Tag Archives: ESPN

Will fans’ wallets benefit from new MLB TV deal? Selig: We’ve held line on ticket prices

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It is a good day for the owners, but is it a good day for the fans?

Major League Baseball officially signed off on a new TV deal with Fox and Turner Sports Tuesday. Combined with its previous announced pact with ESPN, MLB teams will pull in $12.4 billion over 8 years, beginning in 2014.

The $1.5 annual haul more than doubles the current national TV package. All told each team will have in the neighborhood of an additional $27 million to play with.

So what does mean for Joe Fan? I worry that the Yankees payroll will be $12.4 billion in 2021.

During a conference call Tuesday, I asked MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to assess the impact the extra funds would have on ticket prices, player salaries, and competitive balance.

Selig: That question could be asked every year. These are big increases. The revenue has grown. So have our expenses, and payrolls.

I’ve often said, having run a club myself, that everybody knows their own market. They will know in 2014.

Obviously, they are getting a huge increase, but everybody will then determine exactly not only what they will do with the money, but how it will impact their payroll as well as their ticket prices and everything else. We have 30 franchises with indigenous characteristics. It will vary. But they will make their own decisions, based on all of these facts.

(And a pat on the back for MLB)

This is a great day for baseball. In the past, people said, ‘Baseball isn’t this, or baseball isn’t that.’ We’ve proven in last 10 or 15 years that baseball is everything. The great manifestation is to have your outside partners tell you how valuable it is. I’m sure the clubs are happy today.

*******

Then I followed up by asking specifically about ticket prices. Will the additional TV money help teams hold the line on prices?

Evidently, I hit a hot button with Selig.

Selig: I want to say this to you about that. The last eight years have been the best eight years for baseball. We’re going to draw close to 75 million people this year. My father used to say, ‘nothing is ever good or bad, except by comparison.’ We’ve held the line on ticket prices. Baseball doesn’t get enough credit for that.

We wouldn’t be drawing these stunning numbers of fans if the ballpark experience and the price of tickets wasn’t within reason for families. We’ll continue to do that. That’s not my goal, it’s everybody’s goal. Baseball is family entertainment. Prices have to be sensitive to families. We have been remarkably so in comparison to everyone else.

*****

It wasn’t the proper forum to engage a debate about ticket prices. And Selig is right as it relates to recent years. According to Team Marketing Report, MLB ticket prices were relatively flat in 2012, going up only 1 percent.

However, TMR says the average ticket price has increased 47 percent since 2002, jumping from $18.31 to $26.98. Only the NFL, where they print money, had a higher increase.

I live in Chicago, where the Cubs rank third among teams with a $46.30 average ticket price. That doesn’t include $7 for a beer and $25 for parking, assuming you can find a spot around Wrigley Field. TMR estimates it costs a family of four $300 to attend a Cubs game.

Yes, that is much less than the NFL, NBA and NHL, but baseball also plays far more games.

Bottom line, Mr. Commissioner: It’s still pretty expensive to go to take the family to the ballpark. Here’s hoping teams will use the new TV bounty to help keep prices in line.

 

ESPN 30 for 30 returns: ‘Broke’ looks at athletes who lost all of it

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Looking forward to the return of a favorite series tonight. ESPN kicks off a new run of six documentaries with Broke (8 p.m.).

As the title suggests, the film examines athletes who somehow manage to squander the big money. Here’s a clip.

Below is a behind-the-scenes clip of Alabama’s Keith McCants, who I covered in college. He talks about earning $75,000 in one day for a Coke ad. That’s $75,000 in one day.

The film is directed by Billy Corben, who previously did one of my favorites, The U, the tale of the Miami football program. Besides McCants, among the athletes featured are Bernie Kosar, Curt Schilling, Jamal Mashburn, and Andre Rison.

During a teleconference last week, he discussed how he got athletes to open up about the stupidity of blowing millions.

“It’s a really sensitive issue, obviously,” Corben said. “We were very frank and up front with all the potential interview subjects and said this is what it is about. We didn’t want to sandbag them and tell them it was about one thing and then they are sitting down in the chair and going, ‘Why do they keep asking me about money?’ Everybody knew that was what it was going to be about from the beginning, which is why we got a lot of nos along the way.”

Later, he said: “They have a tremendous pride and ego that is fueled by a fan base that reveres them as these indestructible heroes and icons. That feeds their hubris in business, when they are making investments and they think they are going to successful in areas most people tend to fail. . . . They think they are going to be the exception to the rule when they put their name and their brand and their personae behind these projects where they have no business experience or specific knowledge of the particular industry they are getting involved in. They just think the same way they were able to pitch a no-hitter or get a Super Bowl ring, that was going to make the difference in the restaurant business.”

Corben talked more about the film at ESPN.com.

