Is Sportscenter Dead?

[twins15]

You guys don't like Stuart Scott?

Y'all don't have to leave but you gotta get the heck up outta here!

[Teflon]

Add me to the list that thinks Sports Center is a lot less enjoyable to watch, too. I don't think anyone has brought it up because of all the love we've been giving up for noted sycophant Stuart Scott (Hey Dog! M' Man!) but am I alone in thinking Chris Berman left the realm of being amusing about 10 years ago and has more than worn-out "The Ray-dahs" and "The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field?"

I don't want to trash ESPN completely, though. I still particulalry enjoy Sunday mornings with the early Sportscenter hosted by Robin Roberts, the Sports Reporters, and Outside the Lines. I also like Pardon the Interruption a lot.

[jblaze03fuel]

Originally posted by IatricSB
Yes, I can. My watching has slowly declined from a time when I used to watch it nearly every night to a time like last year where I watched maybe once a week. But, I haven't seen it for about three months since I stopped watching completely. As such, I can't comment on whether it is continuing its decline over the past three months, but by then it had already declined to a point I could no longer watch. So yes, I can give an opinion on whether or not it has declined while at the same time saying I don't watch it.

dprestwood, the good ole' top 10 duke skool guy would tell you that your argument wouldn't hold up in court. You mean to tell me that you can judge something without even seeing it?

That's like saying you know Bonds takes steroids, but you haven't seen any physical proof.

In your opinions, it might have been declining 3 months ago, but how can you judge if it were still even though you haven't seen it? Beats me...

[AngelinOF]

Has anyone else noticed that there seems to be alot more promotion of shows on ABC also? I know that ESPN and ABC are both owned by Disney but hearing a reference to the Oscars while someone was running through a basketball highlight seems a little much to me. Also it never fails when the make a reference to Iverson's Practice diatribe the follow that up with a reference to "the Practice." Perhaps its just me because just about every show that airs on ABC annoys the hell out of me so I notice it more when they're 'advertised' somewhere else.

[attackemu]

For me, the issue with Sportscenter is less the anchors(I like Scott Van Pelt a lot...and Stuart Scott though that seems unpopular) and more the ridiculous, completely unrelated to scores and highlights stuff that they fill the show with. I'm talking about the Top 10 and the Budweiser Hot Seat and the Final Exam and the Sportscenter short film thing they've been doing today and the one thing where athletes play Taboo. That stuff has got to go. Its gotten to be more of a variety show than a news show.

[IatricSB]

Originally posted by jblaze03fuel
In your opinions, it might have been declining 3 months ago, but how can you judge if it were still even though you haven't seen it? Beats me...

Last I heard Stuart Scott was still on the show so it couldn't have improved. Not something I want to waste any more time on. However, Baseball Tonight is worth watching. Feel free to continue if you must but it doesn't change how far its fallen.

[Urth]

Oddly, despite all the well-deserved flack that he's taking here, I didn't see Stuart Scott mentioned in the Slate article.

My thoughts are that I seem to remember enjoying Sportscenter less shortly after the Olympic Games in Atlanta. I began to notice that ESPN in general seemed to buy into the "interesting anecdote" human interest stories that appeared ( some might suggest plagued is a better word ) between major events during the Olympics. Simultaneously, Sportcenter began to resemble an EA Sports commercial on a nightly basis, with this lovely trend culminating in the execrable "Gatorade Ultimate Highlight Reel".

I dunno, maybe it's the Rome Effect?

As an addendum, my wife seems to be watching SportsCenter when nothing else is on. Maybe that was the idea all along, appeal to more than just the hard-core sports fans. If so, it seemed to work.

[CMH]

Bring back Trey Wingo!

[Chappy]

Originally posted by jblaze03fuel
That's like saying you know Bonds takes steroids, but you haven't seen any physical proof.

Um... I don't think this statement helps your case...

[jblaze03fuel]

Stuart Scott was the host for 'Dream Job' so obviously the people like him, or they wouldn't just put anyone there.

Ohhhhh forget it, lets just let Iastric get on there and run the show, he knows how it all works. He'd be better than anyone ever, period!

[AngelinOF]

Yep and Ryan Seacrest is everyone's favorite on American Idol and everyone just LOVES Jeff Probst.

[IatricSB]

Originally posted by jblaze03fuel
Ohhhhh forget it, lets just let Iastric get on there and run the show, he knows how it all works. He'd be better than anyone ever, period!

No thanks, but I appreciate the offer. But if they'd like to hire me as a consultant, I might find the time.

[MrWorkrate]

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.

[NYM Fan 31]

ESPNNews over SportsCenter yes. SportsCenter is still good though/

[attackemu]

Oh yeah! I had forgotten how much I hate those special interest stories also. "Whatever happened to the Rainbow Man?" More importantly, who gives a s***?

[AngelinOF]

Didn't "Rainbow Man" end up in jail or something?

[attackemu]

He did. He had this unfortunate hostage situation where he was...hey, wait a second. I think I'm contradicting myself here.

[Whitey]

This thread can't die without mentioning how horrible that Digger Phelps and Seth Davis are.

[Cooleyvol]

JB is living proof that the maturation process skips some folks.

Dood, how is it possible to be even MORE annoying that you were in the past. I've read several of your posts recently and basically, you're a troll. Your only reason for being here, a place that you are LESS than liked, is to cause problems.

Fire away, junior as I know you won't be able to resist it.

[Teddyballgame]

Did I read this wrong or is this jblaze character telling other people their opinions are wrong and then when questioned on his own trying to say you can't question someone else's opinions?