The latest (and possibly most ridiculous) from the Grayson Hate Machine

[scottdude8]

So this is what I woke up to today:
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After watching the play this may be the most ridiculous fake controversy yet. Grayson plants his foot to make a potential backdoor cut; he thinks better of it cause the ball is already going to the rim; his defender falls down without Grayson touching him in any way because of the quick movement. That's it.

Just when I thought I was going to be able to enjoy a great Duke win this stuff comes up again. At least Grayson now seems to be having fun on the court again and somehow accepting the insanity of this, which makes me a little less upset. But still, is the world of sports media ever going to learn?

So dang frustrated.

[sandinmyshoes]

I want it to be, but that does not look nearly as innocent as you paint it. Given some of Grayson's past indiscretions I'm afraid the ACC might not see it that way either.

I hope that Coach K gets to handle this stuff as best serves the player and the program, but the pressure is building from outside.

[tbyers11]

I want it to be, but that does not look nearly as innocent as you paint it. Given some of Grayson's past indiscretions I'm afraid the ACC might not see it that way either.

I hope that Coach K gets to handle this stuff as best serves the player and the program, but the pressure is building from outside.

This was nothing. A basketball play where two players get tangled. I bet large amounts of $$$ that nothing comes of this.

ESPN can barely even muster their typical outrage. The title of their home page clip is "Temple Gibbs falls while guarding Grayson Allen in Duke's win"

[SCMatt33]

I don't think people are mustering much hate off of it at this point. Mostly news outlets trying to draw clicks. Like even Deadspin's write up was pretty much "there's no real basketball reason to stomp his foot, but meh". As far as I can tell, even Reddit doesn't have a thread for this (though one could have been deleted by the mods and I missed it).

If you ask me, this is how this thing sort of peters out. Someone posts a video of something that for anyone else wouldn't even be questionable, but it is for Allen, and there's not 50 million reporter diatribes. No hour long discussions on talk radio. The world seems to be more interested with LeBron's beef with Barkley today.

[ChillinDuke]

You know those links at the bottom of an online article that say, "10 Teen Celebrities You Won't Believe What They Look Like Now" or "12 Foods That Will Help Get Rid Of Stubborn Belly Fat"?

Well, I'm shocked to say, ESPN has legitimately reached that level in my mind. Just mindless absurdities that are meant to generate clicks. It's sad, really. They have completely lost their way in the digital age. They've been trending down for years, but these last few months have been really just a cliff jump.

- Chillin

[CDu]

Doooooooooooooooooooon't care.

If he actually does something wrong again, I'll care. But as Billy Dat says, it's just the media trying to hang on and get as much action out of a story as possible. The more they do it for stuff like this, the better.

As long as Allen keeps it clean the rest of the way, that's all that matters.

[Ballboy1998]

You know those links at the bottom of an online article that say, "10 Teen Celebrities You Won't Believe What They Look Like Now" or "12 Foods That Will Help Get Rid Of Stubborn Belly Fat"?

Well, I'm shocked to say, ESPN has legitimately reached that level in my mind. Just mindless absurdities that are meant to generate clicks. It's sad, really. They have completely lost their way in the digital age. They've been trending down for years, but these last few months have been really just a cliff jump.

- Chillin

Agree 100%. As I would prefer not to give ESPN any of the clicks they so desperately crave for this kind of drivel, maybe folks can chime into this thread with other sources they rely on instead of espn.

While I haven't found a good TV alternative to SportsCenter (and by this I mean SportsCenter back when they showed game highlights and recaps instead of having panels discuss press conference sound bites and clothing choices for an hour), I've moved on from ESPN's website which became very clunky with their most recent revamp anyway.

I generally rely on the websites of teams and leagues for highlights (www.goduke.com & www.dukeblueplanet.com, www.nfl.com, etc.) and have started going to www.si.com and www.cbssports.com more for stats and news. Any suggestions from others on what they use (or do we have a compilation somewhere on the board already that I have failed to find)?

[mailman2927]

Is it time to boycott ESPN with the exception of when Duke is on? Also, does anyone know how to get in contact with the idiots at ESPN to express feelings of how this has gotten ridiculous.

[weezie]

Is it time to boycott ESPN with the exception of when Duke is on?

Start by not purchasing anything they advertise.

[brevity]

So this is what I woke up to today:
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If this makes you "so dang frustrated," maybe try to disable the Grayson alert on your phone?

I've learned in the past months that if I limit my reading to the headlines, I can avoid the rabbit hole of fruitless anger triggered by certain aggravating subjects.

[Devils Librarian]

You know those links at the bottom of an online article that say, "10 Teen Celebrities You Won't Believe What They Look Like Now" or "12 Foods That Will Help Get Rid Of Stubborn Belly Fat"?

Well, I'm shocked to say, ESPN has legitimately reached that level in my mind. Just mindless absurdities that are meant to generate clicks. It's sad, really. They have completely lost their way in the digital age. They've been trending down for years, but these last few months have been really just a cliff jump.

- Chillin

I could not agree more. I wonder if the downward trend of the channel is due to a lack of competition. They dominate the sports market and do a pretty terrible job at it. Their mission statement seems to be, "You don't need to be informed as long as your opinion is controversial."

[kAzE]

This is stupid, and it looks like a flop more than anything.

By the way, I won't go as far as saying I like Dan Dakich now, but I did like that he defended Grayson Allen during the broadcast last night. He even kind of called out his ESPN colleagues a little bit for the ridiculousness of all this scrutiny. Thanks for that, Dan.

I'm so tired of Seth Greenberg . . .

[tbyers11]

Agree 100%. As I would prefer not to give ESPN any of the clicks they so desperately crave for this kind of drivel, maybe folks can chime into this thread with other sources they rely on instead of espn.

While I haven't found a good TV alternative to SportsCenter (and by this I mean SportsCenter back when they showed game highlights and recaps instead of having panels discuss press conference sound bites and clothing choices for an hour), I've moved on from ESPN's website which became very clunky with their most recent revamp anyway.

I generally rely on the websites of teams and leagues for highlights (www.goduke.com & www.dukeblueplanet.com, www.nfl.com, etc.) and have started going to www.si.com and www.cbssports.com more for stats and news. Any suggestions from others on what they use (or do we have a compilation somewhere on the board already that I have failed to find)?

I find that (besides the DBR board) following a few key people on Twitter (@AdamRoweTDD, @thebenswain, @stevewisemanNC are my main ones) alerts me to both the good articles and the bad hype craziness without having to spend too much time digging through ESPN, SI, CBSsports front pages.

Increasing the signal-to-noise ratio in this manner keeps me from losing my mind. Also, never listening to pre-game or half-time analysis of Duke games (or any basketball game for that matter) maintains my sanity.

[vfefrenzy]

Ignore the Grays-baiting. Don't click the links. Don't share the links. Don't read the articles. Don't make an attempt to defend Grayson by arguing with Duke haters about the nonsense. Ignore every bit of it, and you will remove the oxygen that feeds the flame.

[Jeffrey]

There's no doubt that Grayson is going to have a target on his back the rest of the season. All of my doubt faded away when the zebra decided to trip Grayson in the Wake game. Clearly, they were hoping Grayson would retaliate.

[phaedrus]

I could not agree more. I wonder if the downward trend of the channel is due to a lack of competition. They dominate the sports market and do a pretty terrible job at it. Their mission statement seems to be, "You don't need to be informed as long as your opinion is controversial."

ESPN is, in fact, not doing so hot.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2016/11/10/disney-fourth-quarter-earnings/#4c3c548147b6

In my mind, there's a good chance that this is why they've resorted to clickbait.

[sagegrouse]

Let me offer a different view, just as a dose of healthy skepticism: ESPN follows the "story." The "story" is about to change from "Grayson tripping" to "overreaction to anything Grayson does." The on-air basketball types are already singing that tune.

Remember: it's not the crime; it's the cover-up, or, in Grayson's case, the over-reaction.

[scottdude8]

If this makes you "so dang frustrated," maybe try to disable the Grayson alert on your phone?