Corben: In June 2009, we interviewed quarterback Bernie Kosar for the ESPN 30 for 30, The U. Anyone who knows Bernie will tell you, he’s as kind and generous a guy you could ever meet. In fact, he was extremely generous with his time that morning; he talked with us for several hours and, afterwards, took pictures and signed autographs for the crew.

A few weeks later, Dan LeBatard broke the news: Following a series of bad investments and a costly divorce, Kosar had filed for bankruptcy. It was a shock. Beyond football, Kosar was renowned for his business savvy and known to have been even more financially successful after his decade-long NFL career than during it.

Personally, it broke my heart. Other than appearing tired at times, there was little or no indication during the hours Bernie spent with us that he was in the midst of this ordeal.

In the early part of the millennium, you’d occasionally hear about a high profile athlete suffering financial difficulties, but Pablo Torre’s article, ‘How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke,’ in the March 2009 Sports Illustrated, cast a spotlight on what seemed to be an emerging epidemic in the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown.

These days, it seems there’s a new story every week and we felt these stories were worth exploring. Not everyone was so enthusiastic about it, though.

They say the most uncouth subjects for dinner conversation are politics and religion. I gotta add money to that list. Athletes, a famously proud group, were not particularly anxious to discuss the state of their finances, so getting interviews for this project, not surprisingly, proved to be a challenge. I really admire the people who agreed to speak with us because they sincerely felt like they have something to offer the next generation and hope that others will learn from their experience.

The way “Broke” is structured, it’s not about people, per se, but the problem, told by the people who experience(d) it. It’s essentially a step-by-step guide, How To Lose Millions of Dollars Without Breaking a Sweat.

Conventional wisdom is that professional athletes blow a lot of money on useless crap. Spoiler alert: professional athletes blow a lot of money on useless crap. But that’s barely the tip of the iceberg. I was surprised to discover — and I think others will be, too — how easy it is to go broke.

Q/A with Rich Eisen: His on-camera emotions about Sabol; progress of NFL Network; the Real Deion

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First of two parts:

Rich Eisen tried stand up comedy in a former life. Humor is a big part of his repertoire as the signature host of NFL Network.

Viewers, though, saw another side of Eisen last Tuesday. Eisen was visibly emotional in announcing the death of NFL Network President Steve Sabol. Here’s the link.

Eisen knows how much Sabol meant to his life. Without Sabol, he said, there would be no NFL Network.

Eisen has been there from Day 1 in 2003. He brought the channel on the air, saying “Your dreams have come true.”

Nine years later, it has become a dream job for Eisen, who took a considerable risk by leaving a fairly great gig at ESPN. In addition to his hosting duties on NFL Network, he also has a popular podcast that allows him to hang with stars like Larry David, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, among many others in Los Angeles. And he ventures even further out of football by hosting a reality show, The Great Escape, on TNT.

In my part 1 of my interview, Eisen discusses Sabol, his on-air reaction, the progress of NFL Network and working with Deion Sanders.

What was is it like going on the air to announce the news of Sabol’s death?

I’m like everyone else my age. I grew up on NFL Films. My love of the game was stoked by NFL Films. I had the fortune to actually meet the man, and call him my colleague and know how he affected my career. Without him, the NFL Network never gets on the air. It wouldn’t be an embryo without him and his dad (Ed Sabol).

So to be the person on NFL Network given the assignment to break the news, it was moving to say the least.

How did you feel about becoming so emotional?

I got a call earlier in the day that this could happen. On the drive in, I’m thinking, ‘Is this really happening? He’s larger than life.’ It just caught me.

My philosophy in broadcasting is if there’s an emotion to the story and you’re feeling it, there’s no shame in showing it. I didn’t even give it a second thought.

Were you thinking about how he impacted your life?

It wasn’t just me. I always have Twitter open. I love to see the reaction from everybody on Sundays. Sabol was trending on Twitter within 15 minutes of the announcement. There was a collective mourning, and people were tuning into our network as if they were laying a wreath on a public memorial.

When I wrote my book about joining NFL Network, I asked Steve to write the foreword. Within 90 hours, it was in my hands. And it was a take on a topic of the book that I never would have thought of.

He’s one of those types of people who are inspirational. I’m not talking about professionally. I’m talking about personally. When we first went on the air, I never met the guy. Within six weeks, there’s an envelope. And it’s a hand-written note from Steve Sabol, saying, ‘Great job.’ Wow, to think this guy would take the time to do it. It was inspirational.

You took a big step leaving ESPN in 2003.

In the grand scheme of things, you could say that. But at the time, if you were going to bet on a start up, a channel about the NFL, run by the NFL, specifically Steve Bornstein, you’d make that bet.

How far have you and NFL Network come in nine years?

I’m thrilled with the way everything has turned out. I love being at the center of the NFL. The idea of the NFL as a year-round venture has become more of a mainstream idea. At one of my last SportsCenter idea meetings in April, ’03, somebody brought up an NFL story and was laughed out of the room. Now ESPN has two live NFL studio shows. This network was created to raise all boats for the NFL.

