ESPN cutting on air jobs in latest effort to stop the bleeding.

The cable industry is killing the goose that lays their golden eggs, the consumer. I am tired of paying $120 + per month to get 38 or 40 minutes of programming per hour of viewing. I am looking at all options and all suggestions. Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered. I'm in a "hog killin" mood. :-(

CrimsonProf said:

Just about the most arrogant thing I've seen posted on this board.

I can go to the library or turn on CNN if I want my views challenged - I don't need it from Field Yates at ESPN.

Something tells me you've never had your views challenged.


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I welcome it, I do not care for people who don't. I don't think anyone is entitled to having a safe space from discourse.

I still subscribe to cable and spend $120+ a month. I need the live sports and like having a DVR -- the wife watches lots of reality TV and other crap on various networks.

I'd like to look into cheaper alternatives and ideally I'd love to pay ala carte for what we watch but in the short term I don't see us changing... The change in the industry is inevitable though.

rgw said:

I welcome it, I do not care for people who don't. I don't think anyone is entitled to having a safe space from discourse.

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Who said anything about a safe space? Good grief.

We're just saying we come to ESPN for sports and by going hard on politics, the network is changing the nature of the agreement.


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I can't wait for family dinners at Easter. I'm going to engage my family in political discussions and chastise them for expecting a safe space for dialogue.


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I cut the cord two years ago and have had no issues. I am a bit outside the city so I had to go with a directional antenna mounted on a pole but I get all the local stuff fine. Even the shopping network has a local chanel. I wonder why if the shopping network can go directly to customers why ESPN cannot? There are a number of religeous channels as well. The HD signals go a good ways so I get channels from two different cities. For ESPN I use sling TV, I think it's $25 a months for the basic + sports. I get the SEC network, Food network, some movie channels. TBS, lifetime, history, BBC and some of the stuff you used to get when cable came out in the 80's. I'm not a financial genus but $25 is a lot less than the $117 I was caughing up for Direct TV.

Clearly the cable systems and dish networks are going down. It was just a matter of time before someone found a way to deliver cafateria choice to TV and once that happened their ability to force you to pay for crap you didn't want was over. ESPN will have to adjust but after all that shakes down I think they will be fine because they still provide the content that people want.

AS for the on air personalities. I will say this about Paul Finebaum. The SEC network version of FB is nothing like the radio version of PF. Back in the day he would have been roasting Hugh Freeze on a stick every day, today he talks about Freeze like he's Jesus Christ or something. In fact I never hear him criticize any SEC school, which is pretty much the opposite of how the man got famous. He used to trash every school when they had issues. It sucked when you were the target but it was joyous when it was someone else. Today he's like Barney the purple dinosaur. "I'm ok, you're ok, we're a happy family"

They seem to make liberal use of "YAFR" {Young attractive female reporters}. The thing is that they can fire every one of them and replace them with yet younger (read cheaper) versions the following season and I doubt they will get any complaints. I don't think they will run out of young girls who will be after those jobs either. Let me see, you want to pay me to live in hotels, get free entrance to football games, a sideline pass, get to meet famous people and Be on National TV.... Why would I want any of that?

I honestly think all these places where we say "no politics here" such as family gatherings are conveniences for allowing people with idiotic ideas to feel safe in their own skin. Nothing is more likely to change minds than your own family and we're indoctrinating people to avoid these common grounds for discourse.

rgw said:

I think "stick to sports" CAN BE used as an excuse for people with garbage worldviews/opinions to be able to stay in their little box and not be challenged because they know they're garbage humans and don't want to be reminded about it in their last respite from that reality. Not all people...good number of people though...

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rgw said:

I welcome it, I do not care for people who don't. I don't think anyone is entitled to having a safe space from discourse.

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rgw said:

I honestly think all these places where we say "no politics here" such as family gatherings are conveniences for allowing people with idiotic ideas to feel safe in their own skin. Nothing is more likely to change minds than your own family and we're indoctrinating people to avoid these common grounds for discourse.

