Tag Archives: ESPN

A surprise: Duval to work U.S. Open for ESPN

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I can safely say I never envisioned the often reticent David Duval wanting a career in television.

Apparently, that’s the case. The former No. 1 player in the world will be part of ESPN’s broadcast team for the U.S. Open.

From the release:

Duval, winner of 13 events and more than $18 million on the PGA TOUR, will be an analyst on feature group coverage that will air on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network. The programming is available online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE.

“TV is definitely something that’s interesting and intrigues me,” said Duval. “I enjoy the game so much and I enjoy what’s going on in the game right now so much. The opportunity to do this presented itself and it worked out, so I thought this could be pretty fun.”

Duval had intended to play in the U.S. Open but did not qualify and indicated his work for ESPN should not be viewed as a signal he’s hanging up the clubs for good.

“I don’t want it to be seen as a transition because I don’t believe my playing career is over,” he said. “I know I’ve had a rough year but I’ve also been dealing with other small injuries that I haven’t talked about. But it (TV) is definitely something I’d like to do in the future.”

Who knew? He’s definitely a complex dude. I found him to be arguably the most intelligent golfer I’ve covered, capable of delivering deep, thoughtful answers. However, he also could be painfully terse in interviews. I thought he found the entire process extremely tedious. Nobody will ever accuse him of being a quote machine.

Exactly how Duval’s personality will translate to television remains to be seen. Clearly, though, it is worth a try of both fronts.

 

 

 

Made for TV pairing does no favors for Bubba Watson at U.S. Open

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The U.S. Open is hard enough without having to be part of a circus.

So regardless of what he says, Bubba Watson can’t be pleased with a made-for-TV pairing that has him playing with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson during the first two rounds of the U.S. Open.

Did I say circus? It’s going to be an absolute zoo. You can be sure Woods and Mickelson also aren’t thrilled with this threesome, but at least they’ve had plenty of experience with massive galleries and people scurrying all over the place.

It’s a different story for Watson, who has struggled ever since winning the Masters. He’s only played twice and missed the cut at the Memorial a couple of weeks ago. Yes, the sudden spotlight can be overwhelming.

Clearly, the United States Golf Association wants to create more of a buzz for the Open with this pairing. But why? Isn’t the tournament big enough?

During a conference call today, I asked NBC producer Tommy Roy if the USGA consults with the network on the pairings. He said:

We talk about it, more about the timing that they go off so that it fits within certain windows.  But the fact of the matter is that the pairings are up to them.  But they have a good sense of what makes for good television, as well.  They play consult a little but it’s their pairings.

Obviously, NBC and ESPN will focus the majority of their coverage on that one pairing. Steve Stricker is 6-under through 13? Great, save it later for the Golf Channel. 

It’s going to be all-Tiger-Phil-Bubba, all-the-time when they’re out on the course. I asked Johnny Miller about the pairing. He said:

I’ve played in similar type of threesomes with Trevino and Nicklaus, and not so much in the U.S. Open, because they would never do that in the mid 70s, have the three biggest draws together.

But golf is a new world.  It’s a big sport now.  It will be very interesting to see how that pairing pans out or whether they all play poorly or they all play well or just one plays well.  With that many people and that much pressure, to be honest with you, at the Open, knowing this pairing is historical, the three biggest draws in the tournament being together, it will be fun to watch.  I can’t wait to watch it.  I hope they do great.

It’s just sort of unique.  So, is this a precursor of something of the future we are going to see a lot more of, where you put the best players together, or if it’s just a one‑time thing.

Is it fair? Frank Nobilo said:

(Watson’s) stated goal, he stated recently, is to be the best player in the world.  So I think he would embrace that opportunity to take them on.  You have got to beat them, whether it Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday; but for him, it’s something I think he would relish.

And just to add, you have three different types of fans that are going to come out, which I don’t think golf has really had.  Phil and Tiger ‑‑ but Bubba brings a different element to golf which we haven’t seen in many a year and that’s something that has to be said, as well.

