Monday, June 14, 2004
What Happened to You ESPN?
ESPN.com, like its parent network, has fallen from grace. The death certificate was issued when they brought about Page 3. Didn't they realize that everything on Page 2 other than the Sports Guy was crap? Shouldn't they have tried to upgrade the quailty of the existing product before dropping more content on us? More importantly, aren't they a Sports site? Why do I want ESPN writing about entertainment?
Of course Page 3 is a symptom of the shift of ESPN from Sports Network to Enterntainment network. Nowhere is this more evident than in the metamorphisis of Sportscenter, no longer a highlight show, but a promotional tool, with spots like "The Budweiser Hot Seat" taking the place of actual games. There is also a of games in the primetime schedule, as the channel opts instead for such worthless shows as "Dream Job." Most annoying has been the website's insistance on falsely promoting other ESPN enterprises, such as the hype around the terrible "Season on the Brink," movie, or devoting an article trying to claim that ESPN Football was better than Madden 04 (yea fucking right.)
The latest incidence of this has been the rediculous hype concerning Larry Bird's comments on a show which is...of course, about to be televised on ESPN. Suddenly espn.com transformed itself into covering this non-story. All to boost ratings for the show.
One of the articles I came across while surfing the website at this time was written by Ralph Wiley, one of the worst columnists on the entire site. Wiley has for years been running an angry black-man spiel, which somehow gives him the right to write unintelligable columns about the NBA, O.J. Simpson, and other issues involving black people. Since he is black, he must know what he's talking about! Who cares if his points make no sense and his writing is atrocious?
Here is an article that personfies both Wiley's incompetence and ESPN.com's downfall. It concerns Wiley writing about a sports-related issue...no wait it concerns Wiley writing about Eminem in 8 Mile. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/wiley/021111.html And that has to do with sports how? And Wiley is qualified to write about Eminem's place in rap why? Is he a noted rap historian or music critic? Of course not. But he is black, so therefore he must know about rap right?
Uh not at all. Wiley admits he is no hip-hop expert, but says, "I kind of understand social madness and like music, and am nearly certain I understand lyrics."
But Ralph, or should I call you Road Dog, you are bereft of any factual knowledge about the subject at hand. Right after this line he attempts to prove his knowledge by giving an example:
"There's no comparing Biggie to Tupac, not without intimidation from the Biggie crowd (ok let's give Ralph to back up this assertion)-- all of P.Diddy's underlying tracks are just bites, Herb Albert's "Rise," or Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out," (Actually Ralph, Puffy doesn't make any beats, and saying this about Biggie's music implies you need to try listening to the entire album instead of just the singles.) Biggie's house-music (buttery-Jamaican voice overlaid; Tupac, on the other hand, along with Dr. Dre, formed original beats and tracks (Uh, Ralph, Dr. Dre (and 2pac for that metter) had nothing to do with making 2pac's beats "California Love," aside, in fact Pac wasn't on Death Row until his last album,) and lyrically, he described an entire universe, not just one inhabited by Cristal, crack and 'hos (See, if you'd listened to Biggie's first album, you would have heard songs like "Everyday Struggle," "Warning", or "Suicidal Thoughts" and wouldn't be making such an ass out of yourself. Plus "I see the Same Ho" really speaks to me). Ever heard, "I Ain't Mad At You"? (Yes, Ralph, my question is, where do you hear it? Once coming from your son's bedroom? Is this why you claim to know so much about rap?) You should. And who hasn't bounced along to the less reflective but joyful "California Love"?" (Interestingly, the beat from "California Love" is a direct rip-off of the 1988 Ultramagnetic MCs song "Funky," off the classic hip-hop album "Critical Beatdown." Of course you've never heard it, so you can't realize how hippocritical it is to blame Biggie for using samples and then praise this song. Ralph, you need to learn that sampling is part of all hip-hop music, its how you mix various samples that determines the music's vitality.)
As in any Wiley article, the article becomes an analysis of (as with whatever topic he happens to be writing about) the movie and Eminem's impact on race relations. Other than being factually incorrect and poorly written, my question for ESPN is, why is this on a sportspage? Its one thing to have Wiley writing about sports' impact on race...but a movie and a rapper? ESPN has stretched itself too far: its only a matter of time before a website offers more interesting content and analysis and blows ESPN out of the water. Like say...this one?
