Hey ESPN, Watch Who You Call 'Greedy & Hypocritical'
by Sean Keeley on Sep 18, 2011 4:51 PM EDT
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PrintSo here's Dana O'Neil's piece on how Syracuse and Pitt, but mostly Syracuse, are greedy and hypocritical for leaving the Big East and the blame for the conference's demise should be laid at their feet.
First of all, I refuse to believe, after everything we've seen in college athletics over the last two years, that anyone can categorize our decision as anything but "business." There isn't a shred of "personal" involved.
Second of all, Dana actually has the balls to include Dave Gavitt's actual, human-being death in all of this.
Now, on the same weekend Gavitt died of congestive heart failure at the age of 73, Syracuse has helped bury the league he so adored.
Third of all, AN ESPN EMPLOYEE IS GOING TO ACCUSE SOMEONE ELSE OF BEING GREEDY AND HYPOCRITICAL???
Here now is a list of things that ESPN has done that are greedy and hypocritical. (Please feel free to add on in the comments as I can't possibly think of them all). Oh and if karma really does work, then I can't imagine what Bristol's got in store for them...
- The Longhorn Network.
- Continuing to employ Craig James after he blatantly lied in order to get a college coach fired, even going as far as to hire a PR agency that fed ESPN information which it did no due diligence on and reported as fact.
- Suspending Bruce Feldman for helping Mike Leach to write a book about the Craig James incident even though he told them all about up months earlier and they okay'd it.
- Entering into TV contracts with sports leagues and sports entities and then tailoring the journalistic coverage of those leagues as to not upset them.
- Disregarding pro and college sports that ESPN doesn't have TV contracts or vested interest with (NHL, MMA, Arena FB, etc.)
- ESPN3.com, which exists solely as a way to bilk fans who would otherwise like to watch sporting events on a television like normal human beings in the year 2011.
- Bonds on Bonds
- Lack of fair coverage for sporting news that conflicts with their corporate partnerships, business arrangements and contracts (i.e. Ben Rotheliesberger rape accusation)
- Clear conflicts of interest, like reporting on the BCS, which ESPN owns the TV rights to.
- "The Decision"
- Hiring Rush Limbaugh.
- Dick Vitale and his blatant homerism for Duke and North Carolina.
- Referring to Steve Phillips an expert when he is anything but.
- The ESPYs, which have zero intrinsic value and exist solely to sell advertising.
- Joe Schad stealing stories from other journalists and claiming he first reported them.
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Cancelling Playmakers to appease the NFL
by PMS 1655 C on Sep 18, 2011 4:55 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
The worst part
is when she says something along the lines of “maybe it’s a blessing Gavitt didn’t live to see this.”
Die-hard Mets fan and blogger: http://www.thekingsofqueens.wordpress.com
There are so many..
1. Hiring non player Sean salisbury as an NFL “expert analyst” after having played about 6 games over 15 seasons.
2. Hiring and employing fraud and biased Doug Gottlieb.
3. “who’s now?” in sports center.
4. Skip bayless.
5. Paying people to sit through a taping of Stephen A. Smith’s talk show.
6. Purchasing the rights to broadcast to bowl games that aren’t well-attended, thereby ensuring the longevity of the broken down bowl system and BCS.
And so on….
by cuselaw on Sep 18, 2011 5:01 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Their blatant Red Sox and UConn homerism
Bill Simmons anyone?
ok clearly you are a Yankee fan but they are biased towards both teams.
Bill Simmons works for ESPN, but he is like any other columnist that writes for a certain team. Also, he now has his own site which he controls all content for. Of all the things to complain about, this is not a big one.
What does Bernie think about Dana's piece?
by Hoya Suxa on Sep 18, 2011 5:06 PM EDT reply actions 11 recs
Thats my boy next to bernie
Drew Donovan newest CPA, congrats!
by CusebombJim on Sep 19, 2011 8:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
How About
the changes to NCAA schedules over the past decades, certainly there are layers of hypocrisy when we bring up the “student-athlete” discussion, but college football games in prime time on tuesdays-fridays and events like the 24 hour college bball season kickoff aren’t scheduled with regards to anything but ESPN’s pocket
Notre Dame?
Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame. You know, Notre Dame.
Die-hard Mets fan and blogger: http://www.thekingsofqueens.wordpress.com
Logical flaw
Her piece claims SU and Pitt created the instability in the Big East. The reality is the countless ESPN pieces created the instability. How many articles have we collectively read and stories have we watched speculating any/all of the following:
- The Big 10 pilfering SU or Rutgers to get the NY market.
- WVU jumping to [pick a better football conference]
- The Big 10 taking Pitt whenever Joe Paterno retired from PSU.
- Countless other articles predicting conference shuffling of all types.
And so on. Not to mention the other 1000+ times that the various ESPN college football pundits believed it was part of their job description to disparage the quality of Big East football and/or question whether the Big East deserved its AQ status. Blame SU for the instability? Hardly.
At least they act liked they cared about the Big East
They looked forward to our dissolving with almost apparent glee, and even gave Craig James a chance to make a pitch for SMUto join the Big 12 when Aggie-gate started.
Soon the forgotten midwestern schools will be joining with what’s left of Big East football to form the most middling of conferences. Should be ugly.
"It's like a debate team, only instead of doing something useless you get to grade the cut and quality of meat! "-Hank Hill
I agree with all these but ESPN3. I don’t pay for cable so ESPN3 gives me access to almost every game on ESPN3, plus many more. If they were greedy, they would charge extra for it.
Your general point stands though. Nice job.
On top of that, ESPN3 often does not have ads. They just have the generic screen when a game is on commercial.
It's also often a piece of shit broadcast that freezes and stops all together with regularity.
by DukePettyjohn on Sep 18, 2011 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Seems likes thats more of an internet connection problem or browser problem than ESPN problem. Ever since I made the switch to Chrome, I have had few problems.
I'll admit
I still have espn3 problems & it’s not as good as CBS’ offerings for March Madness. Freezing and such. I love being able to watch online; hate that ESPNU games aren’t on there. It’s the only reason I still have my cable package, so kudos to ESPN for getting more of my dollars.
Rumble in the Garden - St. John's blog with thunderous undertones, on SB Nation | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
Anybody who makes a living off of collegiate athletics (except for Coaches and Such)
IMO, doesn’t get to have an opinion on the corrupting influence of money on College Athletics.
Your reaction is understandable
but I wouldn’t lump Dana in with ESPN’s broader hypocrisy. From what I have read of hers, she is usually reasonable and reports things that others won’t touch. And she has a genuine love of college basketball. Thus, maybe this piece is more of an emotional reaction to breaking up the basketball powerhouse (with G-Town and Villanova, etc) than about greed?
I’m from Bristol, CT, proud of it, but have become increasingly disillusioned by ESPN’s hypocrisy and their swelling ego and all-consuming control of sports news and college sports broadcasting.
That's not greedy or hypocritical
But accurate with alarming frequency.
We will not rest until we see these capitalist octopuses annihilated.
-Che Marrone
Yeah, you're right.
…Just chalk it up to getting carried away in the moment, I guess.
Culpability
The blame for the demise of the Big East as we know it falls at the feet of the idiot leadership in Providence. If Marinatto was too stupid to realize the landscape was such that his premier programs with football teams were looking to jump ship he’s dumber than I thought. A lot of good Paul Taglibue did coming in as a consultant. The blame is in Providence for allowing this to happen. It’s a disgrace they’re so inept. Dana O’Neill is a shill for ESPN and a Villanova hack, as mentioned above. If Nova, Gtown and the other Catholic schools are wise, they’ll look at this as an opportunity to create an exciting all Catholic league. Will it have the cachet of the BE? Probably not. But to say SU and Pitt doomed the league with this move is just dumb. The league was on life support when they expanded so far outside their geograhy and started bringing in DePaul, Cinncy and Louisville. This ACC deal makes sense and Rutgers, UCONN and WVU are now wishing they did it first. I was around when the league started and when it started getting really big I knew eventually it would implode. I’d rather be in the ACC than scrambling.
