Complaints about ESPN, 2007-08

[Skitzle]

Don't know if anyone saw the "Top Moments in Last Years College Basketball Season" highlight (It was on at halftime during the Marquette IUPUI game).

The very first 1st clip. Shows Duke getting beaten/McRoberts crying on the bench with a voice over of "Not Ranked for the first time in 200..."

3rd clip. Henderson smacking Hasborough in the face.

No mention or sign of Duke after.


Sigh...

[JasonEvans]

Wanna know what is means to be the biggest, baddest, best team on the block?

When you have a down season, it is HUGE news.

I didn't notice anyone talking endlessly or showing non-stop highlites of UConn's many losses last season. They were muuuuch worse than Duke and it was not even a story. Kentucky has been as bad as we were last year several times in recent seasons and it is not news. The only team in the nation who makes news for being good-but-not-great the way we were last year was UNC in the "lost year" under Doh. I don't think even they got as much pub as we did and they were faaar worse than we were.

We rock. We dominate. We ARE COLLEGE BASKETBALL.

So when we have a good-but-not-great season, expect to hear a lot about it.

Oh, and I'll pretty much guarantee you won't see Duke low-lights like that again anytime soon.

--Jason "its good to be the king" Evans

[DukeCO2009]

Wanna know what is means to be the biggest, baddest, best team on the block?

When you have a down season, it is HUGE news.

I didn't notice anyone talking endlessly or showing non-stop highlites of UConn's many losses last season. They were muuuuch worse than Duke and it was not even a story. Kentucky has been as bad as we were last year several times in recent seasons and it is not news. The only team in the nation who makes news for being good-but-not-great the way we were last year was UNC in the "lost year" under Doh. I don't think even they got as much pub as we did and they were faaar worse than we were.

We rock. We dominate. We ARE COLLEGE BASKETBALL.

So when we have a good-but-not-great season, expect to hear a lot about it.

Oh, and I'll pretty much guarantee you won't see Duke low-lights like that again anytime soon.

--Jason "its good to be the king" Evans

Quoted for truth. Don't listen to ESPN--go Devils.

[mepanchin]

And UConn is still terrible...

but no pundits are talking about it

[Cameron]

Beautifully put, Jason. And Carolina was 8 and 20 that season. Yikes!

We Are Duke

...and everyone hates it.

[_Gary]

But the original point has merit. UConn had a very strong run for a few years, winning two championships in a short span. Yet nothing of their dismal season. Same with Kentucky. Same with UNC (I don't remember ESPN ever piling on UNC the year they were down). Only Duke gets that type of treatment.

Jason says it's all about Duke being King. I say it's half that, and half internal bias at ESPN because they are loaded with Duke haters to begin with. Sure, if we had multiple bad seasons the hate would let up a little. But let's not kid ourselves. This is about more than Duke dominance producing hatred. As I said, that is undoubtedly a part of the equation. But it's not the entire truth. This is also about pure and unadulterated bias in it's most blatant form.

Gary

[mapei]

I think that's just ridiculous. Nobody roots for Goliath. We've been Goliath for a long time. espn has given us tons of favorable coverage over the years, which plays no small part in why the rest of the country hates us so much.

[JasonEvans]

Who are the most prominent college basketball voices on ESPN. At a bare minimum, you have to say that Dickie V and Jay Bilas are in the top 3, if not the top 2.

I have a hard time believing in any anti-Duke ESPN bias while those two are the poster children for ESPN's basketball coverage.

I have not looked, but it is a pretty safe bet that we are skedded to be on ESPN more than any other team in the land this season... like we usually are.

-Jason "just because Stuart Scott went to Carolina and ESPN is based in Bristol, there is not an anti-Duke bias there" Evans

[dw0827]

I live in the midwest, and primarily because of ESPN, I am able to watch Duke play on TV almost every game. There are maybe three games all year that aren't televised . .

Talk is cheap . . . the talking heads can say whatever they want about Duke . . . sticks and stones and all that . . . but what really matters, whats really important is the fact that ESPN wants Duke on TV because thats how they get ratings and sell ad time and make money.

Everything else is drivel.

[Cameron]

ESPN is Duke's Basketball Network. Much like NBC is Notre Dame's, except our agreement isn't as formal. We don't have EVERY game televised by the network, but we do have 15 scheduled games on ESPN (plus a possible two more in Maui and then in the ACC Tournament), which is more than any other team in the nation (pretty positive on that).

Personally, I think it's funny when fans of UK and Carolina complain that "DSPN" shows too many Blue Devil games. It just shows their inferiority complex with us. And, no matter what they tell you, they have it. Look at both schools' boards. I mean Kentucky has K hating threads running 24/7 (their hate for '92 is just so pathetic) and IC usually has ten "D**K S*cks" subjects going at all times. It's ridiculous.

Then look at our boards, both here and on Devil's Den. We rarely, if ever, care to comment on the commonwealth of Kentucky and, in most cases, you won't find too many Carolina threads, either. Why? Because we are Duke. We aren't jealous of other programs and what they've accomplished because we are the standard in college basketball. Last season's "horrible, completely downtrodden debacle" that was a 22-win season aside (don't you love our "horrible" season consisting of 14 more wins than UNC's), we still are at the top. People hate us. We are right up their with Notre Dame in football (or at least where they were when they were on top). After some of the scores we have been putting up here early and how well our new freshman class is playing, along with proven guys like Scheyer, Henderson, Thomas, and Nelson, I generally think Duke Hater's are scared. I can sense it on some of the other boards. They have no idea what's about to hit 'em, either

And it's a place I love

[Channing]

ESPN is
Then look at our boards, both here and on Devil's Den. We rarely, if ever, care to comment on the commonwealth of Kentucky and, in most cases, you won't find too many Carolina threads, either.