It’s been great and getting to plant a flag on the podcast. I love the free-form format.

How important is it for the network to go from 8 to 13 Thursday night games?

We all understand it is a valuable commodity. The fact we’re entrusted with more games means a lot. Means more travel. It means a lot of work. But we all understand the value of live NFL programming.

To me, what we do on our postgame show is very special. Watching the players run off the field and come to our set. Some of them just want to hear from Deion, Marshall and Irvin. ‘Tell me how we did.’ That’s great.

We’re in a good place now with 13 games and our Sunday morning show. I’d put that show up against anybody’s. And our game coverage. We’re all very proud of it.

What is it like to work with Deion Sanders. Is he the same off camera?

He’s the same. The most successful people I’ve met are the same on and off the air. Chris Berman. That’s not an act. When I got there in ’96, I observed Berman do a SportsCenter. He only did a couple a year at that point. And the guy who walked into the room for an idea meeting was the same guy I had seen on TV for a decade.

Deion is the same thing. He’s a great broadcaster and teammate. He’s always aware of what other people want to say and how to set it up. Some of my favorite converations with him are about baseball. Listening to him about riding the bus in the minors. I just love everything about him. I’d go through the wall for him.

Tomorrow: Eisen on his podcast: interviewing Larry David; sitting across from Olivia Munn.

 

 

Replacement refs cost ESPN viewers on Monday night

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Normally, ESPN would be celebrating over its rating for Monday night’s Denver-Atlanta game. The network did a 10 rating, with more than 15 million viewers tuning in. It marked the fourth highest audience on cable for 2012.

Yet it could have been better.

The inept replacement referees brought the game to a screeching halt in the first half. It took nearly an hour to play the first quarter. Nothing like watching confused officials trying to figure out what they’re doing.

The second half didn’t begin until nearly 11 p.m. ET. By that time, I’m guessing many fans, numbed by the inactivity, were ready for bed.

The end result had ESPN leaving money, as in ratings, at the table.

As I have written earlier, pace is of huge importance during a sports telecast. When things start to drag, viewers reach for their remotes.

I would imagine ESPN president John Skipper wasn’t pleased. Perhaps he even put in a call to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

I’m not blaming the replacement refs. They can’t be expected to do the same quality job as regular officials.

The NFL, though, has to do something to resolve this mess. Its partners, namely ESPN on Monday, are being impacted.

And so are weary viewers. Enough is enough.

 

 

 

 

Q/A with John Clayton: His 24/7 study (obsession) of football; That’s what I do

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First of two parts:

Here is what’s more amazing than John Clayton becoming a YouTube sensation (more than 2 million views) with his new ESPN SportCenter ad: The fact that he even took a day off to shoot the ad.

Clayton rarely takes days off. Maybe 10, 15 tops, all year, he says.

The truth is, a day off separates him for doing what he truly loves: Studying football.

Study, not cover, is exactly what he does for ESPN. Hence, his nickname, “The Professor.”

I always have been fascinated by Clayton. In Chicago, he does a weekly report on Wednesday at 4 p.m. on WMVP-AM 1000, the ESPN-owned sports talk station. I am continually astounded at his knowledge and his ability to name players buried deep on a team’s depth chart

How does Clayton do that?

I now know how after talking to Clayton late last week. His schedule is insane. For instance, after covering the Atlanta-Kansas City game during week 1, Clayton woke at 3 a.m. the next morning so he can begin watching replays of the other games prior to going to the airport.

Note: Our interview was interrupted twice because he had to takes call from NFL front office people. No doubt, calling him for information.

Here it is:

Who is the third string running back on the Bears?

They just made the change. Remember, they had Kahlil Bell, and they cut him. They made the adjustment with Armando Allen, who they brought up.

How do you keep track of all that? You’re talking about a guy who barely gets on the field. Do you have photographic memory?

Oh, well. Any free moment I have, I study it.That’s what I try to do. I’m even doing more things this year than I ever have before. I find it so essential to do.

I want to know everything I can about a roster. Everything.

I keep track of every contract in the league. I have every roster in the league. I make sure my rosters are updated every day.

I have these databases. One data base has every salary of every player, every age of every player, every height and weight of every player, every year of experience, every entry level.

What I do with the salaries I build a program, takes the salaries and add them up. I have the proration of their signing bonuses, and the money they are likely to earn. I mix that all together so I can put together a salary cap number of every team in the league.

Second data base: How they were built. I’ll have the name of the player; what year he came into the league and position he plays. I can keep track of whether the team is too old, how many new players they have.

I keep track of the inactives on Sunday…

Why do you need to know all this?

Because that’s what I do.

Not everybody does this.