Yes and no
The blame falls on Providence of the 1980’s and 1990’s… not so much Marinatto. I mean, what was that guy supposed to do? It’s not like he refused to ask Penn St. to come back.
It was Pitt, among others, that nixed the ESPN media rights deal. It’s not like Marinatto overruled everyone… the schools make the decisions.
People talk about kicking Notre Dame out. That would require the schools to do so. And nobody really wanted that. Maybe some football coaches, but not the ADs and Presidents.
Get rid of DePaul and Marquette, etc. Really? That would have prevented us from leaving? What else… add UCF and East Carolina? We’re still leaving.
There is not a damn thing the Big East could have done to keep us… short of making sure that there were massive exit fees. But even that is not a discouragement when you are about to get a raise. And nobody would have agreed anyway. And nobody agreeing would have been reason to leave—so even bringing it up would have hastened the demise.
I know I had suggestions on how to fix the Big East, but those were shots in the dark. The Frank the Tank folks thought my Big East network would fail. Texas and ND probably would have balked at even the partial memberships. I was desperate for a way to save the Big East in case Syracuse would not be offered a seat at the Big Table.
The problem is that the Big East was a basketball conference that started playing other sports. We can be pissed off all we want, but it made Syracuse what it is today. That it wasn’t designed to last forever is disappointing, but not the fault of anyone in particular.
Until someone tells me a realistic thing that the Big East, much less Marinatto, could have done to make everyone else want to stay if a major conference came a calling, I have to call bullshit.
Dictated, but not read.
BLAME falls on whoever brought in ND without FOOTBALL
The worst decision in BEAST history brought in Notre Dame without the football program… this destabilized BEast football andhas subsequently led to… the ACC Hoops tournament in Greensboro… I dont think there will be any talk about it being SU’s home away from home.
So if Dana O’Neil found out that ESPN would likely go out of business within the next year, I assume she would refrain from looking for a new job?
'Cuse 2010, Michigan 2012
by Orange22 on Sep 18, 2011 5:36 PM EDT reply actions 7 recs
Rec'd
Spot-on analogy that I will employ liberally in all ACC/BigEast related discussions from here on out.
by ForthCountry on Sep 18, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll ignore all the other crap ESPN does but focusing on the article
she’s taking the emotional stance.
I’m 99% certain Syracuse didn’t just decide to up and bolt the Big East for the ACC for the sole reason of a couple million $ more.
The problem was, WVU is being actively poached, TCU is likely not in the Big East for the long haul, and the commissioner’s strategy was first to add Villanova (blockbuster!) then sit and wait on both adding other teams and inking a TV deal.
Syracuse isn’t leaving with Pitt in a “raid.”
Syracuse and Pitt saw the holes in a sinking ship, with water starting to rush in, and Marinatto sitting on the deck whistling and twiddling his thumbs. They decided to jump off, after hearing that a few of their buddies were about to do the same (WVU and possibly UConn, RU).
This isn’t about being immoral or hypocritical. The situation is MUCH different than 8 years ago. Signs are pointing towards a megaconference, not a conference with a hapless commissioner and basketball only schools making decisions.
Bullshit on Syracuse and Pitt creating the instability. They didn’t begin sinking the ship, They just jumped off before everyone drowned.
And, yes, ESPN is full of fucking shit. Sure, go ahead and publicize an article about greed and hypocrisy. Yet continue making ENORMOUSLY lucrative deals to broadcast student athletics. And yea, the largest voice from the “worldwide leader in sports” on fairly compensating players is the twitter feed of one of your basketball analysts.
SUCK IT.
http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/
by desoto86 on Sep 18, 2011 6:08 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
I was going to say something here, but this response is so perfect I really can’t find anything else to say.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
haha thanks
got some stuff off my chest haha
http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/
Here's the deal
Pitt’s President nixed the ESPN deal. ESPN had no choice but to kill the Big East. They have two choices… blame themselves or blame us. Nobody blames themselves…
Dictated, but not read.
hahaha my favorite moments on ESPN?