Miller said as only he could:

Let’s put it this way:  I would much rather play with two guys that are shooting 67, than two guys that are shooting 79 going to every toilet, you know.

I’m not sure about the toilet part, but I’m betting Watson’s scores will be closer to 79 than 67.

 

 

 

ESPN hires NBA referee equivalent to Mike Pereira

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Sound move by ESPN. The network has hired a former NBA official to lend insights for its coverage of the finals on ABC.

Richard Deitsch of SI.com reports Steve Javie will work as a rules analyst for the network’s pregame and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals, as well as SportsCenter.

Javie, a 25-year ref who had to retire because of a bad knee, told Deitsch that he was inspired by Mike Pereira’s work on Fox’s NFL coverage.

“Mike and I are friends and I think what he’s done has fantastic,” Javie said.  “He’s been the trailblazer here and he told me he thought the NBA, ESPN or TNT  would be interested in something like this. I think Mike has really gained  credibility for officials in the NFL, but fans of the NBA have never heard from  or been given the perspective from the officials’ point of view. I’m hoping for  positive feedback because I believe it’s something that’s been missing. I hope  people come away and say, “Boy, I didn’t even look at it that way, and I never  knew that.”

Yes, but what happens when he has to call out one of his former NBA colleagues for missing a call?

“Now I’m not going to be a jerk about it because these are my guys. But I want  to be the voice of the official and tell people, ‘Look at this play. Maybe you  should have had a whistle here, but here is the reason why they didn’t blow it.’  I won’t be a guy who blasts the officials but at the same time I will be someone  who points out to fans that the ref did not get call right and here’s why. It’s  not necessarily a criticism but an explanation on why a call was missed.”

I like the move. More explanation and less whining about the officials is the way to go.

 

ESPN’s OTL focuses on horrific side of horse racing; deaths mount at Aqueduct

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During this historic week for horse racing, there’s another vastly more important story that needs to be told.

Jeannine Edwards (pictured interviewing a former equine vet) will file a report on Outside the Lines (ESPN, Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, replay Sunday at 9 a.m. ET) on 23 horses dying in an 18-week span at Aqueduct Racetrack, just 10 miles from where I’ll Have Another will be running Saturday at Belmont.

That’s an average of more than one horse per week dying during that span at Aqueduct. Horrifying.

Edwards, who attended her first race at the age of 12 at Belmont, loves the sport. Yet as her report shows, horse racing clearly has major problems that have dire consequences.

Here’s my Q/A with Edwards.

What will your story say?

It is going to say the sport has a problem. It has been working hard to correct these problems. In the last four years, many (organizations) have put forth new institutional safety reforms to make racing safer. Statistics, though, show things aren’t getting any better. Our piece asks, this is what happened; where does the buck stop? Who is looking out for the horses? It’s clear more needs to be done to find an answer.

What is happening at Aqueduct?

When there’s a cluster (of deaths), that’s an indication that something is wrong. We introduce the story with a couple who had a horse die at Aqueduct.

Clearly, there needs to be a better enforcement of the rules and better testing. We interview a veterinarian who feels like there is no enforcement, no surveillance of the horses (throughout the country)

Anytime, there’s money on the line, and your living relies on a horse winning a race, people are going to push the envelope. The horseman, though, need to be more ethical. The fingers are going to be pointed at the vets and the trainers.

Did you time the story to come out during Belmont when so much attention is on the sport?

No. Initially we were talking about doing it in the spring. Then when we heard (New York Governor Andrew Cuomo) had assembled a task force to investigate horse racing, we said, let’s wait until we see what the task force says. Now we hear the report won’t come out until late June, maybe July. We didn’t want our interviews to become dated. We felt if we want our story to have maximum relevance, it should air around the Belmont, considering the fact that horses are dying at a New York track.

Given the controversy around trainer Doug O’Neill, how do you feel about I’ll Have Another this week?

Personally, I like Doug. He’s a great guy. Yes, he is carrying these allegations. And they are haunting him. But he’s not the only one. Let’s not make him the poster child for this.

