The Sports Media Thread

[Digby]

16 hours ago, RichO said:

I don't know that Deadspin readers are all that loyal to any particular writers but I would expect they're loyal to the tone/voice/ethos/whatever you want to call it of Deadspin.

 

I think that's mostly accurate -- partially because the writers with more of a brand name are also more annoying, partially because they also give space to a lot of freelancers/excerpt type pieces that are interesting and not picked up elsewhere.

 

Drew Magary has always gotten on my nerves. I don't see the appeal. Maybe it's just that the readership can strongly identify with his reformed-brodude act. He has no real insight into much of anything, but I suppose a lot of people read these just to feel like part of a community. Every now and then he craps out a needlessly aggro column as fresh meat to his aggressively straight audience, I guess to keep that cred. 

 

Burneko and Roth aren't as bad because they both clearly know a lot of :censored:, but I can't handle the Arbitrary Capitalized Nouns thing anymore and the general desperation to coin a style in their writing, and in 2019 I hoped that we were done pretending that David Foster Wallace was any fun to read.

 

The new soccer guy they've got is fantastic. Legitimately insightful pieces for the know-nothing-but-trying American soccer audience, treats MLS exactly how it ought to be treated (which is "fine"). I think the deranged MLS-hating guy who didn't know what a bicycle kick was is still, somehow, on the payroll, though -- have always wondered who he blackmailed to keep that position for five years.

[Sport]

17 hours ago, the admiral said:

And speaking of Magary, if you're wondering what the indefatigable crusaders for truth and social justice have been up to lately, they're right in the heart of their popular annual feature, "Why Everyone Who Likes Football Is Dumb White Trash Except Me And These Bored Lawyers Who Wrote To Me (And You, The Good Boy, Reading This)." 

 

I have read all 32 of those every year and enjoyed most of them. Hell, I've appeared in the comments in a couple of Bengals editions (under a pseudonym. I'm not tryna have people know I spent time coming up with a snarky complaint about the Cincinnati Bengals and then emailed it to a guy.), but I think it's jumped the shark. Get this, every NFL team has racist fans! Every NFL owner is a psychotically greedy idiot! The game experience is full of drunk monsters!

 

I think Magary needs to outsource it to some other writers or kill it. How many years can he find a new angle to dump on Cincinnati? Our signature food is bad? Well, sir, I disagree!

[monkeypower]

Kypreos and Doug Maclean leaving Sportsnet.

[The_Admiral]

5 hours ago, Digby said:

in 2019 I hoped that we were done pretending that David Foster Wallace was any fun to read.

 

Of course he was fun to read. Don't listen to the scolds; they'll never be remembered in death.

[ninersdd]

7 hours ago, McCarthy said:

 

I have read all 32 of those every year and enjoyed most of them. Hell, I've appeared in the comments in a couple of Bengals editions (under a pseudonym. I'm not tryna have people know I spent time coming up with a snarky complaint about the Cincinnati Bengals and then emailed it to a guy.), but I think it's jumped the shark. Get this, every NFL team has racist fans! Every NFL owner is a psychotically greedy idiot! The game experience is full of drunk monsters!

 

Reminds me how one year, I think Seahawk and Raider fans were saying how bad their MAGA fans are and what not. Yeah, I highly doubt that they are just the Trump fans that are obnoxious for teams based in Seattle and the Bay Area.

 

(I apologize if this is a politics post. If so take it down)

[RyanMcD29]

So from what I gather on Twitter, Altitude (the RSN in Colorado that airs the Avs and Nuggets) managed to get into a carriage issue trifecta with Comcast, DirecTV, and Dish, thus more or less opening up the possibility of there being no way of receiving the network for most of the Denver area. From what I understand they don't have it on any streaming platforms, either. That's gotta be a new one.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Bill Simmons bravely telling his listeners "everyone is too offended these days!" is becoming a chore.

 

Life's a lot easier at the top, pal.

[FiddySicks]

On 8/28/2019 at 6:02 AM, Digby said:

The new soccer guy they've got is fantastic. Legitimately insightful pieces for the know-nothing-but-trying American soccer audience, treats MLS exactly how it ought to be treated (which is "fine"). I think the deranged MLS-hating guy who didn't know what a bicycle kick was is still, somehow, on the payroll, though -- have always wondered who he blackmailed to keep that position for five years.

