I can only describe the ESPN coverage of last night’s Monday Night Football game as uncomfortable. Everyone involved was out of their element, and you could tell. These are sportcasters, used to over-analyzing the inane facets o####ame built in large part around inane facets. They’re not social commentators, or tightrope walkers, or the 15 other skills that might have come in handy in wading into last night’s environment.
By merely broadcasting the game, grabbing the ratings, ESPN could do know wrong, but do no right either. They didn’t schedule the game, and didn’t plan every aspect of the pre-game celebrations, so they can’t be blamed for sounding uncomfortable. In many ways, uncomfortable may have been the most appropriate feeling.
Think of all the limits ESPN faced. The broadcast couldn’t put their brand on this, make it their own, something they do with great expertise. Everyone who touched a microphone tripped over themselves, trying to emphasize and deemphasize all at the same time. “The amazing rebuilding of the superdome… but while the 9th ward still sits largely destroyed of course” and similar statements came tumbling out of their mouths all night.
ESPN certainly couldn’t make too much of a connection between the joy of the fans in the seats and the disaster recovery outside, not when everyone watching knew full well that the hardest hit couldn’t have afford tickets before the storm, let alone now. The people who could afford season tickets more than likely faced a long drive out of town before the storm hit, and a horrible but recoverable situation when they returned. To them, this tragedy was the same faced by people who lose their homes to forest fires, mudslides, tornados and who knows what other natural phenomena wipe out homes in North America these days. And since those people aren’t expecting to receive a U2/Green Day tribute duet any time soon, ESPN couldn’t and didn’t go too far down that path.
Thankfully, ESPN stuck with what I had hoped they would. They admitted their limitations and mostly talked football. They talked replays and 3rd and long and cover 2 defenses. And even though it seemed almost embarrassing to jump between talking about evacuees and talking about yards-after-catch, they accepted the embarrassment with dignity, and they moved ahead.
This wasn’t baseball returning after the terrorist attacks, it was something completely different. It was as if ESPN took a stand and said loud and clear “this isn’t politics, this isn’t part of an agenda. We’re not congratulating anyone, but we’re not condemning anyone either. Don't look to us for a message. This is sports, pure and simple”
I see that there’s a lot of talk on US TV lately about the legacy of the two most recent presidencies, and how history will view their accomplishments and shortcomings. But politics is a reflection of the here and now, and holds only a portion of the historical significance of an event or age. Watching last night’s football game, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s in fact a complete and utter moot argument. Not when $81 Billion dollars was lost, and 1.2 Million people were evacuated, because I can’t be the only one that thinks there’s a good chance that history texts will resign both presidents to a sidebar in a chapter entitled “The Katrina Response – A Study in Classes”. Odds are they’ll probably mention last night’s football game for longer.
Nowhere though, will they mention ESPN, and that’s exactly how it should be.
espn did plenty of talking about katrina and all the rebuilding and yadda yadda yadda...as evidenced by the 6 hours worth of pregame programming dedicated to it.
sabremeets .... You knew ESPN would exploit the story for all it was worth. It's not uncommon for most news organizations to do this. But here we had a sporting event and they just kept pouring it on in ever increasing globules in order to tug at our heartstrings. Safe to say that by the time of the broadcast of the pre-game entertainment there'd not be a dry eye in the house. Mind you Green Day and U2 weren't that bad !
The game itself might have been anti-climactic as the Falcons seemed to have been lost along the way or perhaps they were suffering from post Katrina depression .....it's something that you'd expect a lot of the residents of New Orleans still to be suffering from, considering the turmoil they had to live through.
Last edited by rampantfanatic on September 27th at 1:54 AM.
I should have prefaced that post by saying that I don't live in the US, and get Monday Night Football on a secondary feed. That meant I was spared all but the last 1/2 hour of the pre-game show. Maybe it was full of the self-congratulating pratter that never showed up in the game. But as far as the game itself went, I was pleasently surprised by the tone of the commentary. Admittedly I'm stuggling to make a defendable point here, but I really feel that ESPN did an admirable job. They had to mention Katrina and the rebuilding, how couldn't they? They had to do it in a way that wasn't pro-NFL, or pro-anything really. They were broadcasting a football game in the middle of what has to be the costliest and most embarassing tragedy in US history. The whole idea is obsurb, and yet somehow appropriate. It's ying and yang, rebuilding and continued tragedy.