 

 

 

 

 

Who needs a host? ESPN exec explains why hostless NBA Countdown works

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What ESPN did with its NBA Countdown show this year might not be good news for James Brown, Curt Menefee, Chris Berman, Chris Fowler, and countless other hosts of studio shows.

ESPN has proved that a studio show can be done without a quote-unquote host.

In one of the more unique experiments in recent years, ESPN decided to go without a studio host for its NBA studio show. In previous years, the network had employed Hannah Storm and Stuart Scott to direct the traffic.

This year, ESPN simply put Magic Johnson, Michael Wilbon, Chris Broussard, and Jon Barry at a table and let them talk. Wilbon does most of the nuts and bolts stuff when it comes to opening the segments. But unlike a regular host, his main purpose is to be an analyst, offering his opinions in the discussion.

ESPN’s version is a contrast to TNT’s Inside the NBA, where host Ernie Johnson has to steer through the goofiness often generated by Charles Barkley. ESPN’s NBA Countdown is far less yuks and more hardcore basketball.

Mark Gross, ESPN senior VP and executive producer , is more than pleased with the new format. I asked him about the show in a Q/A.

Why did ESPN decide to go without a host?

We thought let’s just try something different. We thought if we could get the right guys together, we wouldn’t need a host. We believe they could carry it on their own.

This place is built on a risk. It shouldn’t be that difficult for us to take a risk on a pre-game show. It doesn’t have to look like every other show that’s out there. If you get the right four guys, it can work.

Why is it working with these guys?

It works because they all get along. Two, they’re big basketball fans. Three, they all have something to say. Magic is great. He’s exactly who you think he is. He’s even a better person.

What about the comparisons to TNT’s show?

We don’t have Charles Barkley. We’re not getting him. Everyone understands that. That’s OK. We’re happy with the show we have. I’ve never seen anything positive written about our show since we’ve gotten the NBA until this year. We’re pleased with how it’s turned out.

Does this mean hosts are going to be passe on ESPN’s studio shows?

No. There are a lot of shows where you want a host. You want to ask a specific question. You want Chris Fowler to host College Gameday. In that show, you need someone to get you from point A to point B to point C. It’s a two-hour show.

NBA Countdown is different. What we’ve done works for this show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intriguing cover photo of Danica Patrick for ESPN the Magazine

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Initially, I really had no desire to read another story about Danica Patrick. Then I saw the cover for the latest edition of ESPN the Magazine, which focuses on women in sports.

As you can see, Patrick isn’t in a bikini or something Go Daddy-ish. Rather, it is a portrait, one of thousands of her.

Yet this one clearly is different. Her eyes are darting over her left shoulder. Her arms are folded and her expression says….?

Yes, exactly what does it say? I’m not exactly sure, but there seems to be a sense of exasperation of being trapped in yet another photo shoot. The price of celebrity, right? Then again, maybe not.

I asked editor Chad Millman why that photo was selected for the cover. He replied in an email:

We chose it because, as is usually the case, we liked it the most. No real hidden message. To me it felt like we caught her mid-thought in a candid moment, that’s rare with athletes when they are posing, but it’s the kind of honesty you want to capture. It makes you wonder, what is she thinking?

The Maxim crowd may be disappointed she isn’t portrayed wearing something more revealing, but the cover enticed me to read the article by Janet Reitman, which also is posted on ESPNW. The site also has a three-minute video interview.

I actually learned quite a bit about Patrick. Interesting woman.

From the story:

From the moment she started racing professionally, Danica says, she’s been aware of the need to “create a situation for myself so I can have the same lifestyle after I quit racing as I’ve had during my career,” which can be done only through investments and nonstop hawking of the brand. While she embraces the responsibility, it isn’t hard to see why she sometimes gets defensive.

