OT: Kenny Mayne out at ESPN
Per his Twitter
https://twitter.com/kenny_mayne/status/1391846208809877508?s=21
Was obviously a diminished presence in the network in recent years, but it’s one more casualty from what for a lot of us is the network’s mid-90s Golden age. The other SportsCenter folks from that era left seem to be shunted into other hosting duties, like Rece Davis and Chris Fowler. Otherwise it’s SVP and guys like John Anderson, plus maybe Linda “12 the hard way” Cohn.
I haven't watched ESPN in a long time, but he used to do a segment on NFL countdown. I guess, he was attempting to be funny? It was presented as comedy. Holy heck was that painful to watch.
Yeah, NFL comedy tends to rival WWE comedy for cringy stuff, and that seems to apply across the board, including and especially Rob Riggle.
Oh I thought those were really funny. It was definitely a higher level of humor though.
"I guess, he was attempting to be funny?"
With all respect to WolvinLA2's taste, I'd say that accurately describes ESPN humor back to the early days of Chris Berman. It's not horrible and it's not lowbrow, but you could do a lot better. I usually find it dorky.
Like the others, Mayne is not without talent, but he gives off a "my self-definition is heavy on being cooler than thou" vibe.
I'd say that accurately describes ESPN humor back to the early days of Chris Berman. It's not horrible and it's not lowbrow, but you could do a lot better. I usually find it dorky.
This is wild to me. ESPN has some of the greatest commercials of all time. I love their humor. I guess they're "dorky" but I have no idea how people don't find them funny.
8.7.3May be generational. I find the current line up of content on ESPN to be like a rejects casting from the movie idiocracy. But I’m old, and I guess that’s what the kids like these days. And I’m guessing some old guy was saying that about ESPN from the late 80s and 90s.
Each generation keeps thinking the next is getting dumber and dumber, yet we keep on growing as a civilization. Such is the cycle…
sorry, I’m stoned. I’ll stop now.
Agree with most of what you're saying. Except for the growing as a civilization part, we worship climate circus, as China builds coal plants, we pay able bodied people not to work, we pay farmers not to farm, hell we can't even tell the difference between boys and girls today...I weep for the future
That’s just the old in you talking. Promise every generation before you has done the same thing. Yet by almost every measure we are growing as a civilization. Health, wealth, education… all getting better at the global level.
How was DC on the 6th?
Pretty accurate description. Mayne’s attempt at comedy was to act dumb. SVP and Neil Everett I find painful as well. SVP slurping everyone at the Masters was pretty pathetic as well. Always liked John Anderson though.
I have fond memories of Kenny Mayne deservedley mocking ridiculous sports figures over the years. Anyway, 25 years at ESPN is a solid career. I hope he lands on his feet somewhere that appreciates his off-beat sensibility.
I loved watching Kenny and his dry wit. “That’s his 30th home run. Not in a game. That would be a record.” Rim shot not needed.
I have to admit - I always had a crush on Linda. Anyone else notice she put on some weight after she came back? Just in the chest area, maybe from bench press workouts.
Why don't they just put the old-timers on ESPNEWS or ESPNU?
Too expensive.
I always liked Mayne a lot. Very clever. I thought he should have been a bigger star than he turned out to be.
I loved his creativity and willingness to trust it. ESPN didn’t gas him because his humor stopped working, it was because he didn’t fit into their cost-benefit equation any more. It’s always cheaper to use younger talent.
He's probably getting replaced by his Russian counterpart, Kenny Mayйski.
That was--BY FAR--the best pairing in SC history and perhaps the best pairing in broadcast sports history.
There have been some other gems: Stuart Scott, Linda Cohn, SVP...but those two were must-see TV at a time when their programming was groundbreaking.
I don't know...Patrick and Olbermann were appointment television viewing ("the BIG show"), though I have been a huge Kenny Mayne fan too.
And I think Fowler is terrible and always has been.
Ahhh the days before ESJWPN.
the WHIFF!!
Would have to imagine somewhat of a purge will be going on at ESPN over the next few weeks as news comes out of who they sign on for their NHL coverage.
Ray Ferraro and Brian Boucher so far.
Love me some chicken Parm!
Both ESPN, with Ferraro and Boucher and TNT with Kenny Albert (not so much with Eddie O) have done a great job acquiring talent, thus far. The Gretzky angle is interesting. I can live a few lifetimes without Pierre.
