The Tragic Decline Of ESPN

By Staff     Jul 6, 2005

Good news, kiddies.More crap is on its way to your television.Just when you thought that ESPN couldn’t put any more garbage on its network, the self-proclaimed “worldwide leader in sports” takes it to another level.That’s right, ESPN is [cutting back on sports.][1]Currently, the all-sports cable network is planning an overhaul of its content. Gone is hockey, and Major League Baseball will also be scaled back. In their place will be the three words that viewers hate the most ESPN Original Programming.I hope you enjoyed the unwatchable Season on the Brink movie. That’s because ESPN has more than 30 original films in the works. Also, keep your eyes out for more sleep-inducing dramas such as Tilt.Welcome to the sports network of the future.The saddest part of ESPN’s latest transition is that it moves the network one step further from its proud roots. Journalism is no longer a mission at the worldwide leader. It’s something to do when Woody Paige isn’t babbling on Cold Pizza, an annoyance squeezed in between Stephen A. Smith’s rants.It’s tragic, really.My generation of sports fans was raised on ESPN. From “the big show” on Sunday nights with Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann to daily doses of Up Close, ESPN was locked into my viewing habits. Now, it’s just an afterthought.Somewhere along the line, the network lost its way. It was doing a stellar job of telling stories and giving out-of-town highlights. I don’t know when that stopped being good enough.There are the ESPY awards and the Budweiser Hot Seat. And when ESPN is out of further programming “ideas,” it just creates more time for newspaper writers to scream at each other.The new programming will be gradually introduced in the coming year. I’ll be forced to watch at some point. After all, ESPN is the evil monopoly of all-sports networks.But when I do tune in, my mute button will be handy.You never know when Stephen A. Smith will start his next rant. [1]: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/cgi-bin/news/newsbrief.plx?id=2238937692&fa=1

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