And I agree rampant, U2 and Green Day were amazing.
i'm not entirely sure what a president from 6 years ago has to with anything. the last two presidents were the same guy. not only was it noted back in the early 1900s that those levies would fail, once they fell noone did anything for 5 days. my famly that lived out there is now with my family in houston. LSUfan will say that the people screwed themselves. but i know that my NO family is poor in an area noted as one of the poorest in the country. we couldnt get in to help them, they didnt have the means to get out. while its great that over $100 million FEMA dollars were used to rebuild the dome - why not use that FEMA money to rebuild cheap housing.
ESPN didn't spend FEMA's money though, Demonicume. They were just stuck covering a football game surrounded by it.
And my apologies, I probably wasn't clear enough in that paragraph - the TV debate about presidential legacy seemed to cover every subject BUT Katrina. And for that reason I think the debate was pointless. Long term I think the failures in New Orleans will overshadow whatever political decisions your presidents make. Politics has nothing to do with this tragedy, and politics neither condemns nor absolves someone based on what side of the eisle they sit.
The ESPN broadcast wasn't bad but you can stop trying to convince be that this event was good for the people of N.O.;most of the Katrina victim wouldn't be rallying around the saints if they knew 116 mill.of FEMA dollars went into the stadium versus their home.Also looking around the stadium and surrounding businesses I really didn't see too many Katrina victims.
sabremeets ...... Correct me if I'm wrong in my assumption but how can a government agency bail out a private concern to the tune of $116m while its citizens are still homeless and without some of the basic necessities of life. I'm an emigre to this country and even I can't understamd it
sabremeets ...... Has any mention been made of the latest concerning the alleged suicide attempt by Terrell Owens, the Cowboys' wide receiver ? As here in the US it's been almost none stop airtime that has been given to the story. It seems totally inappropriate to speculate on this until the facts have come to light. But leave it to the press to run with a story like this just for the sensationalism and the gratuitous satisfaction that can be brought from it. Has that situation ever materialized itself like that as part of a major story in your part of the world ?
Oh yeah, TSN.ca even had the live video feed of the Owens conference.
Sports broadcasts are usually very irresponsible about reporting things like trades or injuries, relatively unimportatnt stuff, but never something as distasteful as reporting a suicide attempt before the facts. Scary.
sabremeets.... It's definately sickening as there maybe some underlying issue the victim doesn't to be subjected to. Now we're going to have all the speculation coming out and there'll be a small cottage industry made out of this one event because it's a high profile athlete. Nothing is done when a college athlete goes on binge drinking spree and then dies. All that's done is for his or her death, is to be mourned and then life goes on.
what amazes me is that news companies obviously think that audiences are desensitized to the point that the truth is no longer newsworthy. "Star Receiver rushed to Hospital" isn't enough to get our attention?
sabremeets ....... This is just another sad indictment of our press and the lack of sound judgement. As for TO he's definately got some underlying issues with his personna. What this does for the team's season is anybody's guess. Needless to say they'll be lucky to survive and have something positive come out of this.
Their season as it is, is already in a shambles. Bill Parcells probably feels that he needs to get the hell out of the situation before his health starts to deteriorate once again.
Just watched my first ESPN Monday night football broadcast CHI VS ARZ . I was appalled. You have to be kidding me, this was the worst broadcast of a sporting event I have EVER seen. I could not take the 3 mouths that called this game and had to turn the volume off.
ESPN should scrap this Trio and start again.
gigabyte ........ You should know by now that the talent ESPN has got on display for Monday night football is not up to scratch. It's as if they've got their third team on display. Kornheiser and Theismann are just one great big pain in the ####. Tirico may just just be the one saving grace to the whole broadcast as he's about the only redeemable thing out of the whole morass. He's a sold professional that's not given his due and for one thing he's a whole lot better than the other two morons combined as their analysis is somewhat inane and nonsensical.
I am a Sabres fan, a Cubs fan, a Boilermakers fan, a Ti-cat fan and a Hamilton Bulldogs fan. I'm an obvious sucker for punishment. I believe that while playing them can be a tolerable way to kill 5 hours, there is nothing more painful than talking golf or watching poker. There's no excuse for fantasy football, no matter how bored or lonely you are. I don't consider you an athelete unless you can beat me in a race to the corner and back. I'm landlocked and terrible, but I carry on an irrational love affair with surfing. We are in the midst of one of the greatest horseracing years in decades.
