Quote:
Originally Posted by Beemnseven
SmootSmack, does ESPN get all this? Do they honestly listen to the criticism? Is there a way we can voice our opinions to them? What is the reason for having guests in the booth for a quarter talking about everything BUT football? No other network has a guest line up like that!
Personally, I thought the old Sunday night crew of Mike Patrick, Paul McGuire and Joe Thiesmann was fine.
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Yes we do of course. For one thing, there are much fewer entertainment guests this season. We also know that most “hardcore fans” think that MNF is something that belongs to them, and ESPN just happens to be airing it. And no matter what, people will always complain. They also always come back.
The idea behind having non-football guests on is to create a bigger feel for the night, and draw in the casual fan. Also, it allows Disney to cross-promote across its different properties. They have this huge platform with millions of people tuned in each week so why not take advantage of it? This is a business after all. The problem, of course, is a poor job is done of promoting the game and the guests that will be on leading up to Monday night. So come game time, most of the casual fans you’re trying to retain aren’t even watching in the first place.
There’s also a misconception that only ESPN does this, but MNF on ABC back in the 1970s had people like Ronald Reagan, John Lennon and even some Muppets in the booth. A few years ago during the Red Sox vs. Cardinals World Series (If I remember right), Budweiser bought advertising time on FOX and during the game Chris Myers would conduct “interviews” with that dude Leon. During NBA games, TNT will go into the stands and Chris Sager will chat with actors who may have movies or shows coming up.