Will be interesting to see who else they fill out their rosters with and who the real insiders will be. Expecting a few more guys than normal to be crossing the boarder for part time gigs, which would be a great thing for the sport.
I had no idea he played QB at UNLV and Randall Cunningham was his backup. Well Mayne was a Sr and Cunningham was a Fr, but he can always say he was ahead of RC on the depth chart.
Kenny Mayne was at his best when he was doing highlights, because his highlight voiceovers added some humor to the show.
Now the ESPN format has changed. They don't really do highlights anymore. They do argumentative shows, 30-for-30s, and game broadcasts.
He would probably be best as a game show host, like "Stump the Schwab" or "Love Connection." You know, if those shows existed anymore.
They've had to adjust for the speed of social media, which is showing highlights in real time.
When I used to work on the west coast, by the time I made it to my hotel at night, they weren't even showing highlights of that night's games, they were already on to "reactions from tonight's blowout in Miami..." or "Let's preview tomorrow's must win game 7"
TV is a dinosaur in the latest news department, so you have to move to "here's our take on the news you already read on your phone", which has lead to the blowhard Steven A. Smiths and [insert your particular party's hated TV host here] of the world stirring shit up for ratings.
House of Highlights on Instagram is basically SportsCenter
I would watch Sportscenter if it was still highlights. It is just sad how the core business died there.
I would still watch, too. There are a lot of highlights I miss.
Sportcenter is a relic of the past. It's unfortunately become Wokecenter, with zero highlights, and talking head blowhards, who know little about sports and even less about politics. It's real bad to watch. YouTube has 10 minute highlight packages of any game you want to see anyway, so what is the point of sportcenter now??? Plus sportcenter highlight packages were maybe 2 minutes and only included the "exciting" plays, then 10 minutes of talking heads "analyzing" the games. Boring!!!! Hell, college gameday is a complete waste of time show. 10 minutes of highlights, 18 min of commercials, 32 min of lou holtz drooling over everything.
I always found this guy hard to watch.
He used to have me rolling when he would call Jose Mesa, Joe Table.
Yeah SportsCenter used to be required nightly viewing. Heck, I remember watching it TWICE sometimes after a big win back before the days before the internet, just to see the highlights again.
Now, if I want to see highlights from a game, I can get them online almost immediately after a game is done from one source or another.
I'll still watch it if I'm eating and I have nothing else to watch, but hour long highlight shows really aren't what they used to be.
+1
I also liked when the Deuce came out and you could catch NHL2night, or Baseball2night.
SportsCenter was must see TV for me. Once they put Jemele Hill on the 6:00 slot with all the movies, music, etc bullshit, I stopped watching. Completely.
Hooked on MLB network now.
12 the hard way. That is a deep cut.
Affirmation baby
What does that mean? Did she do p0rn?
Tony Kornheiser used to joke that she had 12 toes, one foot with five, the other with seven, thus 12 the hard way.
Kenny was never my favorite & at times he had me rolling my eyes but he's still watchable on Sportscenter while many are not.
Seems like they are running a Silicon Valley type model of hire lots of young talent on short, cheap contracts to see what sticks. Once that talent has started to develop then get them into a longer contract until they no longer make financial sense and cut them (exception being Stephen A Smith who makes way too much & I find incredibly unwatchable but doesn't seem to be going anywhere)
Liberals ruin everything
This post made me realize two things:
1. Kenny Mayne was still on ESPN.
2. I never watch ESPN.
Do they still have Sportscenter? I never turn on ESPN except to watch a game and just assumed Sportscenter went the way of the dodo.
Sportscenter has an Instagram and Twitter. Most of that content seems to be some random person doing a weird sports thing or not even close to sports related.
ESPN is still a channel? Huh...who knew?
They need to bring back the Ocho which was way more entertaining.
mid-90s Golden age
I miss the 90s in many ways. CFB was better. Sportscenter was better. And, a world before broadband and smart phones was better. I'd give up my smart phone, Netflix, and social media in a heartbeat to get back to a simpler life without streaming internet everywhere we go.
I’m not sure I would but get the opinion for sure. I’m more fascinated that all of the tech you listed that we have now has somehow made people dumber.
+1
Ditto.
Michigan football was better too. So long ago...
Sources are telling me he will be replaced with Al Sharpton.