 

Yes, he's still there. And he's still getting dragged basically every article because all he puts out is garbage. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Ray Ratto has been a very weird, but I think, very good addition to that group. I'm surprised he hasn't been picked up by a larger publication yet. 

[dfwabel]

On 8/30/2019 at 5:12 PM, Bucfan56 said:

Also, Ray Ratto has been a very weird, but I think, very good addition to that group. I'm surprised he hasn't been picked up by a larger publication yet. 

He is 65 and outside of The Athletic and 95.7 The Game, he's basically taken a check from every Bay Area media outlet.  He's an Oakland native, so isn't relocating. 

The Ringer profile of him right after being let go from NBC Bay Area is good writing. 

[TBGKon]

Sounds like Pierre Mcguire is being replaced between the glass for NBC national NHL games

 

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/nhl/hockey-inside-out/nbc-replacing-pierre-mcguire-on-national-nhl-broadcasts-report

[JayMac]

22 minutes ago, AstroBull21 said:

Sounds like Pierre Mcguire is being replaced between the glass for NBC national NHL games

 

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/nhl/hockey-inside-out/nbc-replacing-pierre-mcguire-on-national-nhl-broadcasts-report

Good move. Brian Boucher is very good.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

After the umpteenth Bill Simmons podcast in a row where he complains about hurt feelings -- coupled with a healthy bit of Pats superfandom -- I'm out. Life's too short to be trolled by the media I choose to consume.

 

If someone can let me know when he's off this kick, I'd appreciate it. But for now, who needs it.

[dfwabel]

8 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

After the umpteenth Bill Simmons podcast in a row where he complains about hurt feelings -- coupled with a healthy bit of Pats superfandom -- I'm out. Life's too short to be trolled by the media I choose to consume.

 

If someone can let me know when he's off this kick, I'd appreciate it. But for now, who needs it.

He is still a Friday afternoon/evening tradition (for now) to listen to his two or three podcasts of the week, so I guess I'll update you on his "me-itis". We're in football season, so at least Cousin Sal puts Bill in his place once a week. 

[The_Admiral]

Getting McGuire off the #1 team was long overdue. I'll bet you anything it was the incident with Schofield that finally did it. Emrick should probably go too.

[Digby]

Do people still enjoy Emrick’s act? I’m tired of his thesaurus for “pass”, and his yelps and groans are beyond grating.

[The_Admiral]

Of Doc, Eddie, and Pierre, he's certainly the one people complain about the least (Olczyk's association with the Blackhawks makes lots of people reflexively dislike him), but my complaint with that booth has always been too much shtick, not enough straight man. I don't need to hear "elevators across" ever again. That's gibberish.

 

The lead voice should be Gord Miller. He has a rich and sonorous baritone, he can do his job well without gimmickry, and he's a hockey guy whose name is Gord.

[RedRenesis]

On 9/7/2019 at 11:05 AM, Digby said:

Do people still enjoy Emrick’s act? I’m tired of his thesaurus for “pass”, and his yelps and groans are beyond grating.

 

I don't have the disdain for him and his broadcast partners now that I did in the 90s when Fox was competing against ESPN, but I still don't enjoy listening to him call a game.  McGuire can single handedly ruin any broadcast he shows up on, and we are all better for him getting bumped from the A crew.  I'm neutral on Edzo on NBC national until he starts talking about his pony racing.  I usually have no problem tuning into a NBCS Chicago game to hear him paired with Foley though, and he used to work well with Mike Lange.

 

Accepting Gary Thorne as a national hockey broadcaster is not going to happen again, I'd take Gord, his broadcasts are usually pretty good.  

[DEAD!]

The question is whether Gord wants to leave TSN for the top national NBC job. Gord also does some regional TSN broadcasts, world juniors and world championships. 

 

[The_Admiral]

It would be easy to be flippant and say he'd take national American telecasts of Penguins/Capitals/Blackhawks/Rangers over Senators coverage from Belleville to St. John's, but you know what, honestly, for all I know, the Senators telecasts have bigger audiences.

[Sport]

I have neither the love for Gary Thorne nor the disdain for Doc Emrick that other people seem to have, but I would like more Gary Thorne and less Doc Emrick, if that makes sense. Pierre is awful and needs to go altogether. Get rid of Roenick and Milbury while they're at it.