ESPN: The Next MTV?
by Heferito

Am I the only one that is extremely annoyed by all of the "original programming" that is starting to pop up on ESPN? It used to be a channel that focused on the broadcasting of live sporting events. If I wanted to watch B Level actors I would buy a subscription to Cinemax and watch all of their late-night psuedo-porn starring Joey from Friends.

ESPN is quickly marching down this path that was last traveled by MTV. Do you remember back when MTV used to show music videos? Then they introduced a game show called Remote Control. Remote Control was the launching pad for the careers of such acting greats as Colin Quinn. Not long after Remote Control came an endless parade of Road Rules, Real World, and other mindless dribble. Before you knew it they no longer had any time for the music videos and had to launch a second station called MTV2. It's pretty sad when a channel called Music Television contains almost no music programming. Scantily clad college hoes dancing at a beach house while they are too plastered to remember their names doesn't count as music programming.

Let's take a quick look at ESPN's recent history. They launched a game show called Beg Borrow and Deal. It's basically a cheap imitation of the Road Rules crap that had already been spewed out by MTV ten years earlier. Just this week their latest "original program", Playmakers, began to air. It's a drama about Professional Football players and the lives that they lead. I've already seen this movie, it was called Any Given Sunday. If they're not careful then they will end up having to launch a second channel called ESPN2 just so that they will still be able to broadcast actual sporting events. Ooops - it looks like I'm too late. I guess there's no use fighting against this type of change. After all, it's all about the money. I just miss the days when it was about quality programming.