ESPN Is Killing College Football

I had to take my son and his friends to the ski bus in four wheel drive early this morning because of the ten inches of snow we got over night. Cleared my driveway and my neighbors walks with my snow blower, then ran a snow shovel out to a friends house who lives sixty blocks west of me (long story) and then go to a doctors appointment. So I didn't get to watch college football Bowl Games today until later in the afternoon.

But it didn't take long to realize that ESPN is killing the game, and the NCAA needs to take it away from them.

I admit, I'm addicted to the Bowl Games, even when I don't have a horse in the race, I can't stop watching. So I've been glued to the TV for the last several days. And I've seen the bottom of the screen, "ticker" tell me all about Brett Favre ten times an hour for the last 48. We get it. Now shut up. As a matter of fact, why can't they go back to the way used to do that? Running a line of important SCORES and headlines on, "The 8's" for a minute or so. I'm watching college football, if I was interested in all that other shit, I could go to ESPN News, or better yet, the Internet and get it without all the other bullshit.

Tonight, during the first half of the Holiday Bowl, ESPN's relentless promotion of all things, ESPN, screw actually COVERING sports, or giving the viewer's what they want, reached it's peak.

You can call my a misogynist if you like but it's not true. You can tell me I'm a, "hater" which is not true either, but I have to tell you something. No one in this country cares about women's basketball. If they did, the women's game would get as much coverage as the men's, the Women's professional league would play in the winter and we would still have a team in Salt Lake City.

I hate the NBA, can't stand it because the guy who owns the local franchise sold my favorite team of all time, The Salt Lake Golden Eagles Hockey Team down the road years ago and I have never forgiven him for it. And I'll never buy a car from any of his dealerships (any one remember the, "BOYCOTT MILLER, THE EAGLE KILLER" t-shirts?) But I can name you a hand full of NBA players.

Quick, anyone, name me10 women who play in the WNBA who aren't named, Lobo! Can't do it can you?

While Washington is beating Nebraska, which NO ONE thought would happen because Nebraska beat them by 35 points in September, ESPN kept cutting my screen in HALF to show the UCONN Women's basketball team about get beat for the first time in 90 games. I don't care! Give me back my football game!

Great for UConn, good on ya, great streak, sports history, no doubt. But, I don't care! I'm watching football!

And the worst part of this, the game is on live, in HD on ESPN2! I knew this. I'm pretty sure the 500 or so people who care about women's basketball nation wide knew this, so if we all wanted to see it, we could just click down from channel 206 on DirectTV to Chanel 209 and catch it in all it's, full screen, HD, glory! BUT NO! I have to watch football on HALF of my 42 inch plasma screen so they can promote what's on their other channels to a bunch of people who DON'T CARE!

I didn't look, but I bet the people watching the basketball game didn't have to share THEIR screen with the Holiday Bowl. I'm just sayin...

They do it with men's basketball too, and it drives me crazy. I already know you're covering the game on ESPN2, or ESPNU or ABC. If I gave a shit I'd already be watching it instead of FOOTBALL! Show me the game.

Note to ESPN, no one gives a shit about the men's game either until March, so lighten up.

My son is a great soccer player. Might have the potential to go on to play in college, or ever professionally. I know that even if that came true, his relatives back east would probably never see him play, and couldn't care less. I LOVE the NHL, but it doesn't get much love from American TV, so I watch what I can, when I can and realize I'm not in the majority on this.

By the way, the last time I looked up attendance, the NHL out draws the NBA in the actual amount of people who buy seats to see a game live. I guess because NHL fans can afford tickets? Just guessing.

So, ESPN, the next time the next great thing is happening in Women's' basketball, or curling, bowling, or even, for that matter, horse racing, which no one who doesn't own one cares about, just let it go to your other network and leave the football alone! You already own it all, now you have an obligation to let us watch it. All of it. Full screen.