The Ombudswoman Lays Down The Law

Friday, April 13, 2007

If you haven't read this article yet...skip this post entirely, and click on the link below. A must read.

Too much shouting obscures the message (ESPN Ombudsman)

Wow. Just wow. My first reaction is..... I can't believe ESPN actually put that on the site. My second reaction is.....What in the hell was George Solomon doing for about three months? That guy was worthless...I don't care what he did at the Post.

Here are the highlights if you don't feel like reading the whole thing:

It was mid-January, a few days before the NFL conference championships. The first shouting I heard came from a football analyst who had no doubt that the Saints were going to crush the Bears on Sunday. He was so emphatic that the guy he was foretelling the future with said, "Well, I guess there's no need to play the game, Sean. Let's just declare the Saints the winner." This is analysis, I thought, and remembered a favorite saying of the day that had once been posted on the farm stand where I buy tomatoes: "Certainty is the place you stop when you are tired of thinking."
Hahahaha.....some guy named "Sean". That's too funny.
I got to hear Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon take on the monkey on "Pardon the Interruption." Oh no, not you too, I thought. But Kornheiser and Wilbon calmed down, read some news in a normal tone of voice, discussed the news at varying volume levels, laughed at themselves and each other, and made me laugh as well. It seemed the sports equivalent of getting your news of the world from Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show." I felt better.
She's just like us!!!
In the past two months, I have heard a lot of yelling, from some but not all of the anchors, from some but not all of the commentators who rotate through "Around the Horn," from Skip Bayless on "Cold Pizza," and from some but not all of the guests who sit across from Skip and allow themselves to get bent out of shape by his absolutism.
Yes, Yes, and Yes. I'm leery of how much I'm agreeing with Mrs. Schreiber.
On "1st and 10," on March 1, Bayless' assertion that 50-75 percent of NFL players use human growth hormone made his guest, former Giants (now Dolphins) kicker Jay Feely, so mad that he fired back, "That's ridiculous. It's dangerous for you to make that claim." If one is going to speculate on limited evidence about athletes' steroid use, better to do it as Chuck Klosterman did in his thoughtful, provocative opinion piece, "Why We Look The Other Way,"
Okay....you get the idea. Needless to say......I'm pretty shocked. And I go back to my original point above. George Solomon should be ashamed of himself.

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 9:54 AM

11 Comments:

This comment has been removed by the author.
Apr 13, 2007, 10:16:00 AM  

Her article was so refreshing—I can’t believe ESPN.com actually had it on it's front page! I have a feeling the egos of both large and small Salisbury did not appreciate it, though.

Apr 13, 2007, 10:19:00 AM  

I will now dedicate my life to figuring out how to transplant Le Anne Schreiber's brain into Erin Andrews' body.

Unknown said...
Apr 13, 2007, 11:00:00 AM  

I'm really looking forward to reading her columns. She hit the nail on the head for the reasons I don't watch ATH or Sportscenter much anymore.

Brien said...
Apr 13, 2007, 11:03:00 AM  

That was beautiful... she was dead on.

twins15 said...
Apr 13, 2007, 11:38:00 AM  

ESPN tells it's "talent" that that is the way to behave!

I mean, come on...

Anonymous said...
Apr 13, 2007, 11:39:00 AM  

I wrote this comment to her:

Mrs. Schreiber,
I greatly appreciate your column. I agree that there is entirely too much shouting and absolute statements on ESPN. I love sports, but lately I feel that ESPN has been diminishing my joy. The combination of harping on certain athletes character flaws, and forced diet of a handful of teams has made me wary. ESPN has gone the way of traditional news, hyping and promoting the negative for what I assume is ratings. Jon Stewart when he was on Crossfire said about pundits and news shows “it's not so much that it's bad, as it's hurting America. But I wanted to come here today and say... Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America.” I feel the same way about some of the content on ESPN, it’s hurting sports, and I would like them to stop hurting sports. Not everything the “World Wide Leader” does is bad. I thoroughly enjoy PTI and love the radio/television show of Mike and Mike. Other shows have their moments such as Around the Horn, and with the chance to hear Peter Gammons how could I not love Baseball Tonight. ESPN on the whole is a great organization, and has benefitted sports fans with increased information and access. I agree whole heartedly with your first impression, there IS entirely too much shouting. Please continue to present your thoughts and ideas, hiring you was a great move for ESPN.

grizz3521 said...
Apr 13, 2007, 12:31:00 PM  

The "roaring red powerball" line about SportsCenter made me laugh. Great article. Schreiber > Solomon.

Anonymous said...
Apr 13, 2007, 12:34:00 PM  

+10 for Le Anne Schreiber.

Signal to Noise said...
Apr 13, 2007, 1:12:00 PM  

A-freakin-men. That was stunning.

Anonymous said...
Apr 13, 2007, 1:23:00 PM  

Nice Daily Show shout out as well...

wait, it wasn't an insult...was it?

Hmmmmmm.

the butler said...
Apr 13, 2007, 3:59:00 PM  

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