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Dear ESPN,
Long time viewer, first time writing a column that is a letter to you.
First off, I wanted to tell you how big of a fan I am. I always have been. I will never forget when my parents got us our first cable box in the early 80’s and I fell in love with you immediately. You see, I was the kid who would record St. Louis Cardinals games and other sporting events on my Fisher Price tape recorder and then go into my bed and listen to them when my parents said I had to turn off the TV. I used to do it with some of your shows as well.
I have always watched your products religiously, and even used to leave the workout shows on the TV just waiting for when something would come on I actually wanted to watch. So, thank you for always being there for us diehard sports fans and giving us some incredible content.
Today’s product is quite a bit different than back in those days and at the risk of sounding like an old person, I liked a lot of the stuff you used to do more than what you do now, but by golly, you are always there, and I always know what I can get when I tune in. Consistency is always key and is an area where your network has shined.
I have also been a longtime fan of Inside the NBA and when I say a longtime fan, I mean from Day One. I am one of those that can actually remember the year Ernie Johnson was doing sideline reports while others were in the studio. Later on, as if I didn’t love the show enough already, they added my guy Charles Barkley in 2000 and that hooked me for life.
So, on behalf of all of those that have enjoyed the show, THANK YOU!
For those that may not be aware, ESPN/ABC owner Disney has worked out a deal to continue the show, which will be licensed to them by Warner Bros. Discovery. Reports indicated from the get-go that the show would remain the same, however, we now understand Shaq’s deal expires at the end of this current season.
My main intention in writing this letter to you is to implore you to do exactly as those initial reports indicated – keep the show exactly as it is. I assume WBD/TNT should have no problem re-upping Shaq, but let’s get that done quickly so us fans of the show are assured it will continue in its current form, all of it.
Then, don’t touch it. Don’t try to add to it, don’t try to take away from it, just let it run. And while he is great doing his thing on his own shows, please do not let Stephen A. Smith near this show.
I realize the reports say it is still TNT’s show, they produce it, they are in control of content. But I’ve seen this play out before and while I am really digging the media companies working together like this, I don’t trust it. Mainly because ESPN is such a beast, do we really think they will sit idly by if they have ideas? Or could they end up strong-arming the league if they feel TNT isn’t being the partner they want them to be.
I realize I am jumping the gun here and maybe getting worried about something that will never be a concern, but didn’t we just see some of this play out? Didn’t Adam Silver say WBD was the kind of partner that would point to one line in a huge contract and play that game? Let’s just make sure our attorneys work this out all correctly, with all I’s dotted and all T’s crossed, for now and the future.
The last thing any of us want is an Inside the NBA light or an ESPN version of Inside the NBA. The show is just fine the way it is, thank you very much. And don’t get the idea to now overexpose these guys. Once in a while, ok, but if we see Charles, Shaq and Kenny start to pop up all over the place, the show will suffer.
ESPN doesn’t lose at a lot of things, but NBA programming around the games is an area where ESPN has gotten it handed to them by TNT. It isn’t even fair really to compare what the two do. To put it into terms sports fans will understand, Inside the NBA is Michael Jordan, and the stuff ESPN puts out is more along the lines of Steve Kerr. Dependable, solid, not great.
Inside the NBA is great. Let’s keep it that way.
Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
