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Damn, I forgot all about posting this.
I can tell Sportscenter is in decline because I can't watch a whole show anymore. I can't find time to watch it. When it was Keith and Dan, I watched it like someone would watch a sitcom, turning from what I was watching before to it at 6:30 or 7:00 and actually sitting down and watching the whole show. It didn't matter if they were covering hockey, basketball, or the Olympics. It was entertaining, mainly because it flowed for Keith and Dan. It didn't seem forced. It was just them.
If you watch Sportscenter now, it just seems obvious that many of the anchors are looking for their "hook". Sportscenter is an audition for bigger and better things. Olbermann, Craig Kilborn, and Rich Eisen have parlayed Sportscenter into their own shows.
There's no question that Stuart Scott is popular with a decent percentage of Sportscenter viewers, but he's also pretty well hated. What can't be denied though is that Scott is easily ESPN's highest profile anchor outside of Patrick (whose plate is pretty full between Sportscenter and the radio show) and Chris Berman (who really can't be considered an anchor so much anymore as he is a host).
The thing that irks me about Stuart is that he will come off like an ass one moment, then throw on his glasses to have a "very special interview". Has anyone else noticed how Stuart throws on glasses to come off as more serious? He's got his "BOO-YAH" on when he talks to "his boy KG" Kevin Garnett, but if Muhammad Ali is going to talk to Sportscenter, you know Stuart's going to be wearing his glasses.
Maybe it's just me. I like my references subtle. Olbermann and Patrick were like that. Kenny Mayne and Rich Eisen were like that. Kilborn was like that, to a lesser extent. But others brought up some good points. The top 10 nominee things, the Budweiser Hot Seat, and stuff like that cluttered up the show.
I think that another thing that killed Sportscenter was the ticker across the bottom. That's when I really started to lose interest in watching the whole show. Sportscenter (and shows like it) tell a story with the show. They dedicate a few minutes of highlights to conclude with the score. But when you're watchign that and the score pops onto the bottom of the screen, the drama is gone. There's nothing like the letdown of missing a game and throwing on Sportscenter and watch the anchor start to talk about the game, build it up, and halfway through see "BOSTON 5 NEW YORK 4" pop up on the bottom of the screen. It'd be like watching Law and Order and seeing on the bottom of the screen "MOTHER ACTUALLY KILLED DAUGHTER'S BOYFRIEND".
The rest of the show wouldn't be as interesting, would it?
As it stands, if I want to find out sports info, I turn on ESPNEWS over Sportscenter if both are on at the same time. It's less annoying.
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I used to come here a lot. Now, not so much.
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