OK, do I follow the salary of a player because I care about what he makes? No. A decision is made for that guy to make that salary. What does it mean that you have a back up who is making $2 million? Well, before the start of the season, they’re going to come to him and ask for a pay cut. You know going in, certain guys are going to go.

If you’re above the cap, you know Kyle Vanden Bosch is going to redo his contract to give (the Lions) cap room.

I also need to know who is the third receiver. When I talk about fantasy receivers, how do they use those guys? People want to know.

You live in Seattle. Nothing is close to you besides the Seahawks. Why do you feel you have to be at a game every Sunday as opposed to watching all of them on DirecTV?

To me, it’s the best way to get a feel for football and finding the changes and finding the trends. The game changes to a certain degree every 3 or 4 weeks. I’m at the game and I’m watching every game. I’ve got the iPad.

When you’re at the game, you get a full view of what’s going on and the immediacy of going down to the lockerroom and answering those questions. You don’t have the ability to ask those questions if you’re sitting at home.

I go to Atlanta-KC. I see what I see. Then I have the ability to go over to Matt Ryan and talk about what he’s doing with his offense; get a feel for the Chiefs.

I’d go to 32 training camps if they let me. When you’re watching practice, I’m pretty intense about following everything. You watching and saying, ‘this guy is in good shape, this guy has lost some speed…’ You’re putting that all in perspective and you have the immediacy of asking somebody.

Do you watch every game eventually?

Before I’d tape every game I could. Now thanks to NFL.com, they have the digital version of every game in 30 minutes. So literally in KC, I got up at 3 on Monday morning. I watched four games at the hotel. Went to the airport and watched three more. I had seven games done by the time I flew back home. When I got home, I watched the rest.

Does anyone do what you do?

The teams are. If teams are doing it, and if I can get in the heads of the teams, it might help me out a little bit.

You go, ‘All of the sudden. Wait a second. If the fourth round pick is ahead of the third round pick, then you start to realize maybe the third-round pick is being phased out.’

Do you have GMs hitting you up for information?

Yeah.

How do the players treat you? I imagine it is different than when you were covering the NFL as a newspaper reporter.

In 2000, ESPN did a Clayton Across America. I went to 31 teams in 28 days. The top players would be nice enough to come over to you, particularly on teams 23 and 24. They were following me. They would come over and say, ‘Hey John, I know you must be really tired. Do you need me for anything?’

I always do the Inside the Huddle notebook, because I’m trying to stay on top of trends. Once I started doing that segment, the top players on the teams were so cooperative. They would tell the little things they were doing differently. What trends they spotted.

If you’re a negative, ripping person, they’ll like you or hate you. I am what I am. I try to find the trends and do the most honest job I can. For whatever reason, that’s gone over well. Most of the top players are good to me when I see them or need them.

So what’s your daily routine?

I get up every day at 4,5,6. I try to go as long as I can before I get fatigued.

How much writing do you do?

Today, I did 3,500 words. Tomorrow, I’ll do about 1,400 words.

Do you ever see your wife?

Every Friday night is date night. As soon as I get done with my last segment, I take her out.

Do you ever take any days off?

Year round, maybe take 10-15 days off. It’s a seven-day-a-week job.

Do you feel if you did anything less, you’d be slacking off?

I would, yeah. What it all comes down to is that even though I’ve been doing this for a long period of time, I’m trying to always reinvent myself. I’m trying to get better. You can only get better when there’s so much new information out there.

You really love this, don’t you?

My only goal in life was to be an NFL beat writer for a team. Now instead of doing it for one team, I get to do it for 32 teams.

It’s phenomenal how much fun it can be. There’s so much information out there. I would like to do more with the numbers from a sabemetrics perspective. Sort of like what they do for baseball. Could I find a wins against replacement number for a QB, WR, Offensive tackle? I can see things visually, but I’d like to translate them into numbers.

It’s a fantastic job, and it’s only getting better.

Tuesday: Clayton on the making of the commercial, the reaction, and what’s really in his office.

 

 

 

 

 

SportsCenter at 50,000 shows: The best of Charley Steiner on his early ESPN days, Robin Roberts, beards and meeting Carl Lewis

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ESPN invited Charley Steiner to participate in a recent teleconference noting the 50,000th show for SportsCenter. He was an anchor from 1988-2002.

“I feel like Marv Throneberry in that old light beer commercial,” Steiner said. “‘I still don’t know why they asked me to do that commercial.'”

Because he’s one of the best. Steiner, now an announcer for the Dodgers, was wildly entertaining then and still is today.

Here are some terrific soundbites from the teleconference, including his memories of meeting Carl Lewis. Check out the video to see why that was an uncomfortable moment for Steiner.

On joining ESPN:

In 1988 when suddenly out of nowhere I was asked to do this new SportsCenter show, Would you like to come up to Bristol?  I had two questions:  Why and where?  14 years later it changed only everything.

