ESPN Cheerleader for SEC....

[billybud]

As always...Billybud was ahead of the curve...todays blog from Rolling Stone...(and I didn't write it...drat!).


http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/fea ... f-20141028

[Spence]

I would expect that ESPN would promote the SEC. They are in business together. I don't think that they think it's in their best interest to promote only SEC. They own the playoff. They will make money there regardless of who plays. I don't see them trying to hurt the SEC, but I also don't believe in the conspiracy theories around the country about the SEC and ESPN. Ohio State fans have be crying about SEC bias for years. They believe that Mark May has a personal vendetta against them. May does go out of his way to bash Ohio State, but his "Q" factor goes up 60% every time he says something negative Ohio State because of all the Buckeyes calling in to complain about his bias. ESPN isn't going to do anything not in their best interest, but they aren't going to intentionally damage any teams that may make the playoffs. The big problem is the huge spotlight that shines in the most successful teams. It wasn't like this 20 years ago. You win now and you have 50 reporters trying to expose something wrong in your program. ESPN is most guilty of that. I don't believe they care much who wins. But they really like shine that light on the top teams at the moment.

[Dossenator]

Jimbo blames SEC and espn for his teams bad publicity: http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-fo ... -espn-sec/

Apparently it has nothing to do with his QB and RB for making the news for criminal activity. I think he is stretching the espn biased a little too far with this one.

[billybud]

Well,,,,one has to wonder.

Winston yells an internet meme and is blasted for days...Nick Marshall, QB at Auburn, gets cited for marijuanna and hardly a peep. And, of course, Marshall was kicked off the Georgia team for theft earlier in his career. Most have never heard of it via ESPN.

That Georgia had four players arrested for theft in March is almost unknown

The RB and QB you mentioned have not been charged with anything, and may never be. The RB's girlfriend told the cops to go away...

The bit about ESPN heads saying that FSU "barely escaped" Wake Forest while beating them by 40 points is another ludicrous example of ESPN bias.




But hardly anyone knows of the drug culture on the 2010 Champion Auburn team ....That the school knew about consecutive failed drug tests on 12 players and kept it quiet....and that drug use led to three Tigers being charged with home invasion armed robbery.

[Spence]

That sounds more like the NCAA not doing it's job. --- per normal.

I think that ESPN does control the college playoff conversation. They pushed for it for years and finally got it. Jameis Winston is a Heisman trophy winner so he is the most high profile guy in college football, especially with Manziel gone so he has to know he is living under a microscope. Add that with the off field problems he has had (not the alleged ones, but the ones that are a matter of fact) then he is going to get some bad coverage. He reminds me of MO Clarett; he can't seem to just assimilate into the group. Hopefully he rights his path before he goes farther down that road like Mo did.

[donovan]

As always...Billybud was ahead of the curve...todays blog from Rolling Stone...(and I didn't write it...drat!).


http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/fea ... f-20141028

No...but you do not disappoint us in the fact you read it!

[billybud]

Donovan...I did read it...it came out after my rant and seems pretty similar in tone.

"
"For example, two different broadcasters on the network, analyst Brock Huard and anchor Cassidy Hubbarth, proclaimed that Florida State – one of only two teams in this week's AP top five not in the SEC – "barely escaped," "struggled" and took Wake Forest "down to the wire" in a game it won 43-3.

Or consider the way ESPN covered a pair of wins against Tennessee earlier this season. The first, a 24-point margin of victory for the Big 12's Oklahoma, was characterized on Twitter as "Oklahoma holds on to beat Tennessee 34-10." The second, a three-point win, 35-32, for the SEC's Georgia, was positioned, "Dawgs run away from Vols.""


Naw...there is no way that ESPN is not cheerleading the SEC....

[Spence]

I'm not saying they don't protect their investment, but as far as trying to bring other schools down; what financial sense does that make? If three or four SEC teams make the playoff ESPN will take a ratings bath. No one will watch it. It seems to the best thing for ratings this year would be Florida State, Notre Dame., Oregon, and Michigan State.

The ultimate foursome for ESPN would be Alabama, Texas A&M, Michigan, and Ohio State according to last years average TV rating per team.

[Cane from the Bend]

Exactly ... I was watching a half time report during one of the Saturday's games, and the espn studio guys were talking about FSU / Wake Forest, mentioning FSU as struggling against the Deacons. {espn on ABC}

That pulled my eyes from my laptop, to earnest intention toward the tv.

These idiots went on to show one clip, then said FSU gained some momentum, and managed to come away with the win --- showing the final score, 43-3 ...

