OT: Cowherd leaving ESPN

[UConn990411]

Not here to defend Cowherd, who's generally horrible. But it's interesting to see who ESPN seems to be showing the door to. More specifically, they seem to be getting rid of their most opinionated talent, probably since those employees are most likely to ruffle the NFL's feathers.

It's a shame to see what's happened to what used to be a truly great company. But I'm enjoying watching them struggle.

 

[FartMan69]

Olbermann, Simmons and Cowherd all guys with actual opinions and personalities. Not ESPN material.

 

[Fishy]

This board is so fricken negative when it comes to members of the media. I think Jay Bilas is the only guy people like. It's really annoying.

I like most of the media. I think Jay Bilas is half as smart as he thinks he is.

I'm a wild man.

 

[Mooch82]

I like most of the media. I think Jay Bilas is half as smart as he thinks he is.

I'm a wild man.

I like Bilas, but I agree with you. I think people on here love Bilas because he's a Dukie that is generally unbiased and has been pretty pro-Uconn throughout his career. Most Boneyarders generally don't like the media if they aren't UConn cheerleaders.

 

[Versace_husky]

He was pretty good towards the mens team during the 2014 tournament run so he's cool with me.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I like Bilas, but I agree with you. I think people on here love Bilas because he's a Dukie that is generally unbiased and has been pretty pro-Uconn throughout his career. Most Boneyarders generally don't like the media if they aren't UConn cheerleaders.

I don't like Cowherd because I find nothing that he has to say interesting or provocative, and most of his little pet theories have an easily verifiable alternative explanation based in actual facts.

I can't stand him - besides the dog whistle stuff he loves - because he thinks that using phrases like "coastal elites" and "revenue streams" reflects some kind of insight that the average fan lacks but he really just sounds like a little kid reading his dad's files. Don't insult my intelligence.

Honestly, the only sports radio I'll listen to now that SVP and Russillo are done is Lebatard when i stumble across him.

 

[Dove]

Is there anyone in the entire country this board actually approves of...smh

Across the board this place loves Donny Marshall.

 

[TheRealKBuks]

Across the board this place loves Donny Marshall.

Touché sir... Touché

 

[Inyatkin]

Jay Bilas was basically alone in calling out how ridiculous the APR nonsense was. This was when the rest of the college basketball media almost to a person was swallowing the premise that UConn was deficient in the classroom and stood alone as some kind of symbol of all that is wrong with college athletics. Bilas was having none of it. For that, he deserves no end of thanks.

 

[Robertelamin]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-is-making-espn-do-some-serious-cost-cutting/

I'd imagine Grantland won't be around for that much longer and some other big names.

 

[August_West]

Is there anyone in the entire country this board actually approves of...smh

bubba the love sponge

 

[huskyinfl]

I don't want the media to be cheerleaders but there are deniers and savages that refuse to acknowledge the reality of what has taken place in the past 20 years.

 

[HooperScooper]

There's an article in today's Boston Globe on sports media (http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...ar-coverage/pcJZRfqQ5hgDD3FzqNUEUM/story.html) theorizing that Cowherd, Simmons and Olberman were all pushed out by ESPN to save money. Here's the excerpt below. Best part was the last line. I almost spit out my water when I read that since I couldn't agree more.

It’s uncertain for now whether the exodus of big-name talent — Bill Simmons, Keith Olbermann, Colin Cowherd — from ESPN recently is coincidental or connected. But the instinct is to lean toward the latter, especially after The Hollywood Reporter revealed last week that Disney, ESPN’s parent company, has ordered a $100 million budget cut in 2016 and an astonishing $250 million the following year. Cowherd, a popular and controversial radio host, is the latest to depart, with the website The Big Lead breaking the news Wednesday while also reporting that he is expected to land at Fox Sports. If a media reporter may be permitted one subjective wish, it is this: Please let Skip Bayless be next.

 

[intlzncster]

This board is so fricken negative when it comes to members of the media. I think Jay Bilas is the only guy people like. It's really annoying.

Cowherd has his schtick, and who knows if he even believes in what he's saying half the time, but it stirs debate and conversation. That's what he's paid to do and he's great at it. There's not a guy on the Boneyard who could provide anywhere near his level of entertainment as a one man sports talk show host. Get over yourselves.

I personally am a huge Cowherd fan, and used to listen to him all the time when I had a sales job where I was in the car all the time. Was by far the most entertaining of any sports talk show host out there. Just because you don't agree with him (again, this is part of his schtick) doesn't mean he isn't great at what he does.

In general, I think much of the mainstream media is a joke. There's too much better independent content out there now.

