Pet Peeve #21: ESPN Video Analysis

I got home from a frigid-cold St. Louis Cardinals baseball game tonight (I seriously considered writing another “True Tale of Survival” entry, but Jess pointed out that I had just recently written one about being cold) and eagerly went to ESPN.com to see the highlights from the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

After I waited through the obligatory ad (does anyone actually watch these ads, or do you just flip to a different tab in your browser like me?), the video began…and it was game analysis. Nothing more. Just analysis.

This is the worst.

We tune into video websites to see action, not reaction. Now, to be fair, websites make or break themselves based on reaction. I frequent the movie scoop site Ain’t It Cool News not because it gives me better information than other sites, but because I’m genuinely interested in the site’s writers’ thoughts and opinions.

If you’re not into movies, perhaps you enjoy celebrity gossip. You don’t want to watch a video of someone talking about Lady Gaga’s latest outfit. Rather, you want to see her walk around in a dress made of midgets.

So ESPN, don’t tease me with videos that turn out to be analysis instead of highlights. You do this so often in the fall during college football season. Obtain the highlights and then show them to me–that’s why I go to your site. If you don’t do this better than other sports aggregate sites, you’re making yourself vulnerable to more appealing options.

(Bonus: In the version of the “True Tale of Survival” that I started writing in my head as I was freezing at the game tonight, I was going to make it clear that I was not going to strip naked and run around screaming. That would have been counterproductive, given the cold.)

4 thoughts on “Pet Peeve #21: ESPN Video Analysis”

  1. I’ll second your complaint about ESPN.com videos. The ONLY reason to watch is for highlights taken from the actual game. If I want a description, I can read the recap. They write one for every single sporting event they cover.

    Reply
  2. “Rather, you want to see her walk around in a dress made of midgets.”

    Love this line! As an almost-midget, I’m sure I should take offense to this, but I just can’t. 🙂 I also think that your true tale of survival from the game should have included you donning a dress made of midgets for warmth. I’m sure that ESPN would gladly create a highlight reel of game footage for the sole purpose of featuring you in your midget dress. Lady Gaga would probably see it and fire her stylist for not thinking of it first. Everyone wins (except maybe the midgets).

    Reply

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