📡 Inside the fascinating relationship between ESPN and Alabama

[Rainer Sabin | rsabin@al.com]

As the program that has won five of its last nine national championships, Alabama is the top story in college football. And ESPN has made it clear it has no intent to miss it.

Inside the fascinating relationship between ESPN and Alabama

 

[TerryP]

Did not know...

ESPN's thirst for all things Alabama makes sense. The Crimson Tide has appeared in half of the ten most-watched cable telecasts ever, and Birmingham has been the No. 1 local market for ESPN's college football games ever since the network began tracking those ratings

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Did not know...

ESPN's thirst for all things Alabama makes sense. The Crimson Tide has appeared in half of the ten most-watched cable telecasts ever, and Birmingham has been the No. 1 local market for ESPN's college football games ever since the network began tracking those ratings

Bama vs Rutgers was the 1st college football game on ESPN. Bud Wilkinson and Jim Simpson (I think) were the call guys. The game was on a delayed plan and I can't remember if it was shown on Sunday or later. Charlie Thornton cut the deal for Bama and Coach Bryant asked him how much money the U of A was making . Charlie hesitated to the point where Coach said...'surely we're not paying them for the game". I believe this story is in the book The Last Coach. If you have never read that book then you missed some great great stories.

 

[TerryP]

Bama vs Rutgers was the 1st college football game on ESPN.

I'm pretty sure that was a Colorado game.

 

[JoshB]

Ironic considering how many Alabama fans profess their utter hatred for anything involving ESPN.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Ironic considering how many Alabama fans profess their utter hatred for anything involving ESPN.

I try hard to make a distinction between actual football games and all the secondary sport's shows that inundate ESPN. Life is subjective and often when the game is over so-called "experts" tend to turn loose their emotional predisposition for their favorite teams. It gets old fast and I don't see that changing regardless of how many documentaries we get on the Tide.

 

[rammerjammer]

Outside of College Football and Gameday, I do not watch ESPN.

 

[JoshB]

Outside of College Football and Gameday, I do not watch ESPN.

You're missing out.

 

[Elderfalsedemigod]

Ironic considering how many Alabama fans profess their utter hatred for anything involving ESPN.

I watch the games, I watch the programs such as CFB Live and I listen/watch Golic and Wingo. Other than that there is not anything that appeals to me. I don't hate ESPN I just don't care to watch the screaming blowhards (Michael A I am looking at you) or the circus acts (pawwwwlllll) or the other echo chamber shows. Historically I watched sports center but it has become a disjointed mess in my opinion

 

[JoshB]

Ironic considering how many Alabama fans profess their utter hatred for anything involving ESPN.

I watch the games, I watch the programs such as CFB Live and I listen/watch Golic and Wingo. Other than that there is not anything that appeals to me. I don't hate ESPN I just don't care to watch the screaming blowhards (Michael A I am looking at you) or the circus acts (pawwwwlllll) or the other echo chamber shows. Historically I watched sports center but it has become a disjointed mess in my opinion

I haven't watched any of the commentary shows in years. Their docu-series/documentaries are absolutely incredible, though. They have by far the best sports documentaries around. That and the live games (and every now and then sportscenter as background noise) keep me tuned into ESPN regularly.

 

[rick4bama]

Bama vs Rutgers was the 1st college football game on ESPN.

I'm pretty sure that was a Colorado game.

"ESPN began airing taped college football games during the 1979 regular season, starting with a game between Colorado and Oregon. The network was limited to airing tape-delayed games because the NCAA controlled television rights through exclusive contracts. However, because bowl games operate outside the control of the NCAA, ESPN was able to air the 1982 Independence Bowl between Kansas State and Wisconsin live (through a simulcast with the Mizlou Television Network) – the first live football game televised on ESPN."

I remember sitting in the Day Room while on CQ duty and watching a PAC-8 game on TV. It being on ESPN in the early day of it!

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I'm glad the article acknowledges that dynasties get the coverage, particularly their love affair with USC.

