EDITORS NOTE: I thought it would be fun to do a series of blog entries from my Friends With Out Blogs (FWOB). So I asked ten of my friends if they would like to write an entry. I told them they could write about whatever they wanted. One said no, six did not reply to my requests in any way, and three said yes. However, one of the three is so busy, she may not be able to make an entry anytime soon. We will see. Still, I have at least two entries for my FWOB Series.

The opinions express are those of the Randy and do not necessarily reflect those of opinions of the owner of this blog.

The Dark Days of Sports
I enjoy watching and following sports, from college to professional. It’s a cheap hobby (most of the time) that I’ve had for years, but lately it’s been tough to enjoy. Not because information is too hard to come by; in fact just the opposite. Coverage across the whole media spectrum is getting worse and worse.

Giving opinions about sports is half the fun. Coverage that is enjoyable to watch, read, or listen to is getting harder to come by.

There are so many examples. Pregame and halftime shows, especially for football, are turning into some kind of light-bulb joke (how many ex-athletes does it take…) with the ever-increasing cast of “experts” crowded around a tiny table to stumble through highlights and opinions. And, they actually go on National Television dressed that way.

Don’t get me started on sideline reporters.

There is no relief on the local front. I will give the Fan credit for keeping most of their radio programming local during a time where that is not the norm. That said, the afternoon radio program is awful. Too bad, because Irv Brown really is a genuine nice guy. But Joe Williams’ shtick of “the other team is always better than ours” is beyond old, and Jim Armstrong is so out of place as a full time co-host. They go to the well of pushing buttons to stir up angry calls so much it’s just a turn-off.

Speaking of Armstrong, his cohorts in newspaper are the worst of all. Mark Kisla is one of those columnists whose ego seems out-of-control right now. He is actively trying to get coaches fired, players run out of town, whatever the case may be, because he believes he either has that power, or SHOULD have that power. Not because he cares about any of our teams; rather it’s all about his own ego. In fact, the more turmoil, the better for him. Only true fans should have the right to trash their team! No one suffers more for their teams when they struggle than the true fan. We get it already.

While this is nothing new for newspapers, there is no where to turn anymore for an alternative. Too much is out there in all mediums, diluting the product to the point where instead of doing a few things well, it’s a ton of stuff done poorly.

Every sports television channel or program always tries to get the ex-jock as broadcasters to give “credibility” to their opinions. Problem is, only very few of them are actually good at it. I loved Shannon Sharpe with the Broncos, off the cuff and so animated. Now, it’s just painful to listen to him try to stumble through scripted highlights. Only TV and radio are plagued with this. You don’t see newspapers or websites clamoring for ex-athletes or coaches to write for them. But for some reason TV and radio had decided it doesn’t need broadcasters.

This wouldn’t be such a problem if there wasn’t so much time to fill. ESPN used to be so much better before branching out more and more. So, they all get more desperate for viewers because there are only so many to go around. As a result, they all try to be something else. The sportscaster must also be a funny comedian, be set apart from every other one who, ironically, tries to do the exact same thing.

So what about newspapers and the Web? While not populated with ex-jocks trying to fill time on the 24 hour network, you have egomaniacs trying to be more and more over the top trying to garner attention.

The bottom line is it will lead to the implosion of the industry, and we have already seen some negative moves, like Monday Night Football going to ESPN. The once top-ten ratings program has been reduced to amateur hour on most nights, and doesn’t crack the top 50 in ratings because of the limited exposure and interest.

Just try to watch a game on NFL Network, if you can.

Sports cost a lot of money to produce, and with it so diluted, sponsors can’t get a return on the investment. It could lead to all sports going to a PPV format. Hopefully it will never come to that, but until The Management can come up with a visionary way to put together more quality coverage, we will be stuck with more of the same and continue down this road. Competition is supposed to improve those involved. Instead, in today’s copycat world of broadcasting, it actually eliminates the need for it.

So, as it continues, I will be less and less invested in it. My wife won’t be such a football widow come fall. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

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