ESPN is clearly not dead!!!
Posted: November 21st, 2017, 2:19 pmhttps://www.westernjournal.com/espn-anc ... 2017-11-20
Read the comments as well.
The host of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” made it clear in a recent podcast that in his world, there is nothing lower than prophets of doom who claim ESPN is dying because fans have started to boycott the network.
Scott Van Pelt appeared on this week “Off The Board” hosted by Jimmy Traina. He said despite claims that ESPN’s support for NFL protests will cause viewers to stop watching the network, the reality is that all is well.
Some numbers show ESPN is facing a ratings disaster. After nine weeks of the NFL, “Sunday NFL Countdown” was down nearly 20 percent, while ESPN2’s “Fantasy Football Now” was down almost 15 percent.
November Cable Coverage per source:
ESPN: 87.043M (-480,000 vs October)
FS1: 84.713M (-584,000 vs October)
Meanwhile, ESPN has been losing subscribers, with an estimated 480,000 dropping the network in October.
Van Pelt belittled those who criticize ESPN on line, saying that cyber-carping is totally divorced from reality.
“This make-believe world where everyone talks s— … this s—-talking, poke-you-in-the-chest virtual, whatever, it’s just there’s nothing more chickens— than that,” he said.
Van Pelt said if real people hated ESPN as much as cyber trolls want the on line world to believe, he would have heard about it by now.
“If that’s how people really felt, somewhere along the line, I would’ve intersected with someone that felt that way and came up and said, ‘Hey, I think your show sucks. I think ESPN sucks and I think you guys are doomed.’ Never. Not once,” he said.
He was emphatic that he has never faced negativity face to face.
“I understand why people just wanna be negative because that’s the world. And it’s only in this make believe space on the internet. Not once in my whole life has anybody come up to me in an airport or at a game or at a bar or at a grocery store or at a restaurant or anywhere on earth, not once, and said to me, ‘ESPN sucks, you suck, your show sucks. I can’t stand you.’ Not one time. Never,” he said.
Although ESPN might hear from critics who talk about canceling the network, he said the reality is that few people actually do more than talk.
“If you truly wanna boycott the NFL and you wanna boycott ESPN, the notion that some guy sitting out there, or gal, and they decide, ‘You know what, I’m gonna cut my entire cable package because ESPN gave an award on a made-up show in July because there’s no sports, to a woman who used to be a man, so I’m now not gonna have any cable TV at all and I’m gonna sit around at night and read books by candlelight like olden times because of that.’
“That’s not happening,” he said.
Van Pelt said anyone who does cut ESPN for that reason is no real loss.
“And if you did that, then you’re so dumb that I can’t even pray for you because you’re beyond hope. If that was your reaction to this, was to deny yourself the ability to watch television, I mean that just hasn’t happened and didn’t happen, so I boycott them,” he said.
Van Pelt said he tries to explain to anyone who will listen that ESPN is doing fine financially, but that few care to base opinions on the facts.
“I would try to educate people, but it’s pointless to educate people who don’t care to be educated. I guess people believe that we’re hemorrhaging money when that’s not the case,” he said.
“There’s no one in this space that is just hiring on gobs more people and aren’t trying to figure out what to do. What’s the old cliche? The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain?” he said. “That’s where we are. That’s what you’re going to get.”
The struggle to survive is never easy, he said, but he gets proof every payday that ESPN is alive and well.
“Define ‘dead’ for me. It’s crazy. I got a nice little deal here and it’s amazing, every couple of weeks the direct deposit is right there and I’m thankful and that’s going to continue, so define ‘dead’ for me.”
“Decisions to be made and difficult obstacles to overcome and no smart person would refute that, but again, when you say ‘dead and doomed and it’s over,’ that’s just patently false,” he said.
Read the comments as well.
The host of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” made it clear in a recent podcast that in his world, there is nothing lower than prophets of doom who claim ESPN is dying because fans have started to boycott the network.
Scott Van Pelt appeared on this week “Off The Board” hosted by Jimmy Traina. He said despite claims that ESPN’s support for NFL protests will cause viewers to stop watching the network, the reality is that all is well.
Some numbers show ESPN is facing a ratings disaster. After nine weeks of the NFL, “Sunday NFL Countdown” was down nearly 20 percent, while ESPN2’s “Fantasy Football Now” was down almost 15 percent.
November Cable Coverage per source:
ESPN: 87.043M (-480,000 vs October)
FS1: 84.713M (-584,000 vs October)
Meanwhile, ESPN has been losing subscribers, with an estimated 480,000 dropping the network in October.
Van Pelt belittled those who criticize ESPN on line, saying that cyber-carping is totally divorced from reality.
“This make-believe world where everyone talks s— … this s—-talking, poke-you-in-the-chest virtual, whatever, it’s just there’s nothing more chickens— than that,” he said.
Van Pelt said if real people hated ESPN as much as cyber trolls want the on line world to believe, he would have heard about it by now.
“If that’s how people really felt, somewhere along the line, I would’ve intersected with someone that felt that way and came up and said, ‘Hey, I think your show sucks. I think ESPN sucks and I think you guys are doomed.’ Never. Not once,” he said.
He was emphatic that he has never faced negativity face to face.
“I understand why people just wanna be negative because that’s the world. And it’s only in this make believe space on the internet. Not once in my whole life has anybody come up to me in an airport or at a game or at a bar or at a grocery store or at a restaurant or anywhere on earth, not once, and said to me, ‘ESPN sucks, you suck, your show sucks. I can’t stand you.’ Not one time. Never,” he said.
Although ESPN might hear from critics who talk about canceling the network, he said the reality is that few people actually do more than talk.
“If you truly wanna boycott the NFL and you wanna boycott ESPN, the notion that some guy sitting out there, or gal, and they decide, ‘You know what, I’m gonna cut my entire cable package because ESPN gave an award on a made-up show in July because there’s no sports, to a woman who used to be a man, so I’m now not gonna have any cable TV at all and I’m gonna sit around at night and read books by candlelight like olden times because of that.’
“That’s not happening,” he said.
Van Pelt said anyone who does cut ESPN for that reason is no real loss.
“And if you did that, then you’re so dumb that I can’t even pray for you because you’re beyond hope. If that was your reaction to this, was to deny yourself the ability to watch television, I mean that just hasn’t happened and didn’t happen, so I boycott them,” he said.
Van Pelt said he tries to explain to anyone who will listen that ESPN is doing fine financially, but that few care to base opinions on the facts.
“I would try to educate people, but it’s pointless to educate people who don’t care to be educated. I guess people believe that we’re hemorrhaging money when that’s not the case,” he said.
“There’s no one in this space that is just hiring on gobs more people and aren’t trying to figure out what to do. What’s the old cliche? The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain?” he said. “That’s where we are. That’s what you’re going to get.”
The struggle to survive is never easy, he said, but he gets proof every payday that ESPN is alive and well.
“Define ‘dead’ for me. It’s crazy. I got a nice little deal here and it’s amazing, every couple of weeks the direct deposit is right there and I’m thankful and that’s going to continue, so define ‘dead’ for me.”
“Decisions to be made and difficult obstacles to overcome and no smart person would refute that, but again, when you say ‘dead and doomed and it’s over,’ that’s just patently false,” he said.