Stop us if you haven’t heard this one before: The TV networks think the future is bright for soccer in the United States.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times had this quote from ESPN president John Skipper in the wake of MLS’ new deals with his network and Fox Sports.

“It’s a futures deal,” John Skipper, the president of ESPN, said Monday at a news conference announcing the deals with representatives of the networks, M.L.S. and U.S. Soccer. “We’re buying pork bellies. We think they’ll become more valuable over time.”

Didn’t we hear that in 1979, 1999, 2009?

It seems like soccer has been a futures deal in the U.S. for an eternity. We’re still waiting.

However, the betting on the futures deal now is much higher, with ESPN and Fox Sports committing a whooping $720 million to the MLS. For that kind of cash, the ratings need to improve dramatically for them to reap any dividends.

From Sandomir:

M.L.S.’s viewership under the current contracts tells a mixed story. On ESPN and ESPN2, viewership fell from 311,000 in 2012 to 220,000 last season. NBCSN’s viewership fell from 122,000 in 2012 to 112,000 last season. But viewership has rebounded to 215,000 through seven games this season, thanks in part to English Premier League games acting as the lead-in to M.L.S. four times.

There is little question that soccer’s profile is much higher in the U.S.. NBC’s coverage of the Premier League has been a big success and the World Cup could be huge for ESPN. But it hasn’t translated over to the MLS.

From Sandomir:

Fox, ESPN and Univision executives believe that heavily promoting M.L.S. will bring more attention to the league and hopefully mint new viewers.

“We have a loyal and rabid fan base for M.L.S.,” Eric Shanks, the president of Fox Sports, said. “We intend to expand that reach.

Said Skipper: “We reach 115 million fans every week. It’s a question of where we turn on the promotional fire hose.”

Yes, we’ve heard that one before.

In an age with so much silliness, it’s always good to see a couple of smart, entertaining, and thought-provoking guys prevail.

From ESPN:

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Pardon the Interruption co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, two of the most thoughtful and influential voices in sports media, have signed new multi-year extensions to remain with ESPN. The popular duo will continue to host PTI together and contribute to other ESPN platforms.

Kornheiser and Wilbon have co-hosted PTI since its debut on October 17, 2001. Their contentious but good-natured verbal sparring was born from the kinds of conversations they had for years in The Washington Post newsroom as sports columnists and colleagues. The program has grown its ratings and viewership the past decade with its unique, fast-paced, wide-ranging and humorous discussion of the day’s sports news.

PTI has also earned its share of critical acclaim – including the 2009 Sports Emmy Award for Daily Outstanding Studio Show – for the show’s innovative graphic rundown, its quirky segments (i.e., Mail Time, Role Play, Odds Makers), and for identifying on-air miscues in the daily Errors and Omissions.

In addition to PTI, a Kornheiser-Wilbon segment appears daily in the opening minutes of the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter. Daily podcasts of the 30-minute PTI also rank among the most popular offerings on both the ESPN PodCenter platform and the Apple iTunes store.

Added John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, production and programming: “Tony and Mike have made PTI the most successful show of its kind in sports television. We are excited they will continue to entertain and inform our fans for many years to come.”

Kornheiser, who helped launch ESPN’s Monday Night Football as a booth commentator from 2006-08, will continue on PTI and contribute to SportsCenter. The Tony Kornheiser Show will also continue to be available via ESPN Audio platforms. The popular weekday program on ESPN 980 in Washington, D.C. (10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET) has been a local and national favorite since 1992.

“It is beyond comprehension that Mike and I, who started out as sportswriters and had no idea the direction our careers would take, would be on TV for this long and continue to love the show we do. It is very gratifying that people like our work, and I can only imagine how many more times I’ll get myself in trouble before the contract runs out,” said Kornheiser.

