Legendary broadcaster Bob Costas knows a thing or two about landmark sports moments—and how they were delivered to audiences. But during a recent conversation on Sunday’s Meet The Press, the veteran sportscaster acknowledged that the way fans consume sports has shifted dramatically with the rise of streaming giants and digital media platforms. Reflecting on how tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Netflix are reshaping the sports media ecosystem, Costas said, “Sports is coming at people, if they want to access it, from so many different directions.”
He contrasted today’s fragmented media landscape with his own early career experiences at NBC’s “Game of the Week” during the 1980s. “That really was the game of the week,” he said. “Now, if you want to, you can access every game.” That abundance, however, may come at a price. Costas noted that while options have expanded, the emotional gravity of individual events has diminished.
“I think it does diminish it to some extent,” Costas said. “Everything, every sport, every game is accessible. That takes away some of the excitement.”
Costas also voiced concern over the decline in serious sports journalism. Once-heralded programs like Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and ESPN’s Outside the Lines have either shut down or scaled back.
“A lot of sports coverage that’s not event coverage now is a bunch of people yelling at each other for an hour over a half-dozen different sports stories,” said Costas. “It’s all sound bites and arguments and clickbait stuff. And a lot of the journalism which used to be part of sports has been diminished.”
As network television’s once-dominant role wanes, Costas said it still holds influence but no longer enjoys full primacy. He candidly acknowledged the complex relationship between networks and leagues, noting that broadcasters are both partners and journalists. “It’s the only one I can think of where the buyer has to continually flatter the seller,” he said, adding that he tried to take a “judicious” approach throughout his career.
He also addressed how gambling and social media have influenced fan behavior. “So much of it is transactional now. You’ve got a bet on the game, so you have a different relationship to how that game plays out,” Costas explained. He also observed that digital platforms have created a harsher tone around sports. “There are no misdemeanors, only felonies. You lose a game, the coach should be fired. A guy goes 0-for-4, and he should be traded.”
Despite the changes, Costas remains proud of the era he came up in, calling it a bridge between the classic and modern periods of sports broadcasting. “The games I was involved in, including the Olympics, just landed differently than some things made today,” he said.
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