Around the NFL Week 5

[skinsfaninok]

Jets d is for real

[skinsfaninok]

Gruden just said "Id be shocked if they run here " after they run for a touchdown he says "I love it " wow

[punch it in]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Actually no he's not. For the record, I can't stand him on the air. His on-air act is tired, and was always tough to take when not in small doses. That said, what he did to grow ESPN (and sports media in general) is beyond compare. People talk about putting the work in, he really did. And he's actually quite a strong mentor off camera. I didn't ever have to directly experience it because we were in different fields so his influence and counseling for me was not like it was for his fellow on-air talent.

It's unfortunate that YouTube video has given people the impression that he's an asshole off camera, because it couldn't be further from the truth. The guys who are really assholes off camera are probably not the ones you think.

I thank Berman for everything he's done for the industry I work in, but also think it's time for him to pass the torch. Not an easy thing to do however.

In the grand scheme of things, and people im sure he is one of the "good guys". Everyone has bad days or moments, but that video was rough man. Glad to hear he is not that way day in and day out.
I do have to say that i think he was in the rite place at the rite time. I mean - he landed the job and lord knows he knows more about the sports media world than i do, so kudos. His effort and love for what he does - second to none I am sure. However i feel like espn made him a legend and not the other way around. Not even close the other way around.
Edit: if Kenny Mayne is an asshole off camera i dont ever want to know. Love the guy.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by punch it in

In the grand scheme of things, and people im sure he is one of the "good guys". Everyone has bad days or moments, but that video was rough man. Glad to hear he is not that way day in and day out.
I do have to say that i think he was in the rite place at the rite time. I mean - he landed the job and lord knows he knows more about the sports media world than i do, so kudos. His effort and love for what he does - second to none I am sure. However i feel like espn made him a legend and not the other way around. Not even close the other way around.

You couldn't be more wrong. With all due respect. I mean I wasn't born in Bristol, but I do know a thing or two about how it evolved and the people who made it happen. Berman was doing the work of what about 20 people do now, back when ESPN was on trailers surrounded by swamps.

[Lotus]

SS is right. Berman was at ESPN when no one had ever heard of the network. He was there when ESPN showed a lot of Aussie rules football because the major networks had a lock on the big time American sporting events.

I still miss the Aussie rules football coverage, 30 years later.

Berman's old-school colleague Gayle Gardner was also a pioneer, paving the way for today's female sportscasters. And she was hot.

[punch it in]

Originally Posted by skinsfaninok

I've always agreed with that. He's a good QB but not great like flacco

By Flacco you meant Breeze or Rodgers, or Manning, or Brady rite?
I seem to remember sharing the "not great" opinion of Flacco with you in some other thread and am hoping my sarcasm detector is not working?

[skinsfaninok]

Lmao yes I was joking.

[punch it in]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

You couldn't be more wrong. With all due respect. I mean I wasn't born in Bristol, but I do know a thing or two about how it evolved and the people who made it happen. Berman was doing the work of what about 20 people do now, back when ESPN was on trailers surrounded by swamps.

I said his effort and love for what he does are second to none. However our sports crazy nation needed an espn. The George Michael sports machine, as much as i loved it, wasnt enough to feed our sports crazed brains. I also gave him credit for landing the job in the first place.
Im just saying that Espn and the need for and timing of it all blew the hell up and took Berman with it. Not the other way around.
Edit: again not taking anything away from the blood sweat and tears he put into it.
He was in the rite place at the rite time. The nation was ripe for a sports only network. And good for him. Im sure he worked his ass off to help get it off the ground. Not saying he didnt.

[The Goat]

I remember Aussie rules on espn, but would argue it was already a totally established brand even 20 or 30 years ago. Shoot I watched sportscenter with buddies every day after high school.

[Skinzman]

Originally Posted by The Goat

I remember Aussie rules on espn, but would argue it was already a totally established brand even 20 or 30 years ago. Shoot I watched sportscenter with buddies every day after high school.

20 years ago... sure. 30 years ago... Not a chance. 30 years ago, ESPN was only a few years old and was showing racquetball, hurling (sort of a field hockey thing), Aussie rules football and things of that nature. Sports Center showed promise, so they started repeating it over and over.

A deal that ESPN made with the NCAA for College Basketball to air games during march madness that the major networks werent showing got people talking about them (sometime in the very early 80's). Didnt make them much money, but got them recognized. It was college basketball 24/7 for a week or two that had people asking the cable networks to sign ESPN as a cable channel.

When they started, they didnt even call themselves ESPN. They called themselves the ESP Network. Which was confusing for something that was showing sports around the clock.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Skinzman

20 years ago... sure. 30 years ago... Not a chance. 30 years ago, ESPN was only a few years old and was showing racquetball, hurling (sort of a field hockey thing), Aussie rules football and things of that nature. Sports Center showed promise, so they started repeating it over and over.

A deal that ESPN made with the NCAA for College Basketball to air games during march madness that the major networks werent showing got people talking about them (sometime in the very early 80's). Didnt make them much money, but got them recognized. It was college basketball 24/7 for a week or two that had people asking the cable networks to sign ESPN as a cable channel.

When they started, they didnt even call themselves ESPN. They called themselves the ESP Network. Which was confusing for something that was showing sports around the clock.

You are correct. I remember that some people informally called ESPN "the basketball channel" in the early 80's.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by The Goat

I remember Aussie rules on espn, but would argue it was already a totally established brand even 20 or 30 years ago. Shoot I watched sportscenter with buddies every day after high school.

It didn't really become "established" until around 1987 when it got the right to air NFL games. So nearly a decade after Berman arrived. And there were other networks that attempted to become sports networks and failed. For example, not many people know the original intention with USA Network was to make it a 24 hour sports network.

[punch it in]

Man Mike Smith looks worried as hell about losing this game. As well he should.

[MTK]

Big win for Geno and the Jets. Didn't see that one coming. I'm in a big money survivor pool and half the pool just got knocked out.

[FRPLG]

That was a horrendous holding call against the Jets too. Glad they overcame that.