When Did Sportscenter Jump The Shark?

[hancox]

Agreed, I dont know how fathead berman or stu-ya boo-ya have jobs. They are both hacks.

Besides the only good show on ESPN is PTI and I dont even watch it. Go figure.

Agreed. A daily watch for me, even after the stupid drag-into-sportscenter bit.

 

[btharner]

I haven't watched SportsCenter in years. It was must-see TV before I ever got the internet, but with the advent of the WWW I can get the information about the sports I follow closely and ignore those that I could care less about.

 

[whitewolf8214]

True but again these guy's get inside scoops like no one else! Stephen Ass Smith LOL.

I agree on Stephen A. Smith he is the worse

 

[Chanz01]

Yes that's my point and when did this happen? Why do you think this change came about. There are more who like it more now then not. If sponsors did not like Espn then i am sure they would be asked to leave not given more time on the air. Kinda weird more sponsor and higher ratings after this so called bad change. Now I'm not saying i like any better then the other but still kinda weird? Where are these guys now? Didn't the go to Fox sport's net? Why are they not still there what happened? I would be interested to know this?

Chris Myers went to Fox Sports. Rich Eisen to NFL Network. Keith Olberman to MSNBC. Dan Patrick to syndicated radio and Sports Illustrated. Charlie Steiner is doing play-by-play for the Dodgers. Jack Edwards to Versus. I'm sure there are plenty others I'm missing...

This is a good chunk of who was doing SportsCenter when it really grew. Stuart Scott, Linda Cohn, and Steve Levy are about all that's left from that era still actively doing SportsCenter.

 

[Lkr]

at least there is an occasional funny on sportscenter. now the lakers game today, they were rambling on about some joke for half of the game that wasnt funny at all

 

[LhasaApso]

It's not that ESPN is better now than in it's hey-day. It's that ESPN is more branded and publicly known now. ESPN has their name on just about everything these days including their own awards show, TV commercials, movies, magazine, website and clothing line.

Not to mention what used to be ABC Sports.

 

[boston area dtv]

I agree on Stephen A. Smith he is the worse

OK beat me up now. I gotta tell you, I dont mind the catch phrases if theyre witty and comical.

Stuart Scott makes me wanna puke because in MY eyes he tries to make himself the story.

I dont mind Stephen A. Smith, EXCEPT, every time he speaks it seams like he is lecturing me or yelling at me. I think his thoughts are decent (no I dont agree with all of them) I just think his delivery is tough. I might just start yelling back at him.

 

[jgags6]

I agree with you on Steven. But to me the worst is lazy-eye Stuart Scott. Also I was flipping the channel the other day and saw a new kid who looks about 13 as an anchor. He was also horrible. The only Sportscenter I will watch is the 5pm (central) show that had Chris McKendry and Scott Levy. To me they are very good.

The thing that ticks me off the most about ESPN is how they make such a big deal about football season even after the season is over. For the last week they have been having NFL Live on ever 30 minutes to talk about the draft. Dont get me wrong the draft is important, but how many fricking times can you talk about stupid mock drafts and who is going to pick who, when in reality, Mel Kipper JR is only going to be right like 4 times in the whole draft.

 

[BlackHitachi]

The only Sportscenter I will watch is the 5pm (central) show that had Chris McKendry and Scott Levy. To me they are very good.

Wow you can stay up and watch the whole boring episode! Yea i don't like Stew but won't make fun of his glass eye!

 

[houselog442]

Wow you can stay up and watch the whole boring episode! Yea i don't like Stew but won't make fun of his glass eye!

I'm just waiting till they finally do the world a favor and fire the ghetto street talk wannabe/fraud Stuart Scott!

 

[BlackHitachi]

I hear ya found a bit about him.

