Comments on: Rob Parker’s RG3 comments prove a thorny issue at ESPN

By: raiderapologist

raiderapologist — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 01:16:41 +0000

I read somewhere that Bob bought his fiance a Bentley before he signed with the Redskins. Doesn’t that bring racial harmony to the world?

By: winormove

winormove — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:52:40 +0000

Take what this Jerk has to say with a grain of Salt. He is a loudmouth reporter who has finally been held accountable for his idiotic comments. He’s the same idiot who asked Rod Marinelli, when he was Head coach of the Lions, if he wished that his Daughter had married a better Defensive Coordinator (His Son in Law, Joe Barry, was Defensive Coordinator at the time). He’s a loser. I’m shocked he still has a job.

By: cags777

cags777 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:02:56 +0000

Excellent post, Mr. Smith. Perhaps if they cancel ESPN First Take, they will focus on better teams and better athletes as opposed to Tim Tebow and the New York Jets.

By: jeffesky

jeffesky — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:55:41 +0000

ESPN has gone the way of MTV

By: hotlantalaw

hotlantalaw — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:39:48 +0000

ESPN has no credibility and has not had credibility for a long while. Its quest for the mighty dollar and lack of an active ombudsman has been apparent for a long time.

By: sfm073

sfm073 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:23:26 +0000

In the end as long as it gets good ratings the show and it’s format style will stay on the air.

By: juliodamfoolio

juliodamfoolio — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:54:18 +0000

cliffordc05 says:
Dec 17, 2012 1:28 PM
Excellent post. I was wondering about Parker’s background. I found his comments on First Take to be offensive and the Marinelli question to be rude. It is hard to believe he has not been fired.

Actually, it’s not hard at all to believe that. It’s because of the double-standard out there today that certain groups of people can get away with saying asinine things that other groups can’t, and we all now what I’m talking about. ESPN can take a small step toward credibility by firing this idiotic clown, cancelling the moronic First Take and start to get back to real sports reporting.

By: mungman69

mungman69 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:30:22 +0000

I haven’t watched that show in a long time. Bayless and most of the other clowns are minor league.

By: cliffordc05

cliffordc05 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:28:57 +0000

Excellent post. I was wondering about Parker’s background. I found his comments on First Take to be offensive and the Marinelli question to be rude. It is hard to believe he has not been fired.

By: granadafan

granadafan — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:19:12 +0000

ESPN is becoming like MTV. Who remembers when MTV used to show music videos? ESPN is getting away from showing sports and has moved towards talk shows and games.

By: junglerat524

junglerat524 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:15:38 +0000

People still watch First Take? Who knew?

By: dikshuttle

dikshuttle — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:13:17 +0000

I don’t see the problem here. There are plenty of people who take Parker’s position. They deserve a voice.

It’s now open to debate. Yes. It’s a circus. So what?

By: japmen

japmen — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:03:16 +0000

I think it’s too little too late. ESPN has being going downhill for a long time and noticing after the camel’s back is broken is just not going to fix things. Skip has acknowledged on air that he has no clue what he’s talking about or even covering most of the time. If you want to be taken seriously, you need experts and professionals. That doesnt mean you just hire popular retired players either. eeven though they are usually fairly accurate and a lot better than Skip, Rob, Berman,etc. Berman is popular but he’s far from an expert

By: emperorzero

emperorzero — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:59:45 +0000

ESPN’s target audience has been 12 year-olds and those unlucky enough to be stuck working at McDonalds.

Outside of College Gameday and Baseball Tonight, there is nothing worth watching on ESPN.

By: mrrooch

mrrooch — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:57:01 +0000

Agree with most above.

The best “talk” shows ESPN have are “Mike and Mike” and “SVP and Rusillo”. They have a level of class, intelligence, and humor that First Takes so dreadfully lacks. Like most, each time I try to give First Take a chance, I quickly change the channel. Skip is a clown, a poor example of a journalist.

By: cmgww

cmgww — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:42:59 +0000

Read “Those Guys Have All The Fun” for a good inside look at how ESPN operates….they force out employees who don’t fit their agenda, or those employees see the light and move on. I miss Dan/Keith on the 11pm SC. Heck the only people I recognize from the old days are Fowler, Linda Cohn (why hasn’t she moved on?), and a few others. The problems really began when they were bought by Disney. They killed ABC sports (detailed in the book), and aside from a few sports properties are now a monopoly. Parker and his racist comments are just a symptom of the bigger problem; ESPN is now controlling sports news instead of reporting on it. Except for games, I rarely watch their programming. The 30 for 30s have been good, but they are simply aired by ESPN, and created by outside directors/ producers. Change the channel. In the words of the great Charlie Steiner..”follow me! Follow me to freedom!!!”