“Do I use being a girl to my advantage? I use everything I can to my advantage,” she says. “Maybe back in the day you didn’t need to be the greatest looking [athlete] to be on TV and you didn’t need to speak the best, but in this day and age, I think you need to be the package. You need to look the part for your sponsors, you need to be able to speak the part for the media and to big CEOs of big-name companies, and you have to do all of it. And I feel like that is one of my strengths. Do I get more attention than a lot of people who at times do better than me?”

That would be yes, Danica suggests. “But it doesn’t come without its costs, that’s for sure. It doesn’t come without its criticisms. It doesn’t come without the overanalyzing of absolutely every word I say. I mean, I have to be careful what I say, how I say it, what I tweet. You have to be careful with everything you do. You can’t have opinions; you can’t alienate anyone.”

At this point, Haley looks at her client and gives her a “please shut up now” smile.

 

 

 

Fox’s Hill talks about ‘second-screen experience’

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Fox Sports Chairman David Hill brought up an interesting notion at the NCTA Convention Wednesday in Boston.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Hill, the Australian-born visionary who has revolutionized the technology of American sports with everything from the scoreboard box on the screen to new ways to cover the drama of baseball, said “the next big development for all of us is the second-screen experience. I don’t believe that has been explored in terms of potential as it should be. If you look at multi-tasking that is going on, a valid second screen experience (people watching a second screen in addition to the primary screen) – which could be American Idol – is going to be a huge development down the road.”

David, I really don’t need a second screen if it’s going to be used to watch American Idol. And by the way, whatever happened to Picture-in-Picture? Wasn’t that a second screen experience?

Bottom line: Nobody knows for sure what how we’re going to be watching sports in 2025. The execs just know we’re going to be watching, and paying to watch.

On the subject of right fees, there was this passage:

No sports discussion would be complete without some worrying about the rising cost of sports rights. At a panel discussion at the NCTA this week, a Wall Street analyst worried that rights fees were going to put a squeeze on cable to the point it could interfere with their ability to do other things. The Wednesday panelists did not disagree that rights are rising and expensive, but the attitude seemed to be that it is an inevitable part of the value of sports on TV.

“Anybody who thinks they can figure out what rights are going to be worth in 2026 doesn’t really know,” said (ESPN President) Skipper, referring to a recent news story about the sale of some sports rights far into the future. “What we will make a bet on is that the value of sports rights are going to continue to appreciate. We would love it if sports rights would come down, but sports rights are going up because the value of sports rights are going up.”

Hill recalled a CBS executive who in 1977 said sports rights had gone as high as it was possible for them to go and they would not go any higher. What he did not recognize, said Hill, is that “sports rights are the purest example of supply and demand.”

 

Fox, ESPN winners at Sports Business Awards

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It was a big night for Fox and ESPN at the fifth annual Sports Business Awards in New York, presented by Street and Smith’s Sports Business Daily.

Among the networks, Fox was the biggest winner. It won for Best in Sports Television and Best in Sports Media.

“I consider the standard of production of all of us now to be at the highest point ever,” said Fox Sports Group Chair David Hill. “The sports fan now is better served now than ever before.”

ESPN, though, didn’t walk away empty handed. It won Best in Digital Sports Media and Best in Sports Technology, for WatchESPN.

Here’s a list of all the winners:

AWARD WINNER
Executive of the Year NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
Sports Event of the Year ’12 PGA Tour Humana Challenge
Best in Sports Media Fox Sports
Sports League of the Year MLB
Sports Sponsor of the Year Bridgestone
Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing             and Client Services The Marketing Arm
Sports Facility of the Year Amway Center
Best in Sports Television Fox Sports
Lifetime Achievement Award Paul Tagliabue
AD of the Year Michigan State AD Mark Hollis
Best in Property Consulting, Sales             and Client Services IMG
Best in Sports Technology ESPN’s WatchESPN
Sports Team of the Year Boston Bruins
Best in Digital Sports Media ESPN Digital Media
Best in Sports Event and Experiential Marketing MLB/Fan Cave
Best in Talent Representation and Management Wasserman Media Group

Indy 500 won’t have Danica Patrick storyline this year; ABC still will televise

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I never was a big auto racing fan, but I always used to watch the Indianapolis 500. I even knew the names of most of the drivers: A.J. Foyt, Bobby and Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Johnny Rutherford, and one of the great names of all time, Gordon Johncock.

