Passing Shot at ESPN and FOX

This has very little to do with golf. I watch Monday Night Football on ESPN on occasion, when the game is one I want to catch. This week, I wanted to watch the Indianapolis Colts play their AFC South nemesis Jacksonville (most boring city in America) Jaguars. The Colts were creaming the Jags in the first half, 17-0. In the first drive of the second half, the Jags get on the board and nail it down to 17-7.

Then out of nowhere, Dwight Freeney of the Colts causes a safety to make it 19-7. Because Russell Crowe, Australian prize fighter/actor, was in the booth, the team of Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Tony Kornheiser all said NOTHING about it. NOTHING. They were too busy talking to the inspiration behind "Russell Crowe's Fightin' 'Round the World."



This happens almost every week on ESPN's version of MNF. They bring in some celebrity - usually from the Disney/ABC family - to promote some crap that a sports fan really does not want to hear about during sports. I don't care what movies are playing or TV shows are coming up when I am locked into sports. If I wanted to go see a movie, I wouldn't have drank 10* Miller Lites in advance of the game, would I? Focus on calling the game so that I can still get the essence of it while my buzz is wearing off. Isn't that the point of announce teams?!

Sports are NOT an opportunity to cross market other things. ESPN is not the only one (ummm, FOX), but they are pretty egregious. The only application to golf is this: could you imagine ESPN trying to cross promote other shows on the "family" of networks while broadcasting 56 minutes of golf action every hour? I don't think so. So why in the world would the NFL allow that?!

Golf knows where the promotions belong - title sponsorships and commercials that are embarrassing to people under 40. There was nothing worse than having the Cialis (erection pill) Western Open. Despite that, though, an impotent Cialis spokesman never got in the booth with the announce team to promote his erection correction. Golf is good at getting its money from corporate America without selling itself out too much.

*I only had 2 Miller Lites.