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First, you completely missed what I was saying.

Second, you've continued to be arrogant and smug while missing the point.

Third, you're proving my point by doing what you're doing.

rgw said:

I honestly think all these places where we say "no politics here" such as family gatherings are conveniences for allowing people with idiotic ideas to feel safe in their own skin. Nothing is more likely to change minds than your own family and we're indoctrinating people to avoid these common grounds for discourse.

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You must be a blast at parties.


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rgw said:

I honestly think all these places where we say "no politics here" such as family gatherings are conveniences for allowing people with idiotic ideas to feel safe in their own skin. Nothing is more likely to change minds than your own family and we're indoctrinating people to avoid these common grounds for discourse.

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There is a time and a place for everything. That is what was behind never discussing politics and religion at a family dinner, not allowing "idiots" to feel safe in their own skin. And folks desiring sports content on their sports stations may in fact be garbage, but that's not why they want their channels to provide the content they claim they will provide.

rgw said:

I honestly think all these places where we say "no politics here" such as family gatherings are conveniences for allowing people with idiotic ideas to feel safe in their own skin. Nothing is more likely to change minds than your own family and we're indoctrinating people to avoid these common grounds for discourse.

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I.e., TF sports boards...

TideEngineer08 said:

There is a time and a place for everything. That is what was behind never discussing politics and religion at a family dinner, not allowing "idiots" to feel safe in their own skin. And folks desiring sports content on their sports stations may in fact be garbage, but that's not why they want their channels to provide the content they claim they will provide.

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Yep - we talk politics and religion (and anything else) at family gatherings, but not at the dinner table where people are forced by etiquette to sit and listen. We are a very diverse family - every point of view imaginable present. It makes for some "exciting" evenings over beer/wine.

I don't like ESPN less for their non-sports related pieces. I simply tune that stuff out of hit the mute button. I love the sports content at ESPN. The literally changed the sports world. I will always support ESPN.

Politics at the dinner table is a problem because I don't want food-laced spittle from someone turning the dial to 11.


We've still gotta have some civility at least insofar as filling my stomach up.

I normally dislike the off season. But this thread is quite entertaining so far. Just don't lose Laura!

Carry on please.

:lurk5:

rgw said:

I think "stick to sports" CAN BE used as an excuse for people with garbage worldviews/opinions to be able to stay in their little box and not be challenged because they know they're garbage humans and don't want to be reminded about it in their last respite from that reality. Not all people...good number of people though...

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Another reason that people don't want to listen to a sports platform like ESPN opine on politics, is that they don't want to listen to their mostly stupid and "garbage" opinions. It's much easier to listen when you agree, as I assume is the case with you and ESPN. If always and only, with no exceptions, conservative viewpoints were interwoven throughout your exposure you might have a different take. Many get tired of the ignorance, cowardice, deceit, close-mindedness and bigotry shown by ESPN and its ilk.

And yes it's true that the primary driver behind the drop in ESPN subscription is non-political, but you are in denial if you think the unnatural forcing of political views has no meaningful effect.

UntouchableCrew said:

I still subscribe to cable and spend $120+ a month. I need the live sports and like having a DVR -- the wife watches lots of reality TV and other crap on various networks.

I'd like to look into cheaper alternatives and ideally I'd love to pay ala carte for what we watch but in the short term I don't see us changing... The change in the industry is inevitable though.

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You should look into Playstation Vue. I swapped from Directv. It has a cloud based DVR, and carries everything I want to see for 34.99 a month. There is an app on PS4 as well as Roku and Apple TV. I really like it.

TitleWave said:

Please, Disney, in the name of all that is good about your standard bearing rodent mascot, including grating woebegone misplay-by-misplay voices and Mickey Mousing-up college football announcing with every syllable, please spare Beth Moans...

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You're right, though Mickey is quite a guy, his voice, as well as Minnie's, is much more suitable to a 3 min cartoon rather than a 4 hour football broadcast.