Wilbon, the pioneering sports journalist who expanded his ESPN role in 2011, will continue to be seen and heard across a variety of platforms, particularly on ESPN’s NBA coverage with key interviews and features and as a contributor to on-site coverage of the NBA Conference Finals and NBA Finals. Wilbon will also write regular columns for ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, and he will appear on other shows and platforms, including SportsCenter and ESPN Radio.

Wilbon added: “I’m beyond thrilled people still love watching PTI, and that ESPN still wants to have us. Doing PTI is as much fun for me now as it was 12 years ago, and contributing to the network’s NBA coverage allows me to do one of the things that has brought me great professional pleasure. I’m a sports junkie, period; I love it all…but professional basketball and the culture of it is something I’ve observed closely and with great passion for 30 years and I can’t imagine professional life without it.”

Playing catch up, but I thought this definitely was worth noting.

Last week in New York, ESPN’s 30 for 30 won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary Series. Given that 30 for 30 might be the best thing the network does, you would think the films would have earned several of those neat trophies.

“First one,” said 30 for 30 executive producer John Dahl with the Emmy in hand.

I cracked that now 30 for 30 knows how Martin Scorsese felt after being forced to wait through numerous nominations before winning his first best director Oscar.

Dahl laughed and said, “I guess the fifth time is the charm.”

Yes, ever since being first nominated in 2009, 30 for 30 had been 0 for the Emmys until Tuesday.

“It’s nice to win,” Dahl said. “If you look at all of the other nominees, they’re all great. It’s hard to win in this category.”

You can be sure 30 for 30’s first Sports Emmys won’t be its last.

Last week, I did a piece on the ratings for golf without Tiger Woods. Add another tournament to the file.

It seems Martin Kaymer winning the Players Sunday didn’t do it for you like Woods winning the title in 2013.

According to Sports Media Watch, the ratings were the equivalent of shooting 63-75 in consecutive rounds.

Overnight ratings for The Players Championship unsurprisingly plunged with Tiger Woods absent.

Final round coverage of The Players Championship earned a 2.6 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon, down 54% from Woods’ victory last year (5.7) and down 24% from 2012 (3.4). The 2.6 overnight tied as the lowest for Sunday coverage of the event since at least the past fifteen years, matching 2005 coverage that featured the second and third rounds.

OK, it didn’t help matters that there was a 90-minute delay near the conclusion with Kaymer holding a big lead. Most viewers tuned out when coverage resumed, missing the drama of a stumbling Kaymer holding on for the victory.

It also didn’t help that Jordan Spieth failed to put anything together in the final round, just like he did at the Masters. The ratings are higher if the 20-year-old makes a run.

However, the bottom line: There is a decided lack of buzz in these tournaments without Woods. Get well soon, Tiger!

Great stories definitely impacted the ratings. From ESPN:

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ESPN’s presentation of the 2014 NFL Draft (May 8-10) – including the first two nights in prime time – was the network’s highest-rated NFL Draft telecast since 1993, based on fast nationals, according to the Nielsen Company. The telecast also saw significant increases in both ratings and viewership over the 2013 event.

The 15-plus hours on ESPN and ESPN2 delivered a 2.7 US rating, a 31 percent gain from 2013 (2.1) and a 35 percent increase from 2012 (2.0). The average viewership of 4,121,000 viewers is a 36 percent gain over 2013 (3,035,000) and a 41 percent increase over 2012 (2,924,000). All key male and adult demos were also up double digits from the previous two years.

This weekend matches ESPN’s one-day telecast of the 1993 NFL Draft (Sunday only), which also averaged a 2.7 rating

The top-10 metered markets for ESPN’s three days of NFL Draft coverage were New Orleans (5.6 rating), Cleveland (5.6), Birmingham, Ala. (5.3), Buffalo (4.8), Greenville, S.C. (4.8), Houston (4.5), Dayton (4.2), Columbus, Ohio (4.1), Austin (4.1) and Cincinnati (4.0).