By: Stiller43

Stiller43 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:39:00 +0000

I actually think that question he asked is pretty funny…as long as he wasnt serious…but how could you be if you ask that

By: anpsteel

anpsteel — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:38:21 +0000

ESPN jumped the shark a long time ago. Their version of sports reporting is near un-watchable. The grand standing – and hyperbole is constant, and beyond annoying.

If they want to have reality tv as sports reporting- they’d be much better served by putting that on it’s own channel- and naming it something else- because the brand ESPN- has been severely tainted.

By: ipitydafu

ipitydafu — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:37:47 +0000

I have no problems not watching ESPN. The only thing I watched there was NFL games, and I can pirate those. ESPN is unnecessary for me. I could no longer care what they do. I will never watch that network again. They have lost me as a viewer.

By: farmmbig

farmmbig — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:23:47 +0000

I hope the NFL remembers this when the contract with ESPN runs-out.

It’s time to break the cord with that Network and let them go— and ALL of their “parkers”

By: sgtmofo

sgtmofo — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:20:12 +0000

He sounds like a prime candidate to be paired up with Eric Kuselias on NBCSports Network. Together, they can make the ratings lower than they already are.

By: fwippel

fwippel — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:07:59 +0000

ESPN loses any credibility they have left every day that passes that they keep Parker on the payroll.

By: nflofficeadmin

nflofficeadmin — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:04:58 +0000

Cancel your cable. Keep your internet.

By: snafie

snafie — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:58:50 +0000

The people who run these networks are not stupid. They air what the data – in the form of ratings – tell them you are watching. Ratings are the measurement of the problem; they are not the problem.

Sadly the ratings don’t lie. It isn’t only sports programming. The Learning Channel was dedicated to educational programming, but became “TLC”, the home of “What Not To Wear”, “Say Yes To The Dress” and other garbage targeted to women. The History Channel was dedicated to history but became the home of “Storage Wars” and several pawn shop reality shows. ESPN is now the home of male-targeted drama. Even The Food Network brings drama to the kitchen every chance it gets. And those younger than I can comment on the state of “Music Television” (MTV) – so far removed from its original intent that you can’t even recognize it any more.

Every one of these networks, including ESPN, made the switch to staged drama (won’t even call it “reality”) because not enough people watched learning, history, cooking shows, music videos or legitimate sports programming to make it profitable.

It’s simple. Junk sells. The day it stops selling is the day you’ll get your sports programming (and legitimate journalism) back.

By: sanityinsd

sanityinsd — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:58:34 +0000

To you Mr. Michael David Smith…

A great big THANK YOU from readers like me who wait patiently for an intelligently written article on PFT. This was a Walk-Off in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7. Congratulations.

By: briggsweatbird

briggsweatbird — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:55:13 +0000

I haven’t watched Take Your Cold Pizza First, or is it, First Take Your Cold Pizza, in years.

The “arguments’ they have on that show were embarrassing, mostly led by Skip Bayless.

Thank goodness Woody Paige had the sense to disassociate himself from the show years ago.

Really, is ESPN much different from TMZ?

By: inallsincerity

inallsincerity — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:47:44 +0000

Parker was trying to raise a valid point, but did so the wrong way.

By: mazblast

mazblast — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:45:38 +0000

I’m old enough to remember when ESPN was about the games, not about talking about the games or talking about talking about the games.

That makes me pretty darned old.

Memo to ESPN: Every hour this d-bag is not officially FIRED is an hour in which you lose viewers. Personally, I don’t care what the circumstances are, so long as Parker is employed or “suspended”, I am not watching, period, and if I am in any location where ESPN is on the screen, I shall request that the channel be changed.

By: raynman49

raynman49 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:45:00 +0000

I long for the old days, when there was Aussie rules football. First Take is a joke.

By: arson81

arson81 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:43:56 +0000

kelvinmchale says:Dec 17, 2012 10:14 AM

“Where is the outrage and grandstanding by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson over Rob Parker’s comments? That’s what I thought.”

Probably in the same place that Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck keep their outrage and grandstanding on anything to do with race.

What difference does it make?