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ESPN to reduce emphasis on College Football Playoff, to focus coverage on more schools

Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:13 am
Posted by RollTide1987
Augusta, GA
Member since Nov 2009
65090 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:13 am
This most definitely needs to happen.

quote:

According to a feature in The Athletic by Nicole Auerbach, ESPN is acutely aware of how much coverage the Playoff gets and how the focus on what’s typically been the same four schools — Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma — leaves fans and players feeling left out of the buzz during the season.

But ESPN will have to play a prominent role in changing that conversation. Lee Fitting, the network’s senior vice president of production overseeing college football coverage, admits so much focus on the Playoff has hurt the sport.

“It’s time to take a little reset as far as we’re concerned,” Fitting told Auerbach.

“Obviously, the Playoff needs to remain a priority A) for the sport and B) for business. But at the same time, I’m worried that we’ve gone a little too far away from what makes college football great — and that is that there is something in every game for the fans out there.”


LINK
Posted by SlowFlowPro
Simple Solutions to Complex Probs
Member since Jan 2004
422470 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:15 am to
so are they coming out against the 12-team playoff, too?
Posted by Skillet
Member since Aug 2006
107654 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:15 am to
As long as I can watch the games, I don't give a rat's arse about ESPN's input.
Posted by Lsuhoohoo
Member since Sep 2007
94520 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:16 am to
I'll believe it when I see it. ESPN/Disney is fairly incapable of not being a giant cluster frick.
Posted by HailToTheChiz
Back in Auburn
Member since Aug 2010
48949 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:19 am to
quote:

I'll believe it when I see it. ESPN/Disney is fairly incapable of not being a giant cluster frick.


This
Posted by CBandits82
Lurker since May 2008
Member since May 2012
54093 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:19 am to
Im shocked they have realized this.

Good for them.
Posted by JJ27
Member since Sep 2004
60299 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:20 am to
quote:

that there is something in every game for the fans out there.”


No. There really isn’t. If LSU is playing on Hulu, and you put Texas State vs North Texas on ESPN…I’m watching LSU. I’m not going to watch two shitty teams over a good team just because you want to be “fair” to the little guys.
Posted by bamameister
Right here, right now
Member since May 2016
14155 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:20 am to
If no one is watching how does that work?
Posted by jlovel7
Louisiana
Member since Aug 2014
21310 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:21 am to
quote:

I’m worried that we’ve gone a little too far away from what makes college football great


You fricking think Lee? A little bit? College football needs a huge reset. We've seen TV money basically destroy major rivalries as schools jockey for the biggest payday as well as the introduction of Neutral site games that were cool for a while but came at the expense of massive home-home matchups for a lot of schools. College football is in an unhealthy place as it's been in a long time. It's profitable but fan interest seems to be on a persistent downward trend.
Posted by Hester Carries
Member since Sep 2012
22427 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:22 am to
quote:

No. There really isn’t. If LSU is playing on Hulu, and you put Texas State vs North Texas on ESPN…I’m watching LSU. I’m not going to watch two shitty teams over a good team just because you want to be “fair” to the little guys.


You completely misunderstood that statement and what this is about.

This is about the discussion of games not the airing of games.

Also, an LSU fan wants to watch an LSU game??? That proves the statement “something for everyone”. North Texas fans will want to consume media about their game and team

This simply means they realize reducing CFB shows all season to a never ending “who’s in?” segment is bad sports coverage
This post was edited on 6/18/21 at 10:26 am
Posted by TotesMcGotes
New York, New York
Member since Mar 2009
27874 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:22 am to
quote:

No. There really isn’t. If LSU is playing on Hulu, and you put Texas State vs North Texas on ESPN…I’m watching LSU. I’m not going to watch two shitty teams over a good team just because you want to be “fair” to the little guys.

And people wonder why the Lakers and Yankees play the majority of their games on national tv.
Posted by Horsemeat
Truckin' somewhere in the US
Member since Dec 2014
13531 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:26 am to
quote:

Neutral site games that were cool for a while but came at the expense of massive home-home matchups


For a very long stretch there was nothing of value to see at LSU outside of the SEC schedule - the last big nonconference game was VTech before Texas came in, everything else was sent to neutral sites which freakin' BLOWS. I get the point is for recruiting, but imagine telling your season ticket holders to frick off while sending their home half of a home/away matchup to Houston and Dallas. I am glad this trend is dying and it needs to be completely wiped out. On campus games are part of what makes CFB great, not NFL stadiums.
Posted by tduecen
Member since Nov 2006
161244 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:26 am to
Watch them frick up by focusing on teams no one wants to watch like UCF, TCU, Boise St, etc and the ratings tank
Posted by SoFla Tideroller
South Florida
Member since Apr 2010
30108 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:27 am to
Remember a bit ago when they said they were going to ratchet back the political/SJW content? How’d that go?
Posted by TigerChief10
Member since Dec 2012
10858 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:33 am to
quote:

Also, an LSU fan wants to watch an LSU game??

JJ is a bama fan dude
Posted by Dr RC
The Money Pit
Member since Aug 2011
58071 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:41 am to
quote:

No. There really isn’t. If LSU is playing on Hulu, and you put Texas State vs North Texas on ESPN…I’m watching LSU. I’m not going to watch two shitty teams over a good team just because you want to be “fair” to the little guys.




That's not what the article is saying ESPN will be doing. They are going to ease up on talking about nothing other than the playoff.

Its not about putting schools like Texas State on ESPN while moving schools like LSU to a lower tier channel.

Last year was awful b/c the pregame, halftime, postgame and often even in game commentary was about nothing but the playoff. It was obnoxious as hell.

ESPN's coverage used to touch on nearly every game being played that day. They are simply moving back towards talking about more teams and games throughout the day.

That's a hell of a lot better than last year's "Welcome to halftime of a 10-10 game between Auburn and Tennessee. So fellas? What do you think of Alabama and Clemson's chances at making the playoff?"
This post was edited on 6/18/21 at 10:48 am
Posted by mizzoubuckeyeiowa
Member since Nov 2015
35509 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:44 am to
quote:

This most definitely needs to happen.


Posted by Cowboyfan89
Member since Sep 2015
12715 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:53 am to
quote:

And people wonder why the Lakers and Yankees play the majority of their games on national tv.

Dallas Cowboys.

The Saints fans on this board get so pissed when Dallas is in primetime 7 or 8 times each year, but this is why. Love them or hate them, fans want to watch Dallas. They don't care about the Saints or Jaguars or Browns.

But it's about time someone realizes that too much emphasis on 4 playoff spots is a bad thing. When you've had 5 schools fill the 4 spots something like 22 times since the Playoff's inception, and the focus is all on them, the other 125 schools are just fodder.

I was actually surprised to see a post on here about The Bear's comments on ULM. Why the hell would a guy from ESPN be talking about ULM in the middle of the summer?

Now the question is--how bad do they overcorrect? Every article and segment doesn't need to be about ULM, Texas State, and the battle to get to the Boca Raton Bowl.
Posted by Powerman
Member since Jan 2004
162223 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 10:55 am to
quote:

so are they coming out against the 12-team playoff, too?



Imagine how much the bowls will suck with a 12 team playoff

The best team in the regular bowl season will be ranked in the teens
Posted by Cowboyfan89
Member since Sep 2015
12715 posts
Posted on 6/18/21 at 11:01 am to
quote:

Imagine how much the bowls will suck with a 12 team playoff

The bowls suck now. What's your point?

All this does is take the 12 teams that made the New Years 6 and put them in the playoff, and the New Years 6 games become the quarterfinals and semifinals.

The rest of the bowls remain the same.
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