And it's a place I love

You are correct to a point. If there is ever a discussion on BBQ Kentucky is generally a large part of the discussion ... but thats about it!

[Indoor66]

You are correct to a point. If there is ever a discussion on BBQ Kentucky is generally a large part of the discussion ... but thats about it!

Kentucky BBQ is a FRAUD.

[_Gary]

Who are the most prominent college basketball voices on ESPN. At a bare minimum, you have to say that Dickie V and Jay Bilas are in the top 3, if not the top 2.

I have a hard time believing in any anti-Duke ESPN bias while those two are the poster children for ESPN's basketball coverage.

I have not looked, but it is a pretty safe bet that we are skedded to be on ESPN more than any other team in the land this season... like we usually are.

-Jason "just because Stuart Scott went to Carolina and ESPN is based in Bristol, there is not an anti-Duke bias there" Evans

How many times do we have to keep going over this? The reason ESPN airs our games so much is because we bring them money. It's NOT because they love us! The reality is we are easily the most hated college basketball team on the face of the earth and people love to root against us. So it only makes financial sense for them to broadcast our games. You can't use that as a sign they love us, or even like us, as a whole (except as cash cows).

Dickie V has been great to us, but he's also great to UNC and other big name schools, so that's a wash as far as I'm concerned. And I love Jay B. as much as the next guy, but come on. Surely you aren't pointing to him as a guy that gives a bunch of love to Duke? Inside yes. But not while commentating. If anything, many of us feel Jay goes too far to the other extreme so as not to appear like a homer.

Bottom line is this: When I talk about an anti-Duke bias at ESPN I'm not talking about the corporate heads who make the big decisions on what is and isn't shown on tv. I'm talking about the newsroom (the domain of guys like Stuart "I'm a Duke hater" Scott). Not sure who it was, but a couple of years ago someone here shared with me privately that they had a contact that worked behind the scenes at ESPN. And that person said there definitely was an anti-Duke attitude in that newsroom. So you guys can say what you want, but I'm not buying that there isn't at least a slight bias amongst those guys. No way, no how. This goes to the article from the front page shortly after our ousting from the tournament last year. Remember the huge scream that went up from the press room in the arena after we lost last year. It's there guys, whether you want to believe it or not.

Gary

[_Gary]

Perhaps a second reading of this excellent article is appropriate here.

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=22259


Gary

[micah75]

Didn't ESPN have some kind on-line poll a while back, multiple choice, asking people to vote as to which was more satisfying, watching JJ cry, or the LAX scandal? Sorry, don't remember exactly how it was worded. But apparently there are some people behind the scenes there who hate Duke.

At any rate, I'm grateful to ESPN for televising our games, whatever their motive, which obviously has to be due to ratings. What's the trade-off, that no one hates Duke and as a result, we don't get televised every week? Myself, I'd rather watch the games. Bring it on!

[Jumbo]

How many times do we have to keep going over this? The reason ESPN airs our games so much is because we bring them money. It's NOT because they love us! The reality is we are easily the most hated college basketball team on the face of the earth and people love to root against us. So it only makes financial sense for them to broadcast our games. You can't use that as a sign they love us, or even like us, as a whole (except as cash cows).

Dickie V has been great to us, but he's also great to UNC and other big name schools, so that's a wash as far as I'm concerned. And I love Jay B. as much as the next guy, but come on. Surely you aren't pointing to him as a guy that gives a bunch of love to Duke? Inside yes. But not while commentating. If anything, many of us feel Jay goes too far to the other extreme so as not to appear like a homer.

Bottom line is this: When I talk about an anti-Duke bias at ESPN I'm not talking about the corporate heads who make the big decisions on what is and isn't shown on tv. I'm talking about the newsroom (the domain of guys like Stuart "I'm a Duke hater" Scott). Not sure who it was, but a couple of years ago someone here shared with me privately that they had a contact that worked behind the scenes at ESPN. And that person said there definitely was an anti-Duke attitude in that newsroom. So you guys can say what you want, but I'm not buying that there isn't at least a slight bias amongst those guys. No way, no how. This goes to the article from the front page shortly after our ousting from the tournament last year. Remember the huge scream that went up from the press room in the arena after we lost last year. It's there guys, whether you want to believe it or not.

Gary

Who cares? Seriously, who the heck cares? Even if there is bias -- and I'm not convinced there is -- what does it matter? Tune out what you don't like, develop some thick skin, and get over it.

[Indoor66]

Who cares? Seriously, who the heck cares? Even if there is bias -- and I'm not convinced there is -- what does it matter? Tune out what you don't like, develop some thick skin, and get over it.

You have hit it. Who the heck are they except a bunch of commentators with too much time to fill. They try to create controversy for their own ratings. They are like the trolls who come on this board and attempt to stir the pot. Ignore them - they are jerks.

[Lulu]

As long as people are talking about Duke, and in turn increasing the profitability of airing Duke games on national TV, I don't really care what they say. Sure, I have a slight preference for favorable commentary, but if it takes hating to make sure I get to watch, let them hate. I think I'd rather be hated and on TV than loved and unable to watch. Indifference would be the worst.

[JasonEvans]

If it matters, I know for a fact that there are several Duke fans and graduates who work as producers, writers, and other stuff (aside from Jay being on-air) at ESPN. While there may be some folks who enjoy our troubles, there are also certainly some folks who support and admire Duke.

--Jason "this whole discussion feels silly in a conspiracy theory sorta way" Evans

[captmojo]

There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

I would like to see Jay Bilas call Kenny Smith a "Hole Boy".