At SportsCenter Scott was part of a duo with Rich Eisen which made both famous. His use of non-standard English elevated his profile as a sports broadcaster. Scott's supporters insist his style effectively taps into hip-hop language and culture of a youth demographic critical to ESPN's ratings success. Some have criticized Scott for plagiarism. One of his most famous oft-repeated phrases, "he's as cool as the other side of the pillow", was lifted from at least one other sports commentator (Wayne Walker, former NFL great and analyst for the San Francisco 49ers' radio broadcasts. He occasionally used this line throughout the 1980s to characterize the composed play of legendary quarterback Joe Montana. It has not been confirmed that Scott has publicly acknowledged Walker's authorship or prior usage of this phrase) :

 

[cybok0]

The only shows I like on the ESPN channels are Mike & Mike, First Take, PTI and Around the Horn....And even Rome is Burning.

Sportscenter lost me with the "Budweiser Hot Seat" and other stupid skits.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Rome drives me nuts with his attempts at hip-hop lingo. My pets are his descriptions of weed - "hippy lettuce", and "smoking tree". Other than that, he does a pretty good job. Good guests.

 

[hancox]

I dont mind Stephen A. Smith, EXCEPT, every time he speaks it seams like he is lecturing me or yelling at me. I think his thoughts are decent (no I dont agree with all of them) I just think his delivery is tough. I might just start yelling back at him.

That's why we call him Screamin' A Smith. He's a first-rate clown.

Honestly, he's better on radio - used to people yelling at me in that medium. LOL

 

[kennya]

I watch Sports Center once a day, usually in the morning before work and whenever I wake up on the weekends. I enjoy Steve Levy and John Anderson cause I think they are funny and a pretty good team. I am like most of you though and can't friggin stand Stephen A Smith. I will throw another one in the mix of idiots at ESPN, Skip Bayless.....

 

[brainiac]

SportsCenter jumped the shark from the minute Chris Berman joined them in 1979, and he started with the nicknames. He became famous because of it, not the quality of his reporting. Guys have been trying to come up with their own schtick ever since. Patrick, Olbermann, Kilborn, Scott, et al, all had a gimmick or catch phrase. The whole network got caught up in it -- who doesn't remember their "In your face!" campaign?

 

[Tampa8]

Wow, you guys are right on the money. Didn't even realize I was no longer watching Sports Center much at all, used to all the time. I can't pinpoint when or why...........

 

[Paul Wozniak]

That's why we call him Screamin' A Smith. He's a first-rate clown.

Honestly, he's better on radio - used to people yelling at me in that medium. LOL

I heard a rumor that he is heading for a Knick's front office position. He'll be the Matt Millen of basketball.

 

[riffjim4069]

A few years ago I would watch Sportscenter at least once, most of the time twice per day. Then, slowly Sportscenter started to become more about the Sportscasters and their signature quips than the sports themselves. The jokes, gags and editorial comments turned me off and I lost interest.

After the launch of the Big Ten Network last fall and the ramping up of HD content on my local FSN I realized last night that I hadn't watched a single episode of Sportscenter in weeks. So I tuned in to Sportscenter last night just in time to hear one of the talking heads say something like, "we have a winner, chicken dinner."

*click* I changed the channel.

I agree! I used to watch Sportscenter religiously years ago, but I have rarely watched the show over the past 10 years. ESPN turned a fast-action, fact-filled, fun-filled, highly entertaining way to present the days sporting news and replaced it with crapola. These days, I just pull down the information I need from the net and save almost an hour of my time in the process.

 

[db2]

SportsCenter jumped the shark from the minute Chris Berman joined them in 1979, and he started with the nicknames. He became famous because of it, not the quality of his reporting. Guys have been trying to come up with their own schtick ever since. Patrick, Olbermann, Kilborn, Scott, et al, all had a gimmick or catch phrase. The whole network got caught up in it -- who doesn't remember their "In your face!" campaign?

Lots of good posts here guys. Out of all of them I think I agree the most with brainiac's above. Once upon a time Chris Berman's schtick might have been original, and even funny, but now we have him to thank for starting the whole, "reporters are more important than the news" movement.