ESPN on East Coast Bias

[TexasTerror]

A major media conglomerate discussing East Coast Bias...is this for real?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=schreiber_leanne&id=3534299

[poly51]

It is ridiculous that ESPN has a New Yorker and former New York Times sports editor deciding if there is east coast bias on ESPN MLB coverage.

[crunifan]

I don't feel bad for the West Coast at all. Let's just be honest, the two coasts have a lot of bias. It's the middle of the country that gets ignored most of the time, but when it happens to the West Coast they go all crazy.

[brownbear]

I don't feel bad for the West Coast at all. Let's just be honest, the two coasts have a lot of bias. It's the middle of the country that gets ignored most of the time, but when it happens to the West Coast they go all crazy.

Agreed, the Cards-Tigers WS and White Sox-Astros WS got almost no coverage. Compare that to the 07, 04, and 03 World Series.

[Reed Rothchild]

The most notable changes, by far, are in the frequency of Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees appearances. Up to the All-Star break, ESPN had telecast 10 Cubs games this year, eight more than in 2007, and seven Yankee games, eight fewer than in 2007.

The Boston Red Sox, the defending World Series champions, were the most telecast team this year during the same period, with 11 appearances. Ten teams remained invisible, with zero telecasts, up to the All-Star break. Most of those zero-telecast teams were at or near the bottom of their divisions, but the no-showed Florida Marlins were third in a tight NL East race, only one game behind the second-place Mets, who had been telecast seven times....

"It is long proven in NBA and NFL and MLB that spreading the wealth to 30 or 32 teams is a prescription for deflating ratings," DeLuca said. "The equity approach might have been possible 30 years ago, but now that there is such a surplus of games to watch on network and cable, the mandate is no longer to get everyone on."



Its all about the ratings.


"Yes, the No. 1 goal is ratings," DeLuca said, "and [No.] 2 is following the best stories in baseball -- and 2 will usually drive 1."

and who rate the best??


The reason that the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox have been on is because they perform for us, as do the Cubs, the Cardinals and, recently, the White Sox."

to confirm


"The reason that the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox have been on is because they perform for us, as do the Cubs, the Cardinals and, recently, the White Sox."

further evidence


When national ratings for "Sunday Night Baseball" are broken down by region, Yankees-Red Sox games show stronger drawing power in most regions than games involving a region's team. A strong exception is the West Central region, where Cubs-Cardinals games draw as high ratings as Yankees-Red Sox games draw in the Northeast.


Once again, you knuckleheads, the reason the Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs are on all the time is because they draw the best ratings. All you Yankee/Sox/Cubs haters and stick it or get MLB extra innings!!!

[dbackjon]

OF COURSE THEY DRAW THE BEST RATINGS, MOST OF AMERICA DOESN'T KNOW ANY OTHER TEAM EXISTS, YOU KNUCKLEHEAD

[Reed Rothchild]

OF COURSE THEY DRAW THE BEST RATINGS, MOST OF AMERICA DOESN'T KNOW ANY OTHER TEAM EXISTS, YOU KNUCKLEHEAD

xcoffeex
When national ratings for "Sunday Night Baseball" are broken down by region, Yankees-Red Sox games show stronger drawing power in most regions than games involving a region's team

xnodx xnodx xnodx

[dbackjon]

xcoffeex
When national ratings for "Sunday Night Baseball" are broken down by region, Yankees-Red Sox games show stronger drawing power in most regions than games involving a region's team

xnodx xnodx xnodx

Again, when E$PN talking Spankies/RedSux non-stop, this is the result.

[kardplayer]

Again, when E$PN talking Spankies/RedSux non-stop, this is the result.

I was at the Cubs/D'backs game in Phoenix a few weeks ago, and there were more Cub fans there than D'Back fans (based on crowd noise- I didn't count)

How is that E$PN's fault? Why would they show a D'Backs game ever, when they are going to get better ratings in AZ for a Cubs game?

[dbackjon]

I was at the Cubs/D'backs game in Phoenix a few weeks ago, and there were more Cub fans there than D'Back fans (based on crowd noise- I didn't count)

How is that E$PN's fault? Why would they show a D'Backs game ever, when they are going to get better ratings in AZ for a Cubs game?

Usually there are more Dback fans - just the Cubs fans are freakin obnoxious. I hate Cub fans - if Chicago was so damned good, move the **** back there. If not, support your damn local team.

Too many damn cCicagoans in Arizona. I had the sense to see the Cubs will always be losers with ownership that doesn't care about winning, because stupid Completely Useless By September fans sellout the dump the called Wrigley no matter how crappy a product they put on the field, so when Arizona got a team, I became a Dback fan.

The Dbacks get very good ratings in Arizona. An ESPN game would get great ratings in Arizona.

[brownbear]

Usually there are more Dback fans - just the Cubs fans are freakin obnoxious. I hate Cub fans - if Chicago was so damned good, move the **** back there. If not, support your damn local team.

Too many damn cCicagoans in Arizona. I had the sense to see the Cubs will always be losers with ownership that doesn't care about winning, because stupid Completely Useless By September fans sellout the dump the called Wrigley no matter how crappy a product they put on the field, so when Arizona got a team, I became a Dback fan.

The Dbacks get very good ratings in Arizona. An ESPN game would get great ratings in Arizona.

I was at the Braves-Cubs game in Atlanta last Wednesday, and it was embarrassing. Cubs fans outnumbered Braves 2 to 1. It partially had to do with the fact that Braves fans have given up on this season and don't want to drive to Turner Field and pay a ton of money to see a crappy team.

However, with your statement that people should support the local teams, I disagree with you. I'm a Steelers fan despite the fact that I grew up in Atlanta. Just because I was there doesn't mean I have to like the Falcons. Same goes in Rhode Island. I'm still a Braves and Steelers fan up in RI, not a Patriots or Red Sox fan. Why should I have to root for the home team? What are they doing for me that my teams aren't doing?

[Poly Pigskin]

I gotta agree with brownbear, I'm an A's fan, and as much as it pisses me off to hear all the Yankees and Sox fans in the Coliseum, I can't really get too mad at them as long as they have a legitimate reason to root for that team and aren't just cheering for them cause they're popular (which many of them are, but that's another story...). I'm getting ready to move across the country, and I while I might be a fair weather fan for the local teams, there's no way in hell I will ever like them more than the teams I've grown up rooting for. I won't go out of my way to be an obnoxious fan at the stadium, but if my team's in town, you can bet I'll be there cheering for them in person.

East coast bias is frustrating, but a reality given the times that the games are played out west, and the location of all the major media outlets. ESPN says they're reporting on all the best stories, huh? How 'bout Brad Ziegler of Oakland, who just shattered a 101 year old pitching record? He got mentioned a couple of times, once he broke it and when the streak ended. Can you imagine all the time on they would have given him on Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight if he had been a member of one of the big-ratings teams? They would have mentioned it every single night, and debated how long it will last and all kinds of crap I'm sure. Part of it definitely has to do with the fact that he's on the A's, who have been freefalling through the standings, but even when the A's are good, which has been the majority of this decade, the big stories here didn't get any national attention.

I understand why they would pick Yanks/Mets/Sox/Cubs for the games they air, but during other broadcasts like Sportscenter, couldn't they at least try to talk about some of the more interesting stories around the country, instead of doing some "Titletown" BS? ESPN really should relocate out of the NE so they're forced to see more than the crap they keep pumping down our throats...