I've learned in the past months that if I limit my reading to the headlines, I can avoid the rabbit hole of fruitless anger triggered by certain aggravating subjects.

It's the general Duke Basketball alert, haha.

[scottdude8]

This is stupid, and it looks like a flop more than anything.

By the way, I won't go as far as saying I like Dan Dakich now, but I did like that he defended Grayson Allen during the broadcast last night. He even kind of called out his ESPN colleagues a little bit for the ridiculousness of all this scrutiny. Thanks for that, Dan.

I'm so tired of Seth Greenberg . . .

I actually think Dakich is one of the best CBB analysts that ESPN has, especially from watching a lot of the B10 games he does. He really gets into the nitty-gritty of the strategy of the game as opposed to just surface stuff. He's especially great when covering Michigan games because he watches so many given his son... there are times where I wish he was an assistant coach, he identifies a lot of the flaws in Beilein's system and exactly how they should be addressed.

I thought he did a really good job last night on our game, and was pleasantly surprised when he was our analyst.

[dalmatians98]

Let me offer a different view, just as a dose of healthy skepticism: ESPN follows the "story." The "story" is about to change from "Grayson tripping" to "overreaction to anything Grayson does." The on-air basketball types are already singing that tune.

Remember: it's not the crime; it's the cover-up, or, in Grayson's case, the over-reaction.

This. Thank you.

[BD80]

ESPN is, in fact, not doing so hot.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2016/11/10/disney-fourth-quarter-earnings/#4c3c548147b6

In my mind, there's a good chance that this is why they've resorted to clickbait.

Chicken - egg?

Cart - horse?

[El_Diablo]

I generally rely on the websites of teams and leagues for highlights (www.goduke.com & www.dukeblueplanet.com, www.nfl.com, etc.) and have started going to www.si.com and www.cbssports.com more for stats and news.

Anyone know when DukeBluePlanet is supposed to become relevant again? The site has been stripped down for months, with little more than a "Full Experience Coming Soon" banner and a few YouTube clips.

[FadedTackyShirt]

Ignore the Grays-baiting. Don't click the links. Don't share the links. Don't read the articles. Don't make an attempt to defend Grayson by arguing with Duke haters about the nonsense. Ignore every bit of it, and you will remove the oxygen that feeds the flame.

Amen, so much this. It's the era we live in and playing into the "hysteria" only perpetuates it. Ignore it and this too shall pass.

Get why some don't like Laettner and Grayson. JJ and Scheyer, not so much. Would be truly upset if people hated on Grant Hill or Kennard. Grayson let his team down and became a distraction. He's playing well now and is a major force again. Would only be concerned if he does something egregious which merits condemnation. Otherwise: next play.

[Merlindevildog91]

I would love to consign the relevant espn types to eternal squeezing of their tiny little brains in a mammogram machine.

If Grayson were to take off the rest of the year and donate a portion of his liver to a less-fortunate person, there would still be criticism of him.

[ricks68]

Anyone know when DukeBluePlanet is supposed to become relevant again? The site has been stripped down for months, with little more than a "Full Experience Coming Soon" banner and a few YouTube clips.

Good question. I was thinking the same thing.

ricks

[Henderson]

Why do people start threads like this?

I'm serious. What is the point exactly? To further other people's baloney?

[Ultrarunner]

I would love to consign the relevant espn types to eternal squeezing of their tiny little brains in a mammogram machine.

If Grayson were to take off the rest of the year and donate a portion of his liver to a less-fortunate person, there would still be criticism of him.

Headline - "You'll Never Believe How Grayson Allen Let Down His Team THIS Time!"

Clickbait is easy.

Truth is harder.

[bluedev_92]

Why do people start threads like this?

I'm serious. What is the point exactly? To further other people's baloney?

Agreed. Just publicizing nonsense...

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Just when I thought I was going to be able to enjoy a great Duke win this stuff comes up again.

Do not let the media affect your enjoyment of last night's win. If you do, it is your fault, not theirs.

[DukeDevilDeb]

Good question. I was thinking the same thing.

ricks

http://www.dukeblueplanet.com/ Great interview by Chase.

Go Devils!

[scottdude8]

Why do people start threads like this?

