Catching The Worldwide Leader: The New Age Of Niche Market Sports Television

Chris Berman, one of ESPN's original and more polarizing personalities.  

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia and

Martin Lobberich under CC BY 2.0 License

Back in 1979 a trend was set in sports television viewing that would forever change the landscape of sports television.  I'm talking about the arrival of ESPN and SportsCenter.  For the past 36 years and counting ESPN has had a place in virtually every sports fan's life in one way or another.

In its early heyday, ESPN was the one stop marketplace for fans with pay TV to get their fix of the latest sporting events and news of the day and 36 years later it continues to have an influence on the still growing new sports network landscape whether we like it or not.

As we get further into the 21st century, another thing about ESPN is still quite clear-the network will always have its critics.  I'm one of them.  I have another confession to make.  I don't watch ESPN to get my daily fix of sports news anymore.  The only real use I have for ESPN nowadays is to watch the live sporting events I want to watch where ESPN is the only network carrying said sporting event. I also watch some of ESPN's original programming options such as Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption and the 30 For 30 documentary series.  That's it.  

So where do I get my daily sports?  With the arrival of sports networks that are specific to each league they cover, it is now easier than ever to follow the ebbs and flows of sports without having to rely on the rely on the Worldwide Leader.  For baseball there's MLB Network.  The NFL has NFL Network.  NBA TV has the Association covered and the NHL Network covers the league invented by the USA's neighbor to the North.  Each of these networks does a far superior job in cover each league's daily news and happenings in comparison to the "Big Boys" in Bristol Connecticut.  So the next time you feel yourself getting tired of the latest discussion on the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry or New England Patriots scandal, consider flipping the channel if you want a more balanced view on sports.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved      

Tim's Two Cents-December 19

I was listening to The Herd with Colin Cowherd yesterday and he brought up an interesting topic about the NFL.

NFL Network commentators Matt Millen and Bob Papa.

Should NFL Network Be Available to Everybody?  As of right now, many households do not have access to the NFL Network.  I'm one of the lucky ones who does have the NFL Network as part of my Dish Network package.  I'll be honest.  I'm not a huge fan of the NFL.  I know this may shock some of you, but I'm more into baseball and basketball.

Anyway, yesterday on The Herd, Colin was saying that the reason the NFL Network is not available everywhere is related to the business aspect of the league.  Since the NFL Network is only available on a limited basis, it increases the desire of those fans who don't have it to pay the extra cabbage to get it.  You know what?  It makes perfect sense.  The other major sports allow so much access for fans to watch games that it doesn't make watching it all that special.  For the NFL Network though, it is special because the games that are shown are some of the premiere matchups each week and only a certain percentage of the population will be priviledged enough to watch certain NFL games that not everybody has access to.  Those who do not have access will have to settle for watching the highlights on SportsCenter on ESPN.

So while there will those individuals who will be calling their local cable or satellite provider complaining they don't have the NFL Network, I'll be one of the lucky few who will get to watch the Saints and Cowboys batlle it out tomorrow night in New Orleans.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons and John Martinez Pavliga under CC-BY license
 

NFL Roulette-Week 15

Another week of exciting NFL action gets under way tonight and what better time than now to introduce my newest segment.  NFL Roulette, where I'll be providing my analysis on the key NFL matchups of the week.  With one game on the schedule tonight, let's get started!

Indianapolis Colts (13-0) Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-6)

Colts: Coming into week 15, the Colts are a team that is currently making history each week.  Along with the Saints their undefeated, making it the first time in NFL history that two teams have started the season 13-0.  They have a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Peyton Manning, who has shown that he shines in the biggest moments and has ice in his veins.  When addressing whether the Colts starters will start and play or rest up  to get ready for the playoffs, head coach Jim Caldwell has said that "healthy starters" will play.  Earlier this week, 29 of the 53 players on the active roster did not participate in practice.  This coming from an organization that has historically chosen to rest a good chunk of it's players throughout the years.  You can bet Peyton Manning will be one of those "healthy starters."

Jaguars: They could be the team that derails the dual pursuit of perfection.  Their in the same division as the Colts.  They've played them tough throughout the years.  I could see them beating Indy tonight, but I don't think that will happen.  Now if the Colts do rest their starters for a good chunk of the game, they have a slight chance.

Prediction: Colts 31, Jaguars 24