Rounds 4-7 / Day 3 (Saturday)

ESPN’s 7.5 hours of coverage (12-7:35 p.m. ET) on ESPN delivered a 1.5 US rating, a 36 percent increase over last year’s coverage (1.1 US), while viewership averaged 1,962,000, pacing 22 percent ahead of 2013 (1,610,000).

Rounds 2-3 / Day 2 (Friday)

ESPN’s one hour of coverage (7-7:59 p.m. ET) delivered a 2.2 US rating and 3,155,000 viewers, based on fast nationals, while ESPN2’s remaining 3.5 hours (7:59-11:25 p.m.) delivered a 1.8 US rating and 2,693,000 viewers. Together, the two networks averaged a 1.9 US rating and 2,796,000 viewers, equaling the 2013 rating and a three percent gain in viewership from last year’s second and third rounds on ESPN and ESPN2 (2,727,000 viewers).

Round 1 / Day 1 (Thursday)

ESPN’s first round coverage of the NFL Draft averaged 9,943,000 viewers with a 6.1 US rating based on fast nationals, making it the most-viewed NFL Draft telecast in ESPN’s 35 years of presenting the event. The Thursday telecast ranks as the sixth highest-rated event of 2014.

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Richard Deitsch of SI.com wrote about how ESPN covered the Michael Sam moment:

What happened at the crucial moment on Saturday night? Following Sam’s seventh-round selection by St. Louis and a 10-minute examination of how Sam would fit in with the Rams both as a football player and a media curiosity, ESPN host Trey Wingo informed viewers that they were about to see footage of the moment Sam learned he had been drafted. (As you’ll learn in my MMQB piece on Monday, neither Markman nor any of the on-air ESPN staffers had seen the tape of Sam learning of his selection prior to it airing for the audience.)

Wingo began to talk over the footage but abruptly pulled out and let the natural sound of Sam’s weeping take over. The Missouri defensive lineman held the phone close to his ear as he spoke with Rams coach Jeff Fisher. Viewers saw Sam’s boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, consoling him and then wiping his own tears. They heard Sam say “Yes, sir” twice and then “thank you.” That was followed by Sam kissing his boyfriend and both men embracing. Then another kiss, more hugs and the raw footage running out. It was unlike anything viewers had ever seen at an NFL draft and remarkable, honest television.

Wingo then led the audience to analyst Bill Polian, the former Bills and Colts general manager who hit on the perfect tone. “One of the great parts of being a GM and head coach in this league is making that call,” Polian said. “You get the player on the phone and you say here I am and I represent this team and we are about to draft you. You can hear the overwhelming joy and screams and tears because for the families and players their life-long dream has come true…It makes you feel so good to be part of it.”

The conversation continued with new images of Sam, breathing heavy, and giving his boyfriend another kiss. Later, Sam and his boyfriend smashed cake into each other’s faces and kissed again. “This is a draft unlike any other from what we just experienced,” Wingo said. “Maybe one of the more relevant picks we have had in recent history — Michael Sam crossing that barrier, becoming the first openly gay man drafted in the NFL.”

ESPN went 17 minutes on the Sam selection, and it led up to the draft’s final selection. Sensational work.

As readers of the Sherman Report, you know I am on a campaign to eliminate slow play in all sports. Baseball has been my main target, but it isn’t the only culprit.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times did a story yesterday on how the final minute of a NBA game can feel like an hour. He writes:

The finish in the Nets-Raptors game was more routine in some respects, but in the end the teams took nearly 18 minutes to make it through the final 60 ticks of the clock.

One of the N.B.A.’s problems in the playoffs is present in most sports’ postseasons: Games last longer on national networks, which, to cover ever-growing fees for the broadcast rights, must sell more advertising time, expanding each commercial break.

During the regular season, N.B.A. games averaged 2 hours 17 minutes. But those broadcast on national television averaged 2:29, and so far this playoff season, when all the games are nationally televised, the number has risen to 2:38, up two minutes from last year.