When we first got there, understand that ESPN was just this sports cable station, it was not the monolith it has become.  It was a mom and pop store that has turned into this four-letter icon.  To be a small part of it a million years ago and to watch its growth from afar has been thrilling.

More on joining ESPN:

I started out as a radio guy.  I never had any intention whatsoever of being on television.  I still consider myself a radio guy that just happened to have a 14-year diversion on TV.

When I was first offered the job, I didn’t seek it out.  My agent, Donald Buchwald, who is Howard Stern’s agent, who has done much better with Howard, said, Why do you want to go to Bristol to a cable station?  It seemed like sage advice, with all due respect, Ms. Steele.

I said to him, Let’s give it a shot.  If it doesn’t, let’s go back to radio.  I had no idea it would last 14 years and have the impact on my career that it did.  I don’t know.  All I know is when I was seven years old I wanted to be the announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  It took 15 years, 3,000 miles, a lot of stops in between.

On working with Bob Ley and Robin Roberts:

Again, the Christopher Lloyd portion of the program, when Bob and Robin and I were together.  We were on the air every day for seven years.  Bob and I were together for about 10 years.  This is going to sound like a bunch of hooey, but it’s the God’s honest truth.  Those meetings we had in the morning where the three of us would chime in, Mark Gross was part of that when you had different initials at the end of your name, we would talk about everything.  It wasn’t necessarily sports related, but how it would all come together as part of this soup that we would serve up at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, depending on the hour we aired the show.

In those days, Bob is so damn smart.  Robin is, well, Robin.  I was thankfully the caboose on this wonderful train.  We would sit around and we would talk.  More times than not we would come out with the right news judgment.  Mercifully, Tim Tebow was four years old then.  There was not a lot of Tebow coverage at that point.

Again, we were at that point historically where we had the Tyson story, Pete Rose story, Magic Johnson story.  We had stories that were above and beyond just sports news.  Those are the things that thankfully gave some foundation to the SportsCenter project.  We just happened to be the ones who were there and then.

Keith, Dan doing the 11:00 show.  Ours was more a news-generated show.  We didn’t have the electronic wherewithal to bring in all the highlights at 7:00.  These days you get highlights in at any second with the social media and any other stuff.

On Robin Roberts:

Every one knows what Robin is going through. I mentioned earlier one of the joys of my entire career are morning and afternoon editorial meetings with Bob, Robin and I.  We used to jokingly call ourselves the Mod Squad.  Bob and Robin are dear friends to this day.  Everybody holds a special place in your heart, in your brain, in your soul, whatever it is for what Robin is going through.  That’s all I want to say.

On competition back then:

Again, when I got there in ’98, ESPN was just a sports channel on cable.  Our competition in 1988 was CNN, Nick and Hick, Nick Charles and Fred Hickman.  Within about a year CNN basically removed sports from its lineup.

Then we’re kind of on our own.  Most of the time we’re on our own because nobody had quite done what we were doing before.  They talked about SportsCenter attitude and all that.  We were a bunch of guys trying to figure this out.  We had no attitude.

Then Sports Channel for a time.  They didn’t put up much of a fight.  Then FOX came along.  For a time they at least made some noise, put up some competition.  But we knew they were dead the day they put their first FOX Sports commercial out, which was a direct knock-off of all the things we had done.

Our collective thought at that time was, If they’re coming into our neighborhood, we’re pretty well-situated, they’ve got no shot.  FOX tried to put their studio show on immediately after all their live games, so they were never on at any specific time.  So in terms of ratings, we were there every night, same time, same bat channel, those guys were all over the place trying to do exactly what we were doing.

I think the battle was won the first time FOX attempted to do a funny commercial like ours and failed miserably.

On his memorable SportsCenter ads (Here’s the link from Sunday’s post):

Two things come immediately to mind.  The one we went and did, Melrose Place, Bobby the pool boy, Sydney.  We’d go out there.  We’re on this big Hollywood set.  All the women on the show didn’t know me from Adam.  They were scared to death that they might have their reputations sullied by being something on SportsCenter with the short, fat guy.

The guys, on the other hand, were all congregating around, talking sports.  This is pretty cool.  Then Sydney thought it would be a career-ender.  Little did she know she was so right, but that didn’t matter.  That spot had some pretty good wings to it.

The other one was the Follow Me to Freedom.  We did about four different lines at the end.  Follow Me to Freedom was just one of four that was selected by the producer and the director.  Others were something like I’ll Lead You to the Underground, All is Well, Brothers and Sisters, all that kind of crap.

It was the only time I wore a tank top.  Anybody who might remember the spot knows why.

On facial hair and his friendship with Wolf Blitzer:

Wolf and I are dear friends.  We’ve been friends for more than 20 years because we’re the only two bearded guys on TV.  He’s taken off a little more weight than I have over the years, but we still remain friends.