I'm serious. What is the point exactly? To further other people's baloney?

I started the thread partially to vent about how ridiculous the story was (and to give others a place to do so), partially to inform others who weren't aware of the new controversy and see their opinion on the new fake controversy. I think that's very reasonable, given the (unfortunate) fact that this has become a story.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

I give him the benefit of the doubt on this latest "trip" thing. I watched it several times and it looks to me like Grayson stumbled slightly, before he did that little stomp looking thing to catch himself. Nothing intentional there to me.

What I did see in that game that I think he needs to stop doing for the sake of his reputation is that head snap he keeps doing to sell a foul. I know all players will do that to a certain extent, but he does it all the time and goes over the top too often. He needs to just play on like Kennard is doing, he'd get more respect.

I don't have a video of it, but at about midway thru the second half, his shot was contested with a hand in his face and he snapped his head back, getting the call where he drained two FT's. Problem was, the defenders hand looked like it never touched him. If somebody has that, I'd be fine with being proven wrong.

And I agree, another horribly called game both ways...

[duke4ever19]

I give him the benefit of the doubt on this latest "trip" thing. I watched it several times and it looks to me like Grayson stumbled slightly, before he did that little stomp looking thing to catch himself. Nothing intentional there to me.

What I did see in that game that I think he needs to stop doing for the sake of his reputation is that head snap he keeps doing to sell a foul. I know all players will do that to a certain extent, but he does it all the time and goes over the top too often. He needs to just play on like Kennard is doing, he'd get more respect.

I don't have a video of it, but at about midway thru the second half, his shot was contested with a hand in his face and he snapped his head back, getting the call where he drained two FT's. Problem was, the defenders hand looked like it never touched him. If somebody has that, I'd be fine with being proven wrong.

And I agree, another horribly called game both ways...

Eh, sometimes players move their heads back to avoid getting smacked in the face when they see an opponent's hand coming down. I'm not saying that's what Allen was doing, but there have been many times people have said someone was trying to "sell a call," when I think they were just trying to not get whacked. Getting smacked in the face is not fun, just ask Jayson Tatum last night.

[ElSid]

I give him the benefit of the doubt on this latest "trip" thing. I watched it several times and it looks to me like Grayson stumbled slightly, before he did that little stomp looking thing to catch himself. Nothing intentional there to me.

What I did see in that game that I think he needs to stop doing for the sake of his reputation is that head snap he keeps doing to sell a foul. I know all players will do that to a certain extent, but he does it all the time and goes over the top too often. He needs to just play on like Kennard is doing, he'd get more respect.

I don't have a video of it, but at about midway thru the second half, his shot was contested with a hand in his face and he snapped his head back, getting the call where he drained two FT's. Problem was, the defenders hand looked like it never touched him. If somebody has that, I'd be fine with being proven wrong.

And I agree, another horribly called game both ways...

I thought he was actually fouled on the arm but nowhere near the head. ND mascot and the whole student section howled and flopped around. But I do think he got him on the elbow. TBD if the refs would have called it. Would love to see video but I don't have the clip handy.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Eh, sometimes players move their heads back to avoid getting smacked in the face when they see an opponent's hand coming down. I'm not saying that's what Allen was doing, but there have been many times people have said someone was trying to "sell a call," when I think they were just trying to not get whacked. Getting smacked in the face is not fun, just ask Jayson Tatum last night.

It came across as a over sell job on my first look...which is why I'd like to see it again before conclusively saying he sold it. His reputation for continually doing that makes me wonder.

[Bob Green]

What I did see in that game that I think he needs to stop doing for the sake of his reputation is that head snap he keeps doing to sell a foul. I know all players will do that to a certain extent, but he does it all the time and goes over the top too often.

A lot of players do the head snap thing and I'd like to see all of them stop doing it. I only noticed Grayson do it once last night. I agree with you* it is annoying.

* Agreeing with Wheat/"/"/" will certainly earn me some negative comments. :cool:

[English]

A lot of players do the head snap thing and I'd like to see all of them stop doing it. I only noticed Grayson do it once last night. I agree with you* it is annoying.

