Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s argument that a national sports media outlet such as ESPN has no business in reporting on “local” sports topics.
I am sorry I did not get this article written sooner. I was busy getting on the local news from Channel 3 (WKYC), the NBC affiliate in Cleveland.
After I write this, I’ll be checking out ESPN Radio Cleveland, because I like what their experts have to say on the Cleveland sports issues of the day!
Let’s face it – we get ALL of our local entertainment filtered down to us from major, national outlets. Whether it’s our television (broadcast on local NBC, CBS, FOX, or ABC affiliates), our music (which includes the national Clear Channel radio network), or our sports (such as ESPN Radio affiliates and ), EVERYTHING is centralized!
If that as the case for every other mainstream entertainment platform, why should I (or anyone, for that matter) take issue with ESPN making an attempt to provide more specific, localized sports reporting that would include high school and college sports news, in major cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles?
On the contrary, I think this is actually a very positive opportunity for all the parties involved.
ESPN – who is in no way the first (nor will they be the last) to try this – can actually improve their ability to report sports on a national level, because they will be developing much stronger “local” ties within those major markets. When a potentially interesting “local” story breaks out in Chicago, ESPN can leverage their local ties to improve their accuracy and speed in how they report the story.
ESPN can also help raise the quality of local sports reporting. Let’s not forget that ESPN is owned by the Walt Disney Company, the parent company for the same ABC network that ALREADY reports locally for each of these markets via their television affiliates. As ESPN (under the Disney umbrella) ventures into local market reporting, they will most likely do so by leveraging the networks already established through those local affiliates.
In a worst case scenario, ESPN would change nothing except the name, while the product would remain exactly the same. However, there is a strong likelihood that many organizations and institutions within each locality may be willing to provide greater access to information, because of the credibility implied from the name “ESPN.” In that case, local sports fans would soon find that they were receiving more in-depth reporting than they had previously received. It would potentially be more accurate, and more timely.
To further validate ESPN’s plan, this strategy of repackaging a product which already exists in the marketplace has been used successfully by many businesses worldwide.
Remember the Firestone Wilderness AT tire accidents of several years ago? These tires were found to be the cause of many fatal car accidents, and the Bridgestone-Firestone organization potentially could have gone out of business as a result of the backlash from the public.
How did Bridgestone-Firestone respond? They recalled the tires, repackaged their product, emphasized the “Bridgestone” brand, and continued to be a successful operation, despite the fact that consumers were still essentially buying “Firestone” tires.
As for the local sports organizations, such as minor-league, college, and high school squads, they stand only to benefit from this partnership. Attaching the letters “ESPN” to the name of the media outlet covering a local story brings credibility AND exposure into a market that otherwise would not receive that kind of respect.
When sports fans hear “ESPN” they automatically pay more attention. Did it hurt LeBron James, OR his high school St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, when they partnered with bigger media outlets to showcase James’ prodigious talents? Of course not! Instead, as a result of the increased exposure for James AND the high school, one former alumnus of the school felt compelled to make a $10M donation to the school. In addition, the school leveraged their new-found publicity and made a deal with Time Warner Cable to broadcast their home basketball games (featuring James) on pay-per-view at $7.95 each. That partnership earned the school an additional $400,000 in revenue, all of which was generated because a local story became a national one!
With greater access to those large media outlets, many municipalities stand to benefit in a similar manner because greater exposure and notoriety can help build a larger customer base, as well as help with recruiting and advertising. I’m sure that no one at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School could have anticipated that kids in California would want a #23 jersey from an Akron, Ohio high school!
And the best part of all is that ESPN is only looking to provide fans with another option in sports reporting. If you as a sports fan don’t like what ESPN has to say, then I’m sure you can find some other nationally based media outlet to get your “local” news from!
This reminds me of Wal-Mart coming in and basically closing down mom and pop stores. Or Lowes or Home Depot coming and shutting down the local hardware store.
So you don’t shop at Wal-Mart, or Home Depot?
I notice that you conveniently fail to mention the quality of the mom and pop stores.
Just because people who support local enterprises were upset that the MEAN BULLY of Wal-Mart came in and the “mom and pop” stores had to close, it doesn’t mean that the “mom and pop” stores were providing a better product, nor does it mean that Wal-Mart and Home Depot provide a poor product. All it means is that “mom and pop” couldn’t compete.
Personally, I don’t care WHAT the name is on the product, as long as the product is worth buying/using.
Second, which ‘mom and pop’ operation is going to be “chased out” by this? The local outlets are already competing against nationally based affiliates, so this is not a new battle for the localities.
Perhaps you fail to mention the quality of local reporting!
If you don’t care what is on the product, then why are you caring about ESPN being “attached to the name of a media outlet.”
As a athlete, yeah I might like to be covered by ESPN. Obviously, it has more name recognition. As a reader, fan, and someone who wants inside scoop, I want information from local beat writers who have established connections within the organizations. I don’t want the Big Bad Wolf (ESPN) coming into town trying to act like they own the place!
And ESPN would hire and employ local journalists.
Make no mistake, Stuart Scott and Chris Berman will not be covering the high school beats.
The BIG difference is that the ESPN journalists would have greater access to information.
Yeah but people like me already have established comfort levels with the “locals.” I trust what they are reporting! Call me old-fashioned!