Jeff Van Gundy says the long final minute drains all the suspense out of a game. His solution:

“In the last two minutes, I’d like to see each team get one timeout, and that’s it,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t think it would be a problem for players and coaches; they would evolve and adapt and know they play more in a flow after a made basket or a missed free throw.”

Indeed, those timeout go way too long, Sandomir writes:

It is hard to take seriously 20-second timeouts that lasted, in order, 1:35, 1:21, 1:15 and 2:46. (The last timeout was the only one during which ABC did not leave for a commercial.) If shifting to commercials and N.B.A. promos in the final seconds could be considered unfriendly to fans, why not stay at the game to let Brown continue to analyze? His exuberant verbosity suggests that even if the game was in a commercial break, he was still talking.

Good stuff from Sandomir. Once again, the stopwatch never lies.

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Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune did a column on slow play in baseball. It included this passage:

Mark Buehrle’s one-man march against time-wasting routines in baseball is unlikely to make an impact on the game.

We’re too far gone to turn back the clock and return to the days when hitters stayed in the box between pitches and pitchers got the ball, retrieved the sign and went into their windup.

But Buehrle, the veteran Blue Jays pitcher, spoke for a lot of fans during a recent interview with Yahoo’s Jeff Passan when he excoriated his fellow players for prolonging at-bats and making games as long as foreign film festivals.

“You see guys get in the batter’s box, they listen to their (walk-up) song for 20 minutes,” Buehrle said. “They don’t swing the bat and they have to step out and tighten their batting gloves and do their stuff.

“I don’t like sitting on the bench for a four-hour game when I’m not pitching, I’ll tell you that much. When you’re sitting there in between your start(s), looking at the scoreboard, looking at the clock, saying, ‘Holy (expletive), this is ridiculous.’ I know how fans feel.”

Here is one of the ways MLB is trying to deal with the problem.

MLB asked players to speed up the game a few years ago, to no avail. They made a subtle move this year, and it involved an issue near and dear to Buehrle’s heart — curbing the walk-up music for hitters heading to the plate.

Almost every team allows its players to choose a walk-up song, with the exception of the Cubs, who tried it for one year in 2010 before reverting to organ music. Before 2014, there was no limit to the length of walk-up music and, as Buehrle pointed out, some players wait until the clip of their favorite song is done playing before they’re ready to get in the batter’s box.

Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino stretched out his at-bats at Fenway Park last year because his walk-up song, Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” turned into a sing-along with fans. As Marley would start to sing “Don’t worry about a thing,” fans would join in loudly with the lyric “Cause every little thing gonna be all right.”

MLB did not want to eliminate walk-up music entirely and upset the players, but asked the Players Association last offseason to limit them to 15 seconds. The request was granted. It wasn’t much, and it doesn’t make a huge difference, but MLB reasoned it was better than having no time limit at all.

I suppose that’s a start, but there’s a long, long way to go to make the game much shorter.

Based on what happened last night, it might be time for the NFL schedule-makers to revise the primetime lineup for the fall.

As of now, the Cleveland Browns are slated for only one primetime appearance: a Thursday night game Nov. 6 at Cincinnati. Initially, the lowly Browns only got that game because of a requirement that each play on Thursday night.

The Browns, though, just got a lot more attractive with their selection of Johnny Manziel. If anyone doubts his appeal, just check the ratings for last night. Cleveland hasn’t been this excited over a draft pick since LeBron.

ESPN did a 6.8 overnight rating, its highest ever for first-round coverage; NFL Network added another 1.2. ESPN’s rating was up 48 percent over last year.

It couldn’t have broken any better for the networks, with the Browns and everyone else passing on Johnny Football until the No. 22 pick.

The saga of when he would get picked kept everyone glued to their televisions deep into the telecasts. It is a different story if Manziel gets selected in the top 5.

So now the Browns become a must-watch thanks to Manziel. Assuming, of course, he gets on the field.

Just in case you didn’t think this was a big deal.