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Bill Polian never was a threat to pull a Bill Tobin during his long run as a general manager. Unlike another former Colts GM, he insists he didn’t dwell on what Mel Kiper, Tobin’s nemesis, and the other draft experts were saying.

Last week, I asked Polian a few questions in advance of his first NFL draft as an analyst for ESPN.

There’s so much out there in the way of speculation and analysis about the draft. Did it ever have any effect on you as a general manager?

Polian: When I was a general manager, I paid very little attention to it. I was paying attention to getting our board right and doing things necessary for us to have a good draft. I was concentrating solely on that. So I didn’t pay a lot of attention to it, very honestly.

What will be your approach? Will you be critiquing picks?

Polian: Tony Dungy mentioned it to me in a conversation very recently, and I think it’s right on. We, meaning he and I who have had great experience in this business, can bring to viewers a great perspective. This is the way things happen in the draft room. This is the way things happen in the lockerroom. This is how you build a team, etc. I’m less concerned about opinion than I am about explaining what I know actually goes on. I look at it from a educational standpoint rather than from an opinion standpoint.

Does it feel strange not preparing for a draft?

Polian: I must admit that it does. There are things that I’m doing now that I never would have dreamed of doing during draft preparation (laughing). It’s different, but that’s good, because I’m learning new things and learning to appreciate how people deliver information here, and how it get packaged and programmed. So it’s new and interesting and exciting. But it is very different than what I’m used to.

 

Classic: ‘Who the hell is Mel Kiper?’

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The NFL draft is tomorrow, and much like the tradition of telling “The Christmas Carol” every year, we must recall the most memorable moment in ESPN’s draft history.

Bill Tobin’s rant of “Who the hell is Mel Kiper” is a classic from the 1994 draft. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the original video from the former Colts’ GM going off the one with big hair.

But I did find a couple of other interesting videos.

For starters, here’s the segment that started it all. At around the two-minute mark, Chris Berman throws it over to Kiper to get his assessment of the Colts selecting Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts.

Kiper comes out firing, saying “Give me a break.” Then he buries Tobin with his immortal line: “This is why the Colts are drafting second every year and not battling for the Super Bowl.”

However, what’s forgotten in this segment is that Joe Theismann completely supports Kiper.

“This is one time I have to agree with Mel,” Theismann said. “It doesn’t make sense to me. I can’t understand the pick.”

Theismann, though, was a former player. So Tobin didn’t aim his barbs at him. Instead, he went after Tobin.

Tobin, meanwhile, continued to rant about Kiper when he later met with reporters. SportsCenter ran a full two minutes of Tobin’s press conference (an eternity), which begins around the 40-second mark.

“What do you want to talk about first,” Tobin said. “Our players or that jerk in Baltimore?”

It went downhill from there.

 

 

 

Grantland’s Simmons right to complain about denied Blues credential

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Bill Simmons is right. For a league striving to grow its profile, it doesn’t make sense for an NHL team to deny a credential to a reporter from a national site.

In this case, the site is Grantland.com, and the reporter is Katie Baker. According to a tweet posted by Simmons, Grantland’s editor, the St. Louis Blues refused to give Baker a seat in the press box last week.

He tweets:

Still laughing that the Blues denied @katiebakes for a media credential last week. The NHL is the best. DON’T COVER US!!! STAY AWAY!

Baker writes about hockey for Grantland. On Monday, she did a post about her trip to Nashville to cover the Predators and a wrap-up of the playoffs over the weekend. I dare say it was about as long a piece as you’ll find anywhere on hockey.

I’m not sure why the Blues wouldn’t credential Baker. Rule No. 1: If a national site wants to attend one of your games, especially one under the ESPN umbrella, you get that person in the arena. Even if the press box is full, you find a way. My goodness, this was St. Louis-San Jose in the first round, not the Stanley Cup finals.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing said this was another case of Simmons being “petulant.” Previously, Simmons complained about Duke not giving a credential to Grantland.

Lucia writes:

I’m just wondering which league or team Simmons is going to start whining about not credentialing next. Maybe it will be the Olympics, since Grantland has spent so much time talking about Olympic sports in recent months. Maybe the PGA won’t credential Grantland for the US Open, and Simmons will start a crusade against golf. All I really know at the end of the day is that Simmons is managing to come off really, really bad by sniping at various teams for not giving credentials to his writers that barely cover the teams on his site.

Sorry to disagree, Joe, but the NHL can’t afford to be ticking off a site like Grantland, and especially its editor, who has a fairly powerful voice in the sports media world. You want Grantland to writing more about hockey, not less.

Think of it this way: Simmons’ tweet went out to his 1.685 million followers. It’s probably the most attention the Blues have received on a national level all year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yankees bashing: Mushnick pounds Sterling; Kruk rips Swisher

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A couple members of the Yankees family came under fire in the New York dailies today.

Actually, it hardly registers as a news flash that Phil Mushnick of the New York Post tore into Yankees announcer John Sterling. Sterling is one of his favorite targets.

Mushnick, though, goes after it with particular venom today. He jumps all over Sterling for botching the call of the final out of a game last week. And then Mushnick goes to town.

Twenty-two years of this garbage, 22 years of tuning to Yankees games forced to  rely on a guy who doesn’t know what’s going on and hardly cares. He’d rather  holler his asinine nicknames and so-often-wrong “signature” calls so the fools  at “SportsCenter” can reward him with a sound bite and a credit.

Don’t hold back, Phil. He concludes:

It’s not even a matter of enough is enough. Enough was enough 20 years ago.

Oh, and for an added bonus, here is what Mushnick had to say about Chris Berman:

Geez, Chris Berman is anchoring another NFL Draft for ESPN.  Isn’t there a kid’s birthday party he can work that day?

Meanwhile, at the New York Daily News, Bob Raissman notes that ESPN’s John Kruk took issue with Nick Swisher’s excessive celebration during Saturday’s game in Boston. Considering he was a complete dog during his season with the White Sox, I welcome any Swisher bashing.

From Raissman’s column:

Kruk said Swisher’s display was more about rubbing it in than anything else.  He said he’s not a “big fan” of look-at-me celebrations primarily designed to  salt the wound.

“Yeah, Nick, you did your job. That’s what you were expected to do so just  accept it and be a little more humble,” said Kruk, in a disgusted tone. “I hear  Yankee fans say, ‘Well, that’s Nick. That’s the way he is.’ ”

The more Kruk spoke, the more agitated he became.

“But when does a pitcher start saying, ‘This is the way I am and this is the  way I play.’ If you beat us you beat us,” Kruk said. “If you show us up and try  to embarrass us by laughing and joking and pumping your chest and everything,  perhaps I’ll dot you one right between the numbers and see how that feels.”