How much did viewers hate ESPN's "Who's Now" SportsCenter segments? So much that the Worldwide Leader's ombudsman says this:No single topic has ever drawn the volume and intensity of unsolicited complaints to either my or my predecessor's mailbox that this sports popularity contest has.
Who's Now, which named Tiger Woods the most "Now" athlete, also got more than 5 million votes on ESPN.com, which means ESPN executives can say with a straight face that they don't think it was quite the miserable failure that most people do. And Glenn Jacobs, senior coordinating producer for the 6 p.m. and weekend morning editions of SportsCenter, defended Who's Now in a discussion with the ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber.
But don't worry, folks. ESPN can publicly defend Who's Now all it wants, but the people in Bristol aren't stupid, and they have to know that the feature was an embarrassment. I can't imagine that it'll be back next year.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-08-2007 @ 10:55PM
SAM said...
I agree. "Who's Now" was nothing but an unimaginative popularity contest - overplayed and overhyped by ESPN ad nauseum. Surely fans can decide their own favorite sports figures without having to listen to celebrities drone on and on about why Shaquille O'Neal is better than Tony Parker. Who cares? They are both great players; each has a different style. Why is one more "now" than the other or is it just that "now" is the latest description dreamed up by advertising and marketing firms? I'd be more than happy to see ESPN do away with this meaningless nonsense and hope most fans of the station would agree.
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8-08-2007 @ 11:29PM
Nate Kaplan said...
"But don't worry, folks. ESPN can publicly defend Who's Now all it wants, but the people in Bristol aren't stupid,"
I'll beg to differ so long as Skip Bayless is on the air and they let Gay Mariotti speak on behalf of the WWL.
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8-09-2007 @ 12:21AM
George B Vieto said...
When ESPN's anchors start kissing the backsides of their favorite sports stars that I am not fans of I put on the mute button or change channels. Who's Now is just one joke. I wonder why Barry Bonds didn't win it?
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8-09-2007 @ 1:08AM
Gern Wormstead said...
Everytime that stupid segment came on I switched the channel. Everytime. I agree with you on the Skip Bayless comment. He's absolutely horrible. I think the worst TV you can possibly watch, and that's saying something in America, is when him and Steven A. Smith are on the same stage together.
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8-09-2007 @ 10:38AM
Smokey Cloud said...
How ironic is it that the ombudsman is basically asking for an old version of SportsCenter: half hour; highlights and news only? I'd say that would win a "Whose Ironic" contest, hands down.
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8-09-2007 @ 6:36AM
SportsRumblings said...
Other than showing football and basketball GAMES, the ONLY good show on ESPN's air is PTI. It's basically the MTV of sports.
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8-09-2007 @ 11:35PM
RD said...
I knew ESPN was no longer a SPORTS channel when they started broadcasting a bunch of non-athletes sitting around a table playing cards(I don'tcare if it's Poker or Go Fish --it's not a SPORT. Then when this nauseating self-indulgent Who's Now nonsense came on the air, that did it--I do not watch ESPN anymore.
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8-24-2007 @ 9:02PM
PACKERwatch said...
"Who's Now" was a complete joke.
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10-06-2007 @ 5:20PM
PACKERwatch said...
"Who's Now" was a complete joke.
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