REDACTED

Marcus Paige was a master of that move. As are many top-flight D1 playmakers.

The foul on Grayson to which I think you're referring was a foul on Grayson's elbow. I was skeptical during live-ball, but ESPN showed a replay and it was a pretty clear foul. The ND student section was livid, but of course they were. I'm not computer literate enough to post the GIF of the play, sadly.

[sagegrouse]

Apropos of nothing, there was a comment on the telecast last night about a hockey player who said something like, "In hockey, if you trip someone, you go to the penalty box. In basketball, you go to a psychoanalyst." Anyone have the exact reference?

[Wheat/"/"/"]

A lot of players do the head snap thing and I'd like to see all of them stop doing it. I only noticed Grayson do it once last night. I agree with you* it is annoying.

* Agreeing with Wheat/"/"/" will certainly earn me some negative comments. :cool:

You are a brave man...swabby :)

Right, a lot of players do it, and I get that its part of the game...and I'm with you that nobody should do it...but he seems to seek out the opportunity to sell it. He's too good of a player to do that mess so much. Just play, Grayson.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Marcus Paige was a master of that move. As are many top-flight D1 playmakers.

The foul on Grayson to which I think you're referring was a foul on Grayson's elbow. I was skeptical during live-ball, but ESPN showed a replay and it was a pretty clear foul. The ND student section was livid, but of course they were. I'm not computer literate enough to post the GIF of the play, sadly.

You're right, Paige was not above selling calls, and I've seen Joel Berry do it too driving in the lane. Not good. But those guys didn't/don't do it as often as Grayson, or as exaggerated.

[grad_devil]

Eh, it looks pretty inconclusive to me.

Grayson snaps his head back after possibly getting hit on the elbow. Here's the hi-res version. (https://gfycat.com/TenderHeartyCockatiel)

If you held my feet to the fire, I'd say Grayson sold the call, like any smart basketball player would.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/TenderHeartyCockatiel-size_restricted.gif

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Eh, it looks pretty inconclusive to me.

Grayson snaps his head back after possibly getting hit on the elbow. Here's the hi-res version. (https://gfycat.com/TenderHeartyCockatiel)

If you held my feet to the fire, I'd say Grayson sold the call, like any smart basketball player would.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/TenderHeartyCockatiel-size_restricted.gif

Thanks for the video...

You'd think Mike Tyson hit him...:)

Hey, he got two points out of it....but if anybody is wondering why he's less than popular, it's plays like that that drive opposing fans nuts.

[English]

Apropos of nothing, there was a comment on the telecast last night about a hockey player who said something like, "In hockey, if you trip someone, you go to the penalty box. In basketball, you go to a psychoanalyst." Anyone have the exact reference?

Jason Dufner, of the PGA, took to Twitter to defend Grayson:

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http://nesn.com/2016/12/jason-dufner-fiercely-defends-duke-star-grayson-allen-in-twitter-rant/

Dufner posted a series of thoughts on Grayson and the ridiculous overreaction he perceived. The first was the hockey analogy that you (and Dakich last night) mentioned.

[sagegrouse]

Jason Dufner, of the PGA, took to Twitter to defend Grayson:

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http://nesn.com/2016/12/jason-dufner-fiercely-defends-duke-star-grayson-allen-in-twitter-rant/

Dufner posted a series of thoughts on Grayson and the ridiculous overreaction he perceived. The first was the hockey analogy that you (and Dakich last night) mentioned.

Good for Jason Dufner. Here's the text of his Tweet:


Tripping in hockey = 2 mins in the box... tripping in basketball = suspension and you need counseling.:(

[DukeFanSince1990]

Eh, it looks pretty inconclusive to me.

Grayson snaps his head back after possibly getting hit on the elbow. Here's the hi-res version. (https://gfycat.com/TenderHeartyCockatiel)

If you held my feet to the fire, I'd say Grayson sold the call, like any smart basketball player would.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/TenderHeartyCockatiel-size_restricted.gif

Exactly, EVERY great player does it/has done it/will do it. Its become popular to complain about it now a days......