Fast forward, and now about the only thing I know about this year’s Indy 500 is that Danica Patrick won’t be in the field. That says plenty about the state of Indy car racing these days.

ABC will air the race Sunday at 11 a.m. Naturally, Patrick’s name came up during a teleconference this week.

Analyst Eddie Cheever said of Patrick’s absence:

You can tell there’s a difference in the paddock.  Danica brought a lot of interest from people that were not really involved in racing.  I think she did some amazing things at her time that she spent in IndyCars.

When you’re at the racetrack and you’re watching the Go Daddy car go around the track, it’s doing pretty well right now.  So I think from the purely emotional part of being involved in following a car, that team picked up where it left off, and it’s doing very well.

I personally, my daughter follows Danica Patrick, no matter what she’s doing, whether she’s racing here or somewhere else.  But there are a lot of very talented drivers in IndyCar, many of which are females that are doing very well, and I think the series will just pick up and keep on going forward.

Actually, Patrick won’t be a complete no-show Sunday, according to producer Rich Feinberg:

In terms of the Danica story, not being there, we will address it.  It’s not something we’re going to avoid.  If you watch real, real closely to the prerace, you will see a brief cameo appearance in this year’s telecast by Danica, which she was happy to do for us and we think we’ll have some fun with our viewers.

As for race coverage, Feinberg noted as many as 12 cars will be wired with HD camera systems. He said:

If we achieve our goal of 12 cars, that would be 48 onboard cameras, which is a first in terms of volume for us. Additionally some interesting things about those in-car camera systems.  For the first time all the cars that have systems will offer our viewers driver shots which we’ve not been able to do in many, many years.

We’re also introducing what we call dual path technology, which allows viewers to see both the driver’s perspective and the driver driving simultaneously at the same time.  That technology has never been used in IndyCar racing and we’re excited to debut it at this year’s Indianapolis 500.  Additionally we plan on using within the telecast Ultra Hi motion cameras that shoot at a frame rate of one thousand frames per second.  This should offer some compelling views for our fans and viewers in ultraslow motion of key moments in the race and on the track.  We’ve never used those before as well. A lot of exciting new technology.

 

 

Breaking: Beadle to get show on NBC Sports Network

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NBC officially announced the addition of Michelle Beadle to the roster Monday, and it included this surprise: She will have a new show on the NBC Sports Network.

The release says:

As part of the agreement, NBC Sports Group will develop new programming for NBC Sports Network featuring Beadle.

In an interview with 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis, Beadle said:

A new sports show probably around the end of the summer. I’m not leaving sports.

It makes sense for the NBC Sports Network to develop programming for Beadle. People definitely are interested in her as evidenced by the vast speculation about whether she would leave ESPN. You can bet her new show will generate plenty of advance publicity.

NBC showcased her personality with this quote from Beadle in the release:

This gig is the perfect blend of the two things I am most passionate about – sports and pop culture. I look forward to getting back to New York City and immersing myself into a myriad of NBCUniversal platforms, while trying to kick ass and have some fun along the way.

Take that, ESPN.

The release outlines her new gig across NBC’s platforms.

Beadle, who will be based in New York, will serve as a correspondent for the nationally syndicated entertainment news program, “Access Hollywood,” which is anchored by Billy Bush. Beadle will cover all major red carpet events, including movie premieres and fashion week, plus report on all breaking Hollywood news. Beadle will also serve as a correspondent for NBC Sports Group’s big-event properties including this summer’s London Olympic Games, which she will also be covering for “Access Hollywood.” Beadle will also have a role in the 2012 NFL Kickoff and Horse Racing’s Triple Crown, as well as other NBC Sports Network programs. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports Group will develop new programming for NBC Sports Network featuring Beadle.

One thing is for sure: You definitely haven’t heard the last from Michelle Beadle.