More Cuts at ESPN

All true. But Amazon has developed a subscriber base that is closing in on that of ESPN. And Netflix, Apple and Amazon have the money to bid on an exclusive sports package. How long is it until they bid for exclusive rights?

 

The Tampa Bay-Atlanta game TNF last year was the highest rated show on cable by a 2 to 1 margin during that week.

Thursday cable ratings: Thursday night football falls

 

ABC/ESPN has been reshuffling the deck chairs on NBA coverage since it got the rights from NBC. A lot ot it, of course, is that TNT has set the bar so high with it's coverage, especially the studio shows. And even though it's been a couple of seasons, it feels like Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson have not melded as a team. They seem to talk about everything but the game that's being broadcast, unless it's close.

 

I don't think that a three man booth works in basketball. In fact I am not sure if anyone has really figured out how to broadcast basketball. The idea of a play by play man talking while the ball is in play and the color man talking between plays works well in football and baseball where there are brief periods of activity followed by pauses. But in basketball where there is continuous action I think it breaks down. How often is the color guy talking while the point guard has the ball out front and then something happens on-court in the middle of a sentence? I wonder if the play be play guy should be the only one allowed to talk while the ball is in play. He could intersperse commentary and play by play. The color guy would only talk at breaks in play and during replays.

 

Jackson still wants to coach again, so he's not going to be critical of players or coaching strategy.

And and Lancey noted, basketball moves so fast, you barely need two guys on the broadcast, let along three.

 

Basketball analysts are jabber jaws. Like most of the coaches.

 

Mike Gorman has shown that a TV play by play guy need not be a nonstop chatterbox and still do a splendid job of describing the action.

 

I remember I moved to the East Coast briefly and listened to him on Big East basketball and was blown away. I believe his accent has limited his national exposure. I was thinking of him as a guy who needs no color man.

 

Love Gorman. Has he always broadcast like that, or has it been more of an evolution because he's been paired with guys like Tommy?

 

He's always had a flamboyant color man, first Raftery, then Tommy, now add Scalabrine into the roster. So it might be true, but I've been listening to him for more than 30 years and he hasn't changed his style in that time.

 

What does any of this have to do with cuts at ESPN?

 

Interesting. Not sure what it has to do with ESPN staffers being cut for their political statements. But interesting.