It certainly raised my eyebrow.

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[Dossenator]

Gurley at Georgia suspended by Georgia for autographs and NCAA says he has to miss 2 more games for same offense as Winston (who has not missed a game...even Manziel missed a game for the autographs...AJ Green missed games for it as well a few years back).

Speaking of Manziel...he was blasted on a weekly basis last year (on an SEC team). He deserved every bit of the criticism.

Couple years before Cam Newton was blasted week after week (not only for alleged payment but his laptop incident at Florida). He too played for an SEC team.

Michael Dyer was blasted for his behavior while at Auburn....completely deserved.

Both deserved every bit of the criticism.

When QB's and RB's on high profile teams (highly ranked teams) screw up they get tons of critisicm. Winston deserves all the flack he is getting. I am shocked he is still on the team. I would not want a cancer like Manziel, Newton, or Winston on my team or in the locker room. I don't care if it costs my team wins. We all understand this is a business and integrity is not a part of the game. If you win your transgressions are swept under the rug.

Every time Jimbo talks about Wieston he sounds like a coach living in a bubble and completely out of touch with reality. It is af if his QB is a saint and has done nothing wrong. And the very thought of his RB doing anything wrong is absurd. News reported RB was under investigation and Jimbo said he was not. Someone is lieing.

That article does not give all the info. Much like stats you can make them look however you want to support your own argument. For example the article titled "Georgia runs away from Vols" was not talking away them blowing them out....it is referencing Georgia almost gaining 300 yards rushing.

I am not saying that they don't talk more about SEC teams. College football is big in the South and they know who watches and purchases the merchandise, etc. Again it is a business. I lived in Southern Cal for 7 years. They could care less about college football. It was nothing more than a foot note on local sports talk radio (they care about the Lakers, the Dodgers, the Angels, UCLA basketball, the a Raiders, the Chargers, etc).

If teams like Flor St continue to beat the SEC teams in the big games then ESPN will spend more time talking about those teams. It will not be easy though. The SEC is loaded with the most NFL talent on a yearly basis. We see that every year during the NFL draft.

I am actually hoping Ark can help Flor St and other teams cause this weekend. Go Hogs beat Miss St.

[Dossenator]

I'm not saying they don't protect their investment, but as far as trying to bring other schools down; what financial sense does that make? If three or four SEC teams make the playoff ESPN will take a ratings bath. No one will watch it. It seems to the best thing for ratings this year would be Florida State, Notre Dame., Oregon, and Michigan State.

The ultimate foursome for ESPN would be Alabama, Texas A&M, Michigan, and Ohio State according to last years average TV rating per team.

Exactly, this whole argument is crazy. It will all work itself out. Auburn has to play Ole Miss, Miss St plays Bama, Bama plays Auburn, Ole Miss plays Miss St, etc. These teams will beat each other up and they will not all be in top 4 when the dust settles.

[billybud]

Doss...big difference between Gurley and Winston.

Gurley took money....nobody has said that Winston did....not one dealer.

Signing a bunch of autographs is not an infraction.....getting paid is....

[billybud]

Winsron won't miss a game....there just is no evidence that he was paid....He signed 100's of balls at NCAA sponsored signings during the Heisman run.

[donovan]

Winston may have issues, but signing is not one of them.

[WoVeU]

The obvious charge against ESPN is the simplest one. Nobody can watch all of the games. Box Scores and commentary steer a lot of public opinion...that can only go so far but it is a factor. When ESPN characterizes a 40pt win by FSU and a 3pt win by Georgia almost completely reversed...that says something. And this happens regularly. More over, the pre-talk is full of more "let me tell you what to think" talk than election ads. Every 7.3 seconds we hear about the ranked SEC are going to lose, they have too, "it so tough in the SEC." And, "We could be looking at a 2 loss SEC team or 2 in the playoff this year." So much talk and before effort put to this it sounds a lot like "We have to pass it to see what's in it."

I thought the inaugural year of A&M and Mizz in the SEC would reign in a whole lot of SEC hype...but it really didn't at ESPN. And I do know for an absolute fact, that Maryland, Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech all played better defense against WVU than the much herladed Alabama team. They didn't get pressure on the QB and the DB's couldn't cover a Christmas Carol. Some of that got coverage, mostly by the Game Day crew...which seem to be the most honest voices they now have (Mizz and A&M seemed to have had a big effect on Kirk and Des' opinions.) But the talk I heard more of outside of the GD Crew was Bama's LB's looked good.