 

[rammerjammer]

Outside of College Football and Gameday, I do not watch ESPN.

You're missing out.

On what? A bunch of programs with sports journalist yelling at one another for an hour. Each trying to dissect every, jot and tittle of information some athlete said or did, all the while injecting political BS and opinion on something that has zero to do with politics. I watch sports to get away from politics.

On a side note, outside of college football, I watch very little sports. The older I get the less I care about it. Used to watch Nascar, and MLB. Would keep up with NFL somewhat, and would watch the NBA play-offs/finals. Have watched any of those sports in it's entirety in years.

 

[JoshB]

Outside of College Football and Gameday, I do not watch ESPN.

You're missing out.

On what? A bunch of programs with sports journalist yelling at one another for an hour. Each trying to dissect every, jot and tittle of information some athlete said or did, all the while injecting political BS and opinion on something that has zero to do with politics. I watch sports to get away from politics.

On a side note, outside of college football, I watch very little sports. The older I get the less I care about it. Used to watch Nascar, and MLB. Would keep up with NFL somewhat, and would watch the NBA play-offs/finals. Have watched any of those sports in it's entirety in years.

Would have taken you like 10 seconds to read my other posts in here.

 

[TerryP]

On what? A bunch of programs with sports journalist yelling at one another for an hour. Each trying to dissect every, jot and tittle of information some athlete said or did, all the while injecting political BS and opinion on something that has zero to do with politics. I watch sports to get away from politics.

I'm with you on a lot of this but I also feel like we're in a situation where people are throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Consider this for a second. Here's a list of ESPN's programs--those they've produced specifically for TV. In which of these shows are we going to see them wading into social and political issues versus staying on point? As in, staying on the subject of the sport itself?

Now, this isn't a total list...just what I've written here based on WatchESPN. (Those with check marks are the ones I avoid for the reasons stated here and as you can see it's really not that many.

• Get UP! ✓
• Marty and McGee
• College Football Countdown
• PTI ✓
• Around the Horn ✓
• CFB Live
• High Noon ✓
• NBA: The Jump
• Jalen and Jacoby ✓
• Will Cain
• Finebaum
• Stephen A Smith ✓
• Le Batard
• First Take
• TrueSouth
• 30 for 30
• Always Late
• ESPN FC
• Ariel and the Bad Guy ✓
• I'll Take that Bet
• In this Corner
• The Boxing Beat
• Lacrosse Weekly.
• E:60
• MLS Rewind
• Enhanced
• SC Featured ✓ (and only partially.)

There's a few in here that I don't watch. I'm not a boxing fan. I don't mind watching LaCrosse, but I'm not going to make it a part of my daily sports news feed. MLS Rewind, and a few others, fit in the same category of things I'm not really interested in...

BUT, as a whole, there's still a lot of good programming here that's not live sports. There's a few of the shows that are great programming but lost on some audiences (see Le Betard: "You just don't get the show.")

My two cents. Change back?

(As for a disclaimer...I tend to log on to WatchESPN A LOT! )

 

[#80]

I'm glad the article acknowledges that dynasties get the coverage, particularly their love affair with USC.

USC was nothing compared to this Dynasty.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I'm glad the article acknowledges that dynasties get the coverage, particularly their love affair with USC.

USC was nothing compared to this Dynasty.

I agree, but I remember having USC fatigue over all of the coverage.

 

[#80]

I'm glad the article acknowledges that dynasties get the coverage, particularly their love affair with USC.

USC was nothing compared to this Dynasty.

I agree, but I remember having USC fatigue over all of the coverage.

Oh, I agree 110%.

 

[JoshB]

On what? A bunch of programs with sports journalist yelling at one another for an hour. Each trying to dissect every, jot and tittle of information some athlete said or did, all the while injecting political BS and opinion on something that has zero to do with politics. I watch sports to get away from politics.

I'm with you on a lot of this but I also feel like we're in a situation where people are throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Consider this for a second. Here's a list of ESPN's programs--those they've produced specifically for TV. In which of these shows are we going to see them wading into social and political issues versus staying on point? As in, staying on the subject of the sport itself?

