🏈 Great analysis by @Deadspin of what ESPN's SportsCenter does and doesn't air after viewing it for 1

[TerryP]

http://deadspin.com/what-i-learned-...source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[planomateo]

We launched Bristolmetrics, which called for me to track the content of every 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter. I spent 23,000 minutes—16 entire days!—of my 2012 in thrall to the machine.

My first thought, get an f'ing life... I wonder if he was able to automate any of the data collection, I mean how did he capture all of this and did he get better at capturing as the days passed by. Also, I have to think he spent hours reviewing the 40-50 min show noting the names of the people, teams, etc.

Gotta wonder how this data will backfire on ESPN. Assuming here that when a conference or league signs a deal with ESPN, there might be some "hidden" agreement to push that product more.

 

[PhillyGirl]

I'd be interested to see how hockey stacks up. I remember reading somewhere that overall, it consistently ranks 2nd or 3rd out of the 5 major professional sports leagues (baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and soccer). Also curious how college sports stack up, specifically basketball and football, and "less popular sports" like tennis, ice skating, swimming, etc.

 

[ElephantStomp]

I'd be interested to see how hockey stacks up. I remember reading somewhere that overall, it consistently ranks 2nd or 3rd out of the 5 major professional sports leagues (baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and soccer). Also curious how college sports stack up, specifically basketball and football, and "less popular sports" like tennis, ice skating, swimming, etc.

The NHL playoffs this year was a good example of where hockey ranks. There were a few games that were the most watched programs on tv for that particular week. On a constant basis hockey ranks behind the NFL in popularity. I think it depends on which teams are playing. The Stanley Cup finals between Chicago and Boston were ranked really high, but games like the Montreal and Ottawa series wasnt. Now that ESPN doesn't have a NHL contract they really don't cover it that well, but even when they did they didn't cover it that well thats why the NHL signed the big contract with NBC. So, from a ESPN standpoint the NHL isn't very popular, but overall it is extremely popular.

And all of this is with an incompetent commissioner. Gary Bettman is the worse head of a sports league that I think has ever been.

 

[cjaytch]

Sooo, this guy spent a year of his life discovering that ESPN devotes more time to the most popular athletes, the teams that win the most, and the leagues those players are in?

There's no need to wait, give this guy his Nobel prize now.:shake: