OT: NBA Summer League - who the hell cares?
I'm tired of ESPN trying to push this NBA Summer League on us. <:(
Every third clip on Sports Center now is highlights of young, second-rate players dunking on other young, second-rate players in what is essentially a practice.
Now I understand that the NBA made the decision to try to sell us this nonsense and that ESPN is their bitch and will promote anything the league tells them to, but nobody cares.
Football season is like a month and a half away. If you're going to sink so low as to air highlight clips of practice, then at least show us clips of first-rate players whose actual season starts in six weeks.
Now you understand why I watch less and less of ESPN everyday.
I suspect that ESPN is going to lose a marked chunk of their influence over the next few years. If you look at it, MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL all have their own networks now and can control the programming to a certain extent. The Big 10 also has their own network, and other major conferences do also, or are soon to follow. FSN is trying to bring soccer to the masses as well. Slowly these networks are making their way into the mainstream, and not just the sports tiers of cable and satellite programming.
Once enough people have had enough of the asshattery that routinely permeates the programming at once was a great network in ESPN, people are going to discover alternatives to get their news and sports fix. Otherwise, we wouldn't have all the major leagues and colleges getting in on the action. There's a market to be had, and they're taking advantage of their opportunity.
I've been asking the same thing about the NBA for awhile now. Yeah, it might be a fun sport to watch every now and then, but every year it's the same thing. You can go into each year with a top 4 teams, 2 from each league that will make the finals and win and every year it happens. Not to mention that you see those same 4 teams on ESPN and TNT every single time they show a basketball game.
Oh, and how about the playoffs... There were 3 sweeps in the 2nd round. How exciting...
What else are they going to put on? There is basically nothing going on in the sports world right now (no football, basketball, hockey, or college sports of any kind) aside from regular season baseball. I'll take some summer league highlights over constant discussion about what Tiger had for breakfast at St. Andrews any time.
But it’s not a recently played game. It's practice. At best, it’s a scrimmage involving guys who don’t play much during the regular season.
This would be like ESPN airing highlights of Drew Stanton throwing TD passes to Tim Toone during a Lions scrimmage.
And I completely understand that some superfans have an interest in that kind of stuff. Hell, when it comes to college and pro football, I have an interest in that kind of stuff.
But I don’t expect ESPN to air clips of it every 10 minutes. Most people who watch Sports Center don’t tune in to see highlights of the Toledo Mudhens-Columbus Clippers game. Why does ESPN suddenly think its viewers want to see the NBA equivalent? Save that kind of stuff for ESPN.com.
If you’re going to broadcast clips of practice, then at least make it clips of guys who see playing time in a sport that starts up soon, and not practice clips of prospects whose season doesn’t start until October.
I did hear John Wall and the rest of the top 10 draft pics weren't going to play much during the regular season. Wait, what?
"This would be like ESPN airing highlights of Drew Stanton throwing TD passes to Tim Toone during a Lions scrimmage."
Kinda like the NFL pre-season?
I think the NBA eqivalent to the NFL preseason would be, erm, the NBA preseason, not the summer league.
If bench players happen to make great plays during a preseason game, then that's worthy of a highlight every now and then.
Same thing with minor legaue baseball. If someone makes a really sweet play during a minor league game, then every now and then it might be worthy of a braodcast clip.
But ESPN doesn't broadcast minor league baseball highlights as a matter of routine practice. People who are that into baseball can pull that stuff up online.
I don't hate baseball, I'm a Tigers fan, but I'll take the occasional summer league highlight if it means one less routine baseball highlight that I probably saw yesterday and will see tomorrow. That being said, ideally I would like ESPN to air College Football Live 12 hours a day until football season starts.
it's all the best college players from the last couple of years giving 100% effort because many of them are just trying to make the team. Pretty much a college all-star league, which is very cool during the summer when there are no college sports on.
I don't really care for pro basketball but the Pistons might lose their franchise to Las Vegas. Just be careful what you say about the complete waste of time that is the summer league.
Yeah, it's not like there are 3 or 4 local groups looking to buy the Pistons. And it's not like Michigan has a massive concentration of billionaires who could step up if those groups fall through.
I care, and if ESPN bothers you so much, stop watching.
ESPN doesn't bother me. I'm a fan of Sport Center. What bothers me is that a show I'm a fan of is suddenly broadcasting clips of the NBA Summer League in between the clips people tune in to see.
This would be like telling someone not to watch a Wolvernies game because they don't like the stupid commercials they broadcast in between drives and during play stoppage.
Dear artds,
Fuck you.
Sincerely,
The best queso dip you've ever tasted
+1 :D
I stopped reading at "Sport Center". LOL
You are, of course, under no obligation to watch.
If you need to get your sports fix, the BTN is airing a ton of football-related content, and Versus is airing the Tour de France.
I don't mind the summer league stuff b/c I get to see some of these Pistons getting playing time. I watched Greg Monroe a little bit and I'm excited to see what he can do in the flow of an offense instead of the way summer league offenses are run. You can always change the channel, but I also agree ESPN and Sportscenter have become less about the actual sports and more about the TMZ aspect of stuff. Just show me clips. I hate when they show one highlight from a hockey game or something.
I couldn't give less of a shit about the NBA summer league, but I'm really not interested in hearing about football in the middle of July either.
...Wizards fan, you care.
I used to love watching Summer League games on ESPN but now they are only on NBA TV. Us NBA/basketball junkies like seeing how the kids who are killing them selfs just to make the 12th man on NBA roster are doing. Also you get a great look at the rookie class. When the Bulls drafted Derrick Rose I watched almost every game. The world doesn't revolve around you. I don't enjoy baseball at all and think every highlight looks the same. So do I watch Sportscenter during the summer? No I don't because I don't care. I go to ESPN.com where I can choose what content I watch. Don't watch or use their handy web site.
I love it. I can't stop watching. I'm what you would call a hoops junkie, and these guys are playing hard, because they are good enough to still be playing past college, and maybe not good enough to have any guarantees with some exceptions, such as Wall, who just needs as much pro pace, rhythm, and rules as he can get. Dudes gonna be nasty.
I've watched almost every day.