Now, this isn't a total list...just what I've written here based on WatchESPN. (Those with check marks are the ones I avoid for the reasons stated here and as you can see it's really not that many.

• Get UP! ✓
• Marty and McGee
• College Football Countdown
• PTI ✓
• Around the Horn ✓
• CFB Live
• High Noon ✓
• NBA: The Jump
• Jalen and Jacoby ✓
• Will Cain
• Finebaum
• Stephen A Smith ✓
• Le Batard
• First Take
• TrueSouth
• 30 for 30
• Always Late
• ESPN FC
• Ariel and the Bad Guy ✓
• I'll Take that Bet
• In this Corner
• The Boxing Beat
• Lacrosse Weekly.
• E:60
• MLS Rewind
• Enhanced
• SC Featured ✓ (and only partially.)

There's a few in here that I don't watch. I'm not a boxing fan. I don't mind watching LaCrosse, but I'm not going to make it a part of my daily sports news feed. MLS Rewind, and a few others, fit in the same category of things I'm not really interested in...

BUT, as a whole, there's still a lot of good programming here that's not live sports. There's a few of the shows that are great programming but lost on some audiences (see Le Betard: "You just don't get the show.")

My two cents. Change back?

(As for a disclaimer...I tend to log on to WatchESPN A LOT! )

I dont like the commentary type shows simply because they're full of hot takes for the sake of having them. Political talk has ALWAYS invaded sports. So, I dont get where this fantasy land of "I just want my sports without any social or political talk" comes from. Well, yeah I do. Most of the people that have a problem with it, don't actually have a problem with the political talk. They just have a problem with the fact that most of the time its not the opinion they share. Same as when people whine about basketball players "just need to shut up and dribble" but the minute an athlete or celebrity shares a political belief in line with their own they can't stop talking about it. Not saying everyone that shares that sentiment is like that but the majority are.

But like you said, the majority of shows on ESPN are strictly sports based. E:60 (though they bring social issues into some of the stories), all of the SEC Storied and 30 for 30 documentaries, etc. are some of my favorite shows on TV. Right up there with HBO Real Sports in terms of docu series type stuff.

 

[TerryP]

So, I dont get where this fantasy land of "I just want my sports without any social or political talk" comes from.

There are more than a handful of sports reporters I follow on Twitter because I want to know what their opinions are on the sports they cover--the job they're paid to do, right? So, when I look over some Twitter feeds and see guys--on both sides of the aisle--delve into political commentary it does get on my nerves.

On the same note, while I'll listen to what Joe Scarborough has to say about some political issues I don't want his opinion on sports. It's not his cup of tea. The same applies to the news desk anchor on Fox who is an Ole Miss fan (his name is escaping me.)

Most of the people that have a problem with it, don't actually have a problem with the political talk. They just have a problem with the fact that most of the time its not the opinion they share. Same as when people whine about basketball players "just need to shut up and dribble" but the minute an athlete or celebrity shares a political belief in line with their own they can't stop talking about it.

And here's where I think you're missing a point. Issues, as well as people who have differing political opinions, are not treated equally.

It's ironic you mention Laura Ingraham's quote, "shut up and dribble" when we didn't see much, if anything, from Lavar Ball telling a female reporter to "stay in her lane."

Here's a case of a person who should have been taken to task if we're going to hold each person equally responsible for what they're saying. Yet, in this case, we didn't. Whether it's a fact that is appreciated or not, it's a case of discriminating on which story they were going to focus on.

But like you said, the majority of shows on ESPN are strictly sports based. E:60 (though they bring social issues into some of the stories), all of the SEC Storied and 30 for 30 documentaries, etc. are some of my favorite shows on TV. Right up there with HBO Real Sports in terms of docu series type stuff.

I'm surprised I forgot OTL when I made that list. But, we're also talking about Bob Ley who has always been a consummate professional in my experience despite the stories he's reported on.