When I first got there, I’d done nothing but radio.  Facial hair was not even a consideration to me one way or the other.  When I first got there, one of the many consultants who were trying to force feed television into my radio brain asked me one day matter of factly, Would it bother you if you shaved your beard?  I’d never given it any thought one way or the other.

I go out on the air.  I was God awful in the beginning.  Anybody who was up at 11:30 on the West Coast would watch me learn how to do TV at night.  I was totally lost.

So a couple of weeks in, one of the producers walked over, Steve Anderson.  He said, We just finished having a meeting.  I said, Good.  He said, You can keep your beard.  I had no idea it had been up for discussion.  So that’s the long and short of the beard story.  About five years ago one day I just decided, you know, it’s time to shave.  I’ve been shaving every day since.

That’s a meaningful answer to a meaningful question.

On finally meeting Carl Lewis:

I met Carl Lewis once.  This is the God’s honest truth.  This is right around the time he did his magnificent rendition of the national anthem.  It was several weeks after.  Carl and his manager were really pissed off at me and ESPN for showing the thing.  Of course, they didn’t consider the fact that he sang the thing.

Having said that, it was a post Tyson fight party.  In those days the security was unbelievable, and they’re all so very friendly.  So we are kind of pushed through this police cordon, me, a producer, a couple other people.  We’re pushed through.  I am face to face with Carl Lewis.

He looks at me and I look at him.  He doesn’t know what to say.  I don’t know what to say.  I said finally, Carl, my man.  That was no response.  Now 20 something years later there still hasn’t been one.

Carl, my man.

 

 

 

 

 

SportsCenter at 50,000 shows: Immense impact; Is it less personality driven now?

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ESPN loves to mark milestones and anniversaries. I imagine they go through a lot of birthday cakes in Bristol.

Some, though, mean more than others. Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, ESPN will mark the 50,000th airing of SportsCenter.

That’s fairly significant. In this video, George Grande, who hosted the first show in 1979, looks back.

ESPN actually is going low-key with this milestone. It will mark the event with Chris Berman doing a tribute to late SportCenter anchor Tom Mees, who died much too young. Here is the link to Berman’s piece on ESPN Front Row.

SportsCenter definitely has been the franchise for ESPN. I remember in the late 80s, my apartment building in Chicago was extremely slow in getting wired for cable. When I finally got connected, I recall being thrilled at being able watch SportsCenter.

Imagine 30 minutes of nothing but sports and highlights. I was in heaven.

Now ESPN is wall-to-wall SportsCenter on the main outlet, and a 24/7 edition on ESPNNews.

Charley Steiner, a SportsCenter anchor from 1988-2002, said it best during a conference call:

“You’re talking about 18 hours of SportsCenter a day.  We didn’t have 18 hours a week.  We had three 30-minute shows, no re-airs.  The only thing we didn’t have were rabbit ears.  We had a 7:00, an 11:00 and a 2:30 a.m. show, which is where they stuck me in the beginning.  We would go home and tee it up again the next day.”

SportsCenter truly has become an iconic symbol of the network. Much like Saturday Night Live and culture, the program introduced catch-phrases and created new lingo for sports. And it basically sets the agenda, for better or worse (Tebow!).

“When you get through everything else, the most important thing SportsCenter does is document the day and night in sports just like a game telecast would document a game,” said Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice-president and executive producer.

Added Scott Van Pelt: “I always think when I’m out there, regardless of the hour of the day, how long you’ve been there, whatever the case may be, I never say I have to do SportsCenter, I say I get to do SportsCenter.”

The ESPN conference call, which also included Sage Steele, lasted more than an hour. Thanks to Steiner’s participation, it was enlightening and extremely entertaining.

When it finally became my turn to ask a question (much further back in the line than from my Chicago Tribune days, Josh), I asked if SportsCenter has become less personality driven in its current form?

I definitely think that’s the case. Heck, the ABC show SportsNite was based off the Dan Patrick-Keith Olbermann pairing. And it wasn’t just those two guys. You had Steiner, Robin Roberts, Bob Ley, Mees, Rich Eisen, Stuart Scott, a young Mike Tirico, among others. Then there also was Berman, who was wildly popular back when the majority of people thought his catch-phrases and nicknames were cutting edge.

Now there are so many SportCenter shows and anchors, they all seem to blend together. To me, it seems to be more about the content, and less about the person delivering the content. Maybe, that’s inevitable given the bulk of the shows.

Anyway, here are the responses I got to my question:

Steiner: In those days, remember, technologically we were cavemen compared to where it is now, number one.

Number two, when we were doing our show, the 7:00 eastern with Bob, Robin and I, because there weren’t highlights, by nature, how else do you convey information?  It became more of a writers’ show, more of a repertorial show.  I think that’s why they put Bob, Robin and I together.  Whatever strengths we had, those were them.

