by Trevor Freeman
I haven’t watched any of Tilt. I couldn’t tell you who the lead cast members are, who produces or directs it. The person playing Don “The Matador” Everest could pass me on the street and I would sooner ask, “Who is this loser” than beg for an autograph.Why do I bring this up? Because, I have a problem on a general basis with ESPN’s programming and this includes Sportscenter. ESPN’s charge as a network is to show sports or sports news and analysis 24 hours a day. If I want to watch reality TV, I’ll flip on CBS. If I want to watch sitcoms or dramatic TV programming I’ll turn the channel to HBO, NBC, or TNT (who are geniuses for the simplicity of only playing Law & Order reruns). You can see that whoever is at the controls in Bristol is trying to deviate from what got ESPN to the table. This is painfully obvious and is evidenced by the original programming that is being aired along with the shammockery that has become Sportscenter.
If there is a growing sentiment amongst network executives that they need to air more “sports entertainment” then ESPN3 should be created. Separate this programming from the flagship network. Hire Mark Burnett to do a reality show or pay top dollar and get good Hollywood writers in there for the dramas. I would have no problem with a whole station of sports entertainment television. With the amount of crap I currently watch on the tube, I could definitely see myself falling into an ESPN3. I would offer that not only is this plan something worth looking into but that if ESPN3 did come about, a great option would be to air professional wrestling, since it does rule sports entertainment television. My only problem with this type of programming is when it begins filling up time slots on ESPN, the flagship network.
Last week I thought it was an abomination when ESPN had Tilt running at 9:00 on Thursday night and relegated a small conference tournament title game to the Deuce. It is like ESPN forgot who they were. College Basketball made ESPN what it is today. Patrick Ewing, Pearl Washington, and Chris Mullin are the guys who launched that network in the early 80s. Heck, the Big East is essentially a conference that was created by ESPN. There is nobody on the planet who can convince me that with the proliferation of ESPN Original Movies and shows like Tilt, Dream Job, and I’d do Anything, that ESPN U was formed to move college sports away from ESPN.
Let me go on record as saying that I don’t even watch Sportscenter anymore. I know this will shock many who went to college with me and witnessed my sitting on the couch and watching it for three consecutive hours each morning. I now rely on ESPNnews (which in my opinion is what Sportscenter used to be). From the bands nonsense, to the mock game shows, to the overall hokeyness of the announcers, Sportscenter has gone down the tubes. And here’s the thing. It shouldn’t have. ESPN still has the best analysts in sports. From Jay Bilas talking college hoops to Peter Gammons doing baseball to Barry Melrose commentating on the NHL, ESPN has a murderer’s row. Jay Bilas breaking down Syracuse’s 2-3 zone in great detail is what I and the sports fan wants to see. If they got rid of the “Hot Seat”, Stuart Scott, Stephen A. Smith and that Van Pelt guy tomorrow, nobody would care. In fact in Stuart Scott, Stephen A. Smith, and that Van Pelt guy’s case, people would openly cheer.
ESPN was first and foremost a station purely for sports. It was the greatest thing invented since Alexander Graham Bell went nuts with the telephone. It can still be that again. I write this to implore the good people running that network to stick to the basics and get back to what made them the icon it was 15 years ago. I know that I am not alone in this request.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].