(Note: This was written on June 13th. Ralph Wiley died on June 14th. I am publishing the final version of the article anyways, but I wanted to make clear that this article was conceived and written before he passed on.)
Of course Page 3 is a symptom of the shift of ESPN from Sports Network to Enterntainment network. Nowhere is this more evident than in the metamorphisis of Sportscenter, no longer a highlight show, but a promotional tool, with spots like "The Budweiser Hot Seat" taking the place of actual games. There is also a of games in the primetime schedule, as the channel opts instead for such worthless shows as "Dream Job." Most annoying has been the website's insistance on falsely promoting other ESPN enterprises, such as the hype around the terrible "Season on the Brink," movie, or devoting an article trying to claim that ESPN Football was better than Madden 04 (yea fucking right.)
The latest incidence of this has been the rediculous hype concerning Larry Bird's comments on a show which is...of course, about to be televised on ESPN. Suddenly espn.com transformed itself into covering this non-story. All to boost ratings for the show.
One of the articles I came across while surfing the website at this time was written by Ralph Wiley, one of the worst columnists on the entire site. Wiley has for years been running an angry black-man spiel, which somehow gives him the right to write unintelligable columns about the NBA, O.J. Simpson, and other issues involving black people. Since he is black, he must know what he's talking about! Who cares if his points make no sense and his writing is atrocious?
Here is an article that personfies both Wiley's incompetence and ESPN.com's downfall. It concerns Wiley writing about a sports-related issue...no wait it concerns Wiley writing about Eminem in 8 Mile. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/wiley/021111.html And that has to do with sports how? And Wiley is qualified to write about Eminem's place in rap why? Is he a noted rap historian or music critic? Of course not. But he is black, so therefore he must know about rap right?
Uh not at all. Wiley admits he is no hip-hop expert, but says, "I kind of understand social madness and like music, and am nearly certain I understand lyrics."
But Ralph, or should I call you Road Dog, you are bereft of any factual knowledge about the subject at hand. Right after this line he attempts to prove his knowledge by giving an example:
"There's no comparing Biggie to Tupac, not without intimidation from the Biggie crowd (ok let's give Ralph to back up this assertion)-- all of P.Diddy's underlying tracks are just bites, Herb Albert's "Rise," or Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out," (Actually Ralph, Puffy doesn't make any beats, and saying this about Biggie's music implies you need to try listening to the entire album instead of just the singles.) Biggie's house-music (buttery-Jamaican voice overlaid; Tupac, on the other hand, along with Dr. Dre, formed original beats and tracks (Uh, Ralph, Dr. Dre (and 2pac for that metter) had nothing to do with making 2pac's beats "California Love," aside, in fact Pac wasn't on Death Row until his last album,) and lyrically, he described an entire universe, not just one inhabited by Cristal, crack and 'hos (See, if you'd listened to Biggie's first album, you would have heard songs like "Everyday Struggle," "Warning", or "Suicidal Thoughts" and wouldn't be making such an ass out of yourself. Plus "I see the Same Ho" really speaks to me). Ever heard, "I Ain't Mad At You"? (Yes, Ralph, my question is, where do you hear it? Once coming from your son's bedroom? Is this why you claim to know so much about rap?) You should. And who hasn't bounced along to the less reflective but joyful "California Love"?" (Interestingly, the beat from "California Love" is a direct rip-off of the 1988 Ultramagnetic MCs song "Funky," off the classic hip-hop album "Critical Beatdown." Of course you've never heard it, so you can't realize how hippocritical it is to blame Biggie for using samples and then praise this song. Ralph, you need to learn that sampling is part of all hip-hop music, its how you mix various samples that determines the music's vitality.)
As in any Wiley article, the article becomes an analysis of (as with whatever topic he happens to be writing about) the movie and Eminem's impact on race relations. Other than being factually incorrect and poorly written, my question for ESPN is, why is this on a sportspage? Its one thing to have Wiley writing about sports' impact on race...but a movie and a rapper? ESPN has stretched itself too far: its only a matter of time before a website offers more interesting content and analysis and blows ESPN out of the water. Like say...this one?
(Note: This was written on June 13th. Ralph Wiley died on June 14th. I am publishing the final version of the article anyways, but I wanted to make clear that this article was conceived and written before he passed on.)
# posted by Marmaniac @ 6:49 PM 