Now again, with the ability to get highlights from anywhere and everywhere, from a cell phone to whatever, the dynamic I think of all of the shows is considerably different.

Again, when I started back in the paleolithic era, there were three and a half hour shows.  Morning SportsCenter was a business show.  So comparing us and them, then and now, is a difficult task.

Those were the rules by which we had to play in those days because of what we had at our disposal.

Gross: It’s simple really.  We expect the anchors to be themselves.  We’re not asking Scott, Sage or anybody else to go and invent nicknames, home run calls.  We expect them to be themselves.  If they’re themselves, we’re going to be just fine.

Van Pelt: To that end, I wouldn’t speak for Sage, anybody that ends up on the set has some level of passion for sports, anybody that ends up on that set is in some way, because you’ve seen other people do it, you have some sense of how the show has been done.

But I also think it becomes almost a lazy criticism to say everybody is out there trying out for the Chuckle Hut.  I don’t think everybody treats their Brewer/Red’s highlights to say seven funny things.  If you do, my personal opinion is you’re failing because that’s not the goal.

If you can be organically funny, if a moment presents itself, by all means.  If you have certain things in the way you deliver things, people don’t mind.  I’ll drop a useful shot which is a note to Sam Torrance.  It’s a word and never more than that.  The personality, I always look at it like this, it’s like sugar, and a teaspoon might be enough, but three would want to make you puke.

If you’re authentic, it comes across that way, I think people appreciate that.  I don’t feel like anchors go out there and say, Where are the seven times I can try to be cute, because if they do, again, my own personal opinion is you’d be making a mistake.

Steele: I was going to say when I got the job here five and a half years ago, I was leaving the D.C. area, everybody said, What is going to be your thing?  What are you going to say?  I thought, gosh, I’m not smart enough to come up with something that clever, it’s too hard, forget it.

I am me. They know what they’re hiring. They know who they’re hiring.

Have times changed? Absolutely. The way the shows are formatted, there’s a lot more sponsored elements. It’s a business, and the shows have definitely changed.

Sometimes I even forget I’m on TV, God forbid.  That means you’re out there having fun, owning your highlight.  I don’t think of a cute moment to potentially put in there.  I’m more concerned about this highlight is important, why.  Why do we feel this highlight is important enough to show all the people watching and what’s the story behind it.  Sometimes it’s what you say, not what you see as well.  Too much to worry about out there to be cute.

Check back for more upcoming posts from the teleconference and about SportsCenter at 50,000 shows and counting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s new for NFL 2012: Another lineup switch for ESPN on MNF; how long before Gruden coaches again?

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Since ESPN took over Monday Night Football in 2006, the only constant has been Mike Tirico in the play-by-play seat.

The first year saw Tirico work with Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser. The chemistry wasn’t right, and out went Theismann and in came Ron Jaworski for 2007.

That trio lasted two years until Kornheiser decided he had enough of MNF, or they had enough of him. Take your pick. Enter Jon Gruden in 2009.

Again, ESPN felt it wasn’t right. After a three-year run, the network sent Jaworski back to the sidelines last spring. Now ESPN is banking two is better than three with Tirico and Gruden on the call for 2012.

Why another change? On the eve of the 43rd season for Monday Night Football, I posed the question of Tirico and producer Jay Rothman:

Tirico: I would say the difference, simply, having more of a conversation with one person, as opposed to spreading it out back and forth. That’s where the dynamic of the broadcast changes. People were under the false impression that a three‑man booth led to more chatter. Like any other broadcast ‑‑ there are no plays that go by with complete silence so, there’s just as much real estate.

We’ll be able to take a conversation and develop it and follow‑up on things. I’ll give you a great example, there was a screen pass in the game that we had in the preseason and Jon talked about the perfect phasing of the offensive line. And I know that term only because I’ve been around Jon for last four years and he’s taught us that. I was able to follow up with him on the next play, as opposed to going somewhere else.

So I think we’ll be able to do more of that. Just the nature of ‑‑ a conversation with two people who like each other, love football, and are prepared for the entirety of what’s in front of us that week with the two teams. I think you’ll get more of that in the broadcast with two, as opposed to three.

Rothman: Well, the only thing I would say about that is Jon is a unique talent and has a lot to offer. I think it’s very difficult and you’ll see there’s really no three‑man booth out there in terms of football coverage, really in NFL or college football.

It’s very difficult in a game with a play clock and the short window in which you dissect the game and analyze the game, that sort of thing. It’s cluttered. That’s why you don’t really see it.

I think this allows for more space and it allows for us to be more precise and on point. It allows us to showcase Jon and Mike’s talents, and we think it’s the right move.

*******

However, will ESPN have to make another change in 2012? I think it’s an upset that Gruden, 49, is back for his fourth year.

I asked Tirico if he is surprised that the former coach hasn’t become a current coach again?