When one of their analysts like Jalen Rose or Matthew Barnaby fuck up and get arrested and they have to announce it.
That’s as close as we’ll get to them blaming themselves.
http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/
Also, don't forget, this is the same ESPN
that is going to have to negotiate with the Pac-12 about the Longhorn network and tv broadcasting. Ah…yes Dana O’Neil, it’s alllll on the presidents. No one else involved.
http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/
love how they and many other networks
talk about mike vick as if he is a hero because he went to jail for killing dogs, and lived through it.
Devoted a whole issue of ESPN Magazine to Vick
Usually a worthless read. Even more so.
Dictated, but not read.
Calling themselves
the worldwide leader in sports and being anything but.
Without Gerry McNamara we wouldn't have won 10 f-- games, not 10
Wait, the ACC's talking about renegotiating TV deals, right?
Yeah, might be too late, but I’m on the “ACC to NBC/Versus” wagon as of today
Twitter: RyanMcD29
ESPN Hypocrisy
The irony is that the employees of ESPN could likely be the largest Syracuse alumni association – so do we have anyone to blame but ourselves?
As for Dana
My comment to her -
Dana – grow up! Nordenberg’s comments are in context with 2003 – today’s landscape is survival – integrety doesn’t exist. You say SOME blame belongs to Marinatto? This was something he needed to deal with after the Big 12 defections last summer, and build on the TCU acquisition. Instead when all the dominoes didn’t fall right away he just went back to his tanning booth that apparently doesn’t have ESPN radio piped in. He missed the opportunity and after A&M started a new wave SU and Pitt no longer could wait. WVU has probaably already has a soft commitment to be A&M’s partner into the SEC once the Baylor litigation threat is contained.
You need to start drinking coffee.
bobur7, SU ’74
Doesn't ESPN broadcast the BigEast Tournament
and the ACC tourney is on CBS?
Do we need to say more?
"We don't lose hat and t-shirt games" - Tedy Bruschi
If there is a more appropriate time to utilize DWM
I haven’t seen it.
by Rocket Ship Science on Sep 19, 2011 9:24 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
You could have just said "Steve Phillips"
Remember those fucking “press conferences” with himself?
"Grind now, shine later." - Wesley Johnson
I like him on MDR mornings on Sirius/XM
Not as much as Gary Williams (the Golf Net one), but like him nonetheless.
The 'Cuse is in tha house, oh my God oh my God.
Hell, you could even through in
Forcing Limbaugh out after they (corporate & countdown team) defended his comments once the PR nightmare heated up.
The 'Cuse is in tha house, oh my God oh my God.
Ignoring the rest of the article, this part is dead on...
It is easy to place the blame for this calamity at the feet of John Marinatto, and the Big East commish is plenty culpable here. It is impossible to fathom any of this happening on Trangehese’s watch. Other conference commissioners respected him too much, and more important, his own league members trusted him to keep the Big East on the proper path.
Big East commissioner John Marinatto is taking some heat for the loss of two longtime league members.
As he starts Year 3 on the job, Marinatto has inspired neither. Swofford said during the conference call that he alerted Marinatto to Syracuse’s and Pitt’s applications early Saturday morning. By Friday night, The New York Times already had reported the story.
No chance Tranghese is treated with such disregard.
Right? Or was Tranghese treated with the same disregard by Miami/VT/BC when they left in 2003? In any case, Marinatto said it best in one of the article recently that he is constantly REACTING to put out fires. Well, now his whole league is going up in flames. He got a reprieve last year when the conference realignment gods smiled on him (or rather, Texas and most of the Big12 decided to stay put), but he still couldn’t use the intervening time to put his house in order.
I hope UConn comes with. Otherwise it will just be awkward reminiscing about the 6OT BET game during the ACC Tourney.
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