Bilas gets the praise he does simply because he's better than the alternative. The level of mainstream college basketball analysis is shockingly bad right now. Not hard to stand out in a ship of fools.

 

[TRest]

If ESPN could just cut back to maybe 6 former players/coaches on the NFL shows it would save some serious $.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Jay Bilas was basically alone in calling out how ridiculous the APR nonsense was.

This.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Keep in mind that ESPN is only about 35 years old total and has really only been the primary driver of sports content for about a decade.
What we are seeing with the bloat of contracts for content and on-air talent is similar to what universities saw when they would routinely promote the head football coach up to AD as if it were some sort of transition in to full time retirement. That often ended in disaster. That's why it's no longer a given that a football coach has the skills to translate in to running complex athletic departments with hundreds of workers, complying with state and federal laws and running constrained budgets upwards of $100m.
ESPN was cute when they were the cutting edge cable substitute for network sports. Like many industries and corporations they are learning that there is a different skillset between new/growth and sustainment. They have leveled off in terms of size and they are finding out that the pyramid is now bottomed out.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Apparently they kicked him out for certain comments regarding Dominican baseball players. FS1 is picking him up. What a stupid f-cking thing for him to say

Cowherd said Thursday that he didn't believe baseball was complex, saying a third of the sport was from the Dominican Republic, which had ''not been known, in my lifetime, as having, you know, world-class academic abilities.''

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb-says-cowherd-owes-dominicans-apology-remarks-185453392--mlb.html

 

[noeynox]

My goodness, that was the comment that got him taken off air? A little insensitive maybe, but for a shock jock that's pretty tame.

 

[Rocktheworld]

My goodness, that was the comment that got him taken off air? A little insensitive maybe, but for a shock jock that's pretty tame.

"Dominicans can play the sport, so it can't be complicated" is essentially what he said.

We've seen way worse, but as I said, it was just incredibly stupid. No way that couldn't have gone over bad. I wonder how fast he put his foot in his mouth.

 

[Rocklander]

Colin Cowherd is one of the most intelligent, and articulate radio personalities in America. Compared to the dreck we get on WFAN, ESPN Radio, and Mad Dog Radio, Cowherd is a genius. This is why he is getting a big new spot with (probably) Fox. Like any radio commentator, if you don't like him, change the channel. Keep listening to idiots complaining with call-ins. His show today included Bill Parcels, Geno, and Jake Gyllenhall. Cowherd can listen which is a rare trait of radio personalities. Auriemma pointed this out today.

 

[SWHuskyFan]

If you're bored with the radio, I recommend the Paul Finebaum show. He's kind of boring, but the people who call into the show are a train wreck. It's generally about SEC football so you get a good sampling of the more ignorant fanbases in the country. It's like going to the people of Walmart site but with audio instead of pictures.

 

[mauconnfan]

Colin Cowherd is one of the most intelligent, and articulate radio personalities in America. Compared to the dreck we get on WFAN, ESPN Radio, and Mad Dog Radio, Cowherd is a genius. This is why he is getting a big new spot with (probably) Fox. Like any radio commentator, if you don't like him, change the channel. Keep listening to idiots complaining with call-ins. His show today included Bill Parcels, Geno, and Jake Gyllenhall. Cowherd can listen which is a rare trait of radio personalities. Auriemma pointed this out today.

Colin can't hold Mike Francessa's jock when it comes to sports talk. Cowherd is a DOPE

 

[noeynox]

"Dominicans can play the sport, so it can't be complicated" is essentially what he said.

We've seen way worse, but as I said, it was just incredibly stupid. No way that couldn't have gone over bad. I wonder how fast he put his foot in his mouth.

If you've ever been to the DR, and left the resort, you'd know that they have had issues educating the population. When I was there about a decade ago, the president got elected by vowing to provide education to all children. When I asked a child who was asking to shine my sneakers for a dollar why he wasn't in school, he told me he had evening school, his classes started at 2pm.

His comments were insensitive, but they struck me as coming from someone who has been there and traveled off the resort.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Colin Cowherd is one of the most intelligent, and articulate radio personalities in America. Compared to the dreck we get on WFAN, ESPN Radio, and Mad Dog Radio, Cowherd is a genius. This is why he is getting a big new spot with (probably) Fox. Like any radio commentator, if you don't like him, change the channel. Keep listening to idiots complaining with call-ins. His show today included Bill Parcels, Geno, and Jake Gyllenhall. Cowherd can listen which is a rare trait of radio personalities. Auriemma pointed this out today.

Thanks Mrs. Cowherd.