Friday, September 30, 2016

What Sports Networks/News Outlets are the Best?

            I've been doing some compare and contrast with the sports networks and news outlets that many fans have access to. Seeing which strengths and weaknesses each network has, I look at each network on how they do with their coverage of sports news and various sports events. Here's what I think of each of the major sports outlets.

Bleacher Report/Turner Sports/Sports Illustrated: Always well-known for their terrific coverage of the NBA, Turner Sports does a Cracker Jack job of covering March Madness as well. Their MLB coverage leaves a lot to be desired, but at least Bleacher Report gets into actual reporting of all sports along with other entertaining tidbits.
SB Nation: Props to SB Nation for its unique format of local reporting, where each professional team/collegiate team gets an exclusive newsfeed. These regional newsfeeds also come with pretty cool nicknames. They even kept the "Sonics Rising" feed going for all the Supersonics fans still jilted by the team's move to Oklahoma City.
CBS Sports: CBS has done great work with sports radio, which is evident in some of its clear-channel content (i.e. 97.1 the Ticket). I love the CBS Sports Minute, where the on-air personalities give their brief take on popular sports news topics. It also does great work with the NFL, which is its bread and butter, along with college basketball and SEC football coverage. Its reporting is of good quality, where the writers will typically respond to the fans in the comment section and on Twitter.
ESPN: Oh, ESPN. What has happened to you? I remember the days of Linda Kohn, Stuart Scott, and Dan Patrick on Sportscenter and that was the height of your reporting and television (along with actual reporting of sports events). Now, you've been reduced to lapping the Chicago Cubs' secretions through your daily Cubs news stories while showing favoritism towards big-market teams, the SEC or any other big-name college, particular political agendas, and 'trendy' players. You gush over any of these news items the way Roger Ailes cums at the sight of a voluptuous blonde. Yes, you go all-out on your NBA coverage and that's great. You do great with the NBA (and college football). But, you've become the sports version of TMZ. If you want a perfect example, check out this Deadspin article regarding ESPN and Tim Tebow. We get it, Disney [John Skipper]. The Cubs (and the SEC and Tim Tebow) give you a major hard-on.
FOX Sports: FOX Sports has done impressive work with the UFC, shown by their programming of 'UFC on Fox'. Their NFL coverage is also second-to-none along with its MLB coverage, although World Series ratings have gone down. Although FS1 wasn't a commercial hit, the regional FOX sports networks are still a hit. Overall, FOX Sports is a growing sprout that'll eventually become pretty damn big.
NBC Sports: I like Sunday Night Football on NBC and the fact that NBC will offer it streamed on the internet for free for non-users, even if it's only a timed preview. NBC also does good work with the NHL, capitalizing on numerous rivalries within the sport with "Wednesday Night Rivalry", a night where heated NHL rivals are pitted against each other on NBCSN. NBC also focuses on niche sports, which might not draw big ratings, but will spread out the market. Their site is kinda boring, though. There really isn't much to look at on there.
Yahoo! Sports: Not bad with the reporting. They even did a livestream of an NFL game in London that was pretty good. They could stand to upgrade their mobile feed, however.
Deadspin: Their idea of reporting is actually pretty funny. Offbeat stories along with getting in-depth on what's truly going on in sports journalism may sound corny, but it's executed pretty well. Yes, they don't usually report traditional stories. But it's created a good niche for itself and its fans.


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