F... ESPN.com

[SmootSmack]

ESPN, unlike MTV and music, is still about sports. And it's, more often than not, the first place people go to.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

ESPN, unlike MTV and music, is still about sports. And it's, more often than not, the first place people go to.

I think that's the point. If it is really is about sports then why all the junk? At some point the whiny internet crowd is not going to be just the whiny internet crowd anymore. In my opinion, and a lot of other people it seems, ESPN is headed the wrong direction.

I would argue that ESPN's focus is no longer sports. Their focus is story-telling using sports as the backdrop. They have to keep sports in the fore-front as much as they can but it is clear they consider the entertainment value of the story of the sports most important. They constantly highlight personalities and conflict. It seems very clear that ESPN "makes" stories. Not that they make them up but instead they turn what just 10 years ago would have been an afterthought into major strories. When you become the news maker and not the news teller you are on dangerous ground. Again, it really is the entire industry but ESPN, as far as sports goes is the leader in this regard.

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I would argue that ESPN's focus is no longer sports. Their focus is story-telling using sports as the backdrop. They have to keep sports in the fore-front as much as they can but it is clear they consider the entertainment value of the story of the sports most important. They constantly highlight personalities and conflict. It seems very clear that ESPN "makes" stories. Not that they make them up but instead they turn what just 10 years ago would have been an afterthought into major strories. When you become the news maker and not the news teller you are on dangerous ground. Again, it really is the entire industry but ESPN, as far as sports goes is the leader in this regard.

I agree with this. It is clearly evident from shows like E:60, etc. ESPN tries to make stories compelling, overhype, etc. The thing is it may hurt their credentials with the hardcore sports fan, but for the casual fan I think it helps ESPN capture them.

IMO this is byproduct of ESPN's growth and domination of the sports world. Once the taste of success is there pursuing the goal of simply providing the best information ends and the goal of targeting different markets arises.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I think that's the point. If it is really is about sports then why all the junk? At some point the whiny internet crowd is not going to be just the whiny internet crowd anymore. In my opinion, and a lot of other people it seems, ESPN is headed the wrong direction.

I would argue that ESPN's focus is no longer sports. Their focus is story-telling using sports as the backdrop. They have to keep sports in the fore-front as much as they can but it is clear they consider the entertainment value of the story of the sports most important. They constantly highlight personalities and conflict. It seems very clear that ESPN "makes" stories. Not that they make them up but instead they turn what just 10 years ago would have been an afterthought into major strories. When you become the news maker and not the news teller you are on dangerous ground. Again, it really is the entire industry but ESPN, as far as sports goes is the leader in this regard.

The E does stand for Entertainment, but ESPN is still about sports, whether it's sports stories, sports scores, sports news, sports events, it's still about sports first and foremost