Wermers, ESPN, and why Main Stream Media continues to fail
It will probably go nowhere but here is the email I sent to both College Football Live and Adam Rittenberg:
Please explain how you, the College Football Live crew, and the rest of ESPN are more than happy to note and give credence to Kurt Wermers' comments about the erosion of family values at Michigan under the new coaching staff when Wermers never actually played for the previous staff. Wermers was a true freshman last year, the first year of Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, and would have been a redshirt freshman this year. He says it's just not the same atmosphere as it was under Coach Carr and the ESPN machine runs with it without noting the fact that, oh by the way, this kid never actually put on a uniform for the previous staff.
Your email didn't mention Brett Favre once, so it will go unread.
or the booing of Santa Claus by Philly Eagles fans...
"Man Ram".
A squirrel in the outfield of a Tigers game in the Top Ten plays...
or TO, or the Dallas Cowboys
"OMG X-ray of BRETT FAVRE's ARM reveals STEROID use that implicates LANCE ARMSTRONG in a scandal at the ESPY'S involving MICHAEL VICK IN PRISON and ALBERT PUJOLS TRIPLE CROWN" to prevent it from being deleted.
Why do people feel the need to post copies of emails that they've sent?
Totally in agreement, it makes you sound overly obtuse.
Brodie Dufresne: How can you be so obtuse?
Warden Heckdchi: What? What did you call me?
Brodie Dufresne: Obtuse: Deliberate.
Warden Heckdchi: Son, you're forgetting yourself.
Brodie Dufresne: The Victors Club will have his old time cards. Academic Records, W-2s with his name on them. Sir, if I ever get out, I'd never mention what happens here. I'd be just as indictable as you for posting that email to Andy Rittenberg.
[Heckdchi slaps the table]
Warden Heckdchi: Don't you *ever* mention ESPN to me again, you sorry SON OF A BITCH! NOT ON THIS BLOG, NOT ANYWHERE.
Best movie ever. Great post.
Lock the thread...
but when I think about someone being "obtuse", I think fat.
...large angles.
have read Rittenberg's blog today before you sent that.
It just seemed like the media had collaborated to paint UM in the worst way possible, downplaying any positive news and making mountains out of mole hills negative wise. Then I realized I am not crazy, its true.
fell for Wermer's BS just like it allowed Herbstreit to go live with the Les Miles to Michigan rumor. You need to remember that entertainmnet always comes before sports at ESPN- it reflects so in the title.
The ombudsperson that they had at ESPN even resigned since she could not get ethical concepts through to people at the big studio in Bristol.
The ombudslady, like most ombudspeople, had a set term which expired. The same will be true for the next guy.
could have reupped but bailed because she was not getting anyone's attention.
Remember Stuart Scott hawking Celtics chanpionship t-shirts on the postgame show last year? It was like he designed the damn things or something.
And it was a shame, because she was eminently qualified and did a fantastic job.
omsbudsman generally only stay for a short while. if you read her last column, you'll see she didn't leave because she didn't think she was getting attention.
And the new ombudsman is the asshole who got Norm MacDonald fired from SNL.
...for making "OJ is a murderer" jokes.
"Entertainment always comes before sports..."
And they largely suck at that too. Constant self-promotion now is ESPN's M.O. The oumbudsperson that you mention said in her goodbye letter that she got lots of letters from people who wanted ESPN to get over themselves and quit considering themselves part of the action. Apparently, nobody listened to her.
I saw Rittenberg's column and I thought it was pretty even-handed. By-and-large, I think that Rittenberg is one of their better "bloggers".
RIGHT ON RIGHT ON RIGHT ON....Mega Ditto's to you heck. Lets see how they respond to this. Do they continue to try to make a story out of nothing and risk the Michigan nation of refusing to watch or read anything ESPN has to report on or do they do the right thing.
obtuse haa you are the warden from shawshank, yes!!
Here is the point as I see it. This is about bad journalism. It's not about crying from the roof tops that big, bad ESPN has an anti-Michigan bias or anything like that.
ESPN reports that player X says that the family values of coach A have eroded under coach B and makes a talking point out of it. Despite the fact that player X has no credibility on the subject of family values under coach A because player X never played for coach A.
Maybe I'm nuts for caring, maybe it's stupid in the grand scheme of things, but this is just another example to me of why main stream media is being replaced by blogs: because main stream media gets it wrong and/or focuses on what drives ratings/page hits/subscriptions/etc more than facts.
This, while not as important, isn't that different than political talking heads taking things out of context. People on both sides of the political spectrum make millions and have thousands of followers in large part due to their mis-characterization of what they would call facts. I guess it just really ticks me off when those with such a large platform (Rush Limbaugh, ESPN, etc) abuse it by not giving the whole story or by flat out twisting the story (lying) to further their careers.
Be sure to let us know what their response is. I'm guessing that they'll conveniently deposit your query into their trash folder without a second thought. It really would be nice to hear a response though.
Rittenberg doesn't usually reply by email. I've emailed him multiple times and he never responds, but I've seen my questions pop up in his mailbag sometimes.
Also, when he was doing his top 30 players, I screamed and ranted about Minor not being on the list, and a few days later, he appeared. Granted, I'm sure there were plenty of others that emailed him, but I let him have it.
Rittenberg's really not a bad guy as far as the bloggers go, most of them are pretty incompetent.
And it's all M-Zone's fault, just ask Colin Coward.
ESPN is too worried about protecting their princess from people video taping her naked through a peep hole in her hotel room.
"While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future. Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin’s privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities.”
She needs to just do Playboy and get it over with...
STFU.
Seriouly just type in Erin Andrews into Google and you will get to Erin And and you will find links...
No, you'll get a virus.
The one at Metacafe was ok. Ok, so it was better than ok, ok?
"ESPN is too worried about protecting their princess from people video taping her naked through a peep hole in her hotel room."
And that's saying something.
"ESPN is too worried about protecting their princess from people video taping her naked through a peep hole in her hotel room."
I bet you're totally okay with someone video taping your wife in the shower. Then again, this presupposes that a woman would actually sleep with you, so never mind.
Videotaping a blow-up doll under a rainfall shower wouldn't be terribly exciting.
And dust off that incredibly compelling series 'Who's Now'. Would be quite the improvement. I can feel the drama building even at this very moment? Who could it possibly be?
STFU and GBTW.
Sincerely,
ESPN
potato salad