Tirico: I think that after all the stories I read that Jon was not going to be back after year one, here is what I’ve learned over time. The more energy you spend predicting the future is wasted energy. You have no idea what’s going to transpire and what’s going to go on.

The unfortunate thing with a three‑man booth because I know that if at some point, Jon leaves, it’s because he gets sick of me.

But hopefully Jon enjoys what he’s doing ‑‑ and he can speak for himself, he’s a big boy. But we love having him and every day, whether it’s for the next 20 years or the next 20 months, every day that I get to work with Jon has made me a better broadcaster and I look forward to it and I hope the run doesn’t end, I really don’t.

******

As for Mr. Gruden, this is what he has to say about his future:

Gruden: When I got fired from coaching, obviously I had a tremendous loss. I didn’t know what to do. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be on Monday Night Football and be on with Mike Tirico and have a chance to work with Ron Jaworski at ESPN that have helped train me, and I know that I have to get better.

But when you work at ESPN, they call it “the worldwide leader” for a reason; if you can see the tape that they send me to watch, that’s what has really quenched my thirst for coaching. I get plenty of video to evaluate. I get to go to different teams and spend days there and watch them practice and see their facilities, meet their players and coaches.

So it’s really been a tremendous growing opportunity for me professionally, trying something new, and also staying on top of what’s going on in football. I’ve really enjoyed it.

*****

Gruden hits 50 next year. That’s a sobering number and you start to hear the clock ticking a bit louder.

I can’t see him not coaching again. If the opportunity is right, Tirico will be in line for yet for another partner.

 

ESPN’s Skipper says network won’t ask for increased subscriber fees from new mega MLB deal; Do you believe him?

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ESPN just went double-down on its new deal with Major League Baseball. The 8-year deal, which begins in 2014, will see the WWL shelling out $700 million per year, up from the current $350 million.

And just who is going to pay for that tidy bump in rights? Will it be you? What do you think?

ESPN president John Skipper pushed off that responsibility on the cable distributors during a conference call Tuesday afternoon.

“We don’t determine what your cable bill will be,” Skipper said. “But I’ll tell you, this is a good day for distributor partners. We have just increased the quality and quantity of content we will provide our distributors.

“And no, we are not going to our distributors to ask for an increase for this content.”

OK, ESPN currently charges $5.06 per subscriber for the baseball content and more. It is by far the most of any cable network. That is the reason why CBS, Fox and NBC are enhancing their sports cable operations. They want their piece of the pie, even if it is only a sliver.

Technically, ESPN might not ask for an increase because of the MLB deal, as Skipper said. But make no mistake, the network will be asking for higher fees. Besides MLB, ESPN has to pay for other new mega deals with the NFL, ACC, SEC, the Rose Bowl, etc.

ESPN will seek increased rates because it can. The network has too much content, and it knows a cable operator would face a revolt if it said no to ESPN.

So whenever you hear the announcement of one of these big rights deals, just know that somebody is reaching in your pocket to pull out of a few more quarters. Of course, we’re paying. We always do.

 

 

 

My First Job: Jittery Golic almost had career-ending moment as analyst in first NFL game

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The NFL preseason isn’t just an opportunity for the rookies to impress on the field. It’s also a chance for the rookies to make their mark in the broadcast booth.

In the latest edition of My First Job, a look at people’s initial forays in the media business, ESPN’s Mike Golic discusses calling his first NFL preseason game shortly after retiring as a player. He describes a harrowing moment during the opening kickoff when he thought his broadcast career might be over.

Here’s Mike:

******

I did color for the Jacksonville Jaguars preseason games in 1995. It was the first real gig I had going.

I had done some college football previously, but this was the NFL. This was really nerve-racking to me.

I was unbelievably nervous. I would have rather been on the field. My comfort level was on the field. But now I was describing the action, and I had to do it in a time frame to give it back to (the play-by-play man).

Kevin Harlan was the play-by-play man. He was a real pro. They kick the ball off, and Kevin went through the call and then left it open for me. I froze. Maybe I said three words.

I was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, I’m blowing it.’ It was just amazing to me.

I don’t know why I was so nervous because I had done college football before that and it was no big deal. But I had just gotten out of the NFL, and this was big. I’m thinking, maybe I’ll do NFL games down the road.

It was so embarrassing. When it finally went back to Kevin, I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god, what the hell was that?’

I had to calm myself. I remember saying to myself, ‘Just talk football, just talk football.’ That’s kind of what I did from then on. I got into the groove.

Still, when the game was over, I remember thinking the guy who hired me must be saying, ‘Oh my, did I make a mistake here?’

The next time I was that nervous was when Greeny (Mike Greenberg) and I did a Monday night game a few years ago. Now this was Monday Night Football. I didn’t freeze like that, because Greeny was more nervous than me. He had never done an NFL game.