[duke4ever19]

You're right, Paige was not above selling calls, and I've seen Joel Berry do it too driving in the lane. Not good. But those guys didn't/don't do it as often as Grayson, or as exaggerated.

So this devolves into who does it the most and who is the hammiest actor? Sounds like the type of argument middle-schoolers have during recess.

Look, in order to prove your assertion, you would have to analyze every game by both Grayson and Paige and determine which player does it the most and then determine if said reaction might have been legitimate/warranted or not. Utter foolishness.

I bet both Duke and UNC players are taught this move by their respective basketball staff. Maybe straight from the head coach.

Your argument is with the people who teach the "head-jerk" move, a move you see on a nightly basis in the NBA.

[Owen Meany]

So this devolves into who does it the most and who is the hammiest actor? Sounds like the type of argument middle-schoolers have during recess.

Look, in order to prove your assertion, you would have to analyze every game by both Grayson and Paige and determine which player does it the most and then determine if said reaction might have been legitimate/warranted or not. Utter foolishness.

I bet both Duke and UNC players are taught this move by their respective basketball staff. Maybe straight from the head coach.

Your argument is with the people who teach the "head-jerk" move, a move you see on a nightly basis in the NBA.

Good luck with that. Previously, something similar happened when Wheat repeatedly called out Tyus Jones for kicking his legs out and explained why this most unsportsman-like conduct was clearly taught by Coach K. When examples were given of Paige doing the exact same he explained that Paige would kick his legs out on jumpshots because it was a combination of his form and momentum.

[rsvman]

He definitely sold the call.



It got his team two points. Sometimes two points is the difference in a game's outcome (see Wake Forest game on Saturday or Virginia versus Villanova on Sunday).




Sure, it's kind of annoying, but I find that the amount it annoys me depends on whether it's a player on my team or a player on another team that does it.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Good luck with that. Previously, something similar happened when Wheat repeatedly called out Tyus Jones for kicking his legs out and explained why this most unsportsman-like conduct was clearly taught by Coach K. When examples were given of Paige doing the exact same he explained that Paige would kick his legs out on jumpshots because it was a combination of his form and momentum.

I never said anything about Tyus's leg kicks being unsportsman-like...just that he looked to do it, and that I don't like it because I believe it's a form of flopping, and that I believe it's encouraged at Duke to the shooters as a way to take advantage of defenders closing out of control.

I've also never denied that other players sometimes do the same.

[ChillinDuke]

I could not agree more. I wonder if the downward trend of the channel is due to a lack of competition. They dominate the sports market and do a pretty terrible job at it. Their mission statement seems to be, "You don't need to be informed as long as your opinion is controversial."

Quite the opposite, really. It's a ton of newfound competition via the model for sports/entertainment fundamentally changing.

As others have already noted, ESPN is doing poorly. A very significant piece of your cable bill (if you have a cable subscription and get a package of, say, 100+ channels) actually goes to ESPN. At one point I think the number was north of 30% and maybe as high as 50%. Yes, for every $100 you pay your cable company, $50 is ESPN's revenue. That's the negotiation they successfully made with cable companies to include them in their packages - at the height of the market.

Well, the market has turned. People are increasingly "cutting the cord," in other words canceling their cable subscriptions. A myriad of once inconvenient options are now at the tip of your fingertips: Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Roku, HBO Go, CBS Something, Sling TV, Showtime, etc all offer services that are essentially taking market share from cable. As such, ESPN's viewership is falling - and falling fast. Add into the mix that Millenials are tapping into new sources that stream sports such as Yahoo!, Twitter, NFL Mobile, and others and sports viewing in particular is as competitive as it's ever been. ESPN is feeling the heat. Over the last year or two, they've cut ties with some of their highly compensated anchors: Bayliss, Cowherd, Bill Simmons. Now Berman has "decided" to reduce his workload. Brent Musberger is calling his last game today to "pursue other endeavors" (he mentions his family's new sports betting business in Vegas). I don't think these are coincidences. [I'd expect Dickie V to be next, honestly.]

So instead of lacing them up tighter and battling for eyeballs with excellent programming, top-notch insight, and laser focus, ESPN has gone the route of TMZ. They are trying a shock-and-awe campaign to keep viewership and click bait to generate ad revenue and readers. It's a terribly poor strategy in my mind. They risk (and it's more a slow guarantee then a risk) alienating fan bases one by one by their tactics. And we've already been hit here on the Duke side. Perhaps we're their grand experiment and they'll tone it down going forward - I doubt it, but possible.

The point I'm trying to make is, had I been running ESPN, I would have doubled down (and doubled down really hard) on the product that sells itself: live sports. Enough with the glitz and glam sideshows. Cut Beadle and Cowherd, Steven A, Max Kellerman, like half of the rotating cast of characters on Baseball Tonight. Take Bayliss out back (kidding, kidding. But seriously). "Retire" people like Dickie V that are likely being paid way above their insight level (maybe Berman qualifies here; Walton definitely qualifies here - at any salary; probably some legacy SportsCenter anchors). Refocus the remaining employees (like Bilas) on complementing the bread-and-butter product.

ESPN is, at some point, going to follow the services mentioned above and go straight to consumers. Once the money they get from their cable packages falls below that of a direct-to-consumer model (via their ESPN app - which they obviously created a few years back for just this scenario), they'll pull the trigger. Or perhaps before then and they'll run parallel revenue streams. When they do that, they're going to have to defend their product in order to command top dollar, because no one is going to tune in to the channel other than for games - so their game production better be laser focused, insight-laden, and impartial. Otherwise people will just substitute away to other services such as (not yet created) BlueDevilLive.com or the LongHorn Network's online app.

ESPN may prolong their life if they can keep live sports viewing at a premium level. If they can't, they'll slowly die as people move to other options (and there will be many) to watch their teams play.

- Chillin

[OZ]

Thanks for the video...

You'd think Mike Tyson hit him...:)

Hey, he got two points out of it...but if anybody is wondering why he's less than popular, it's plays like that that drive opposing fans nuts.

You know what drives me nuts? It is a coach who is caught doing the worst imitation of a Bobby Knight chair slam...EVER!!!! And then have one of their fans calling out a 20 year old player for selling a call. At least Allen sold his; old Roy couldn't even get the attention of his players. Drives me nuts!

[kAzE]

Tyus Jones did the head snap move more than any Duke player I can remember. Nobody hates Tyus Jones (except maybe Wisconsin fans). I think people are just using it as another excuse to hate Grayson. At this point, haters are gonna hate. It doesn't really matter what he does, he could be helping an old lady across the street, and someone would film it in super slow-mo and ESPN will try to spin it as Grayson robbing old ladies.

[aimo]

You know what drives me nuts? It is a coach who is caught doing the worst imitation of a Bobby Knight chair slam...EVER!!!! !

This! I thought, geez, Royd can't even throw a chair without looking like a moron.

[Indoor66]

This! I thought, geez, Royd can't even throw a chair without looking like a moron.

He would do it better if: (a) he could hold it with an interlocking grip; of (b) he could hold a coke while throwing it; or (c) he could throw it from a squat.

[dbcooper]

You know what drives me nuts? It is a coach who is caught doing the worst imitation of a Bobby Knight chair slam...EVER!!!! And then have one of their fans calling out a 20 year old player for selling a call. At least Allen sold his; old Roy couldn't even get the attention of his players. Drives me nuts!

LMAO!! Yeah pretty much any girl scout can slam a chair better than Roy. He has no future in professional wrestling:D
Vince McMahon says stick to attempting to coach UNC basketball and Fake Student Athletes!:confused::confused:

Go Duke.

[bluedev_92]

Tyus Jones did the head snap move more than any Duke player I can remember. Nobody hates Tyus Jones (except maybe Wisconsin fans). I think people are just using it as another excuse to hate Grayson. At this point, haters are gonna hate. It doesn't really matter what he does, he could be helping an old lady across the street, and someone would film it in super slow-mo and ESPN will try to spin it as Grayson robbing old ladies.

Was going to say the same thing - totally agree!!

[DrChainsaw]

Was going to say the same thing - totally agree!!

I third it. Tyus did it often and so poorly, it was almost sad....