Why I Love (and Hate) ESPN

There is no doubt that ESPN is the most powerful network and media outlet in sports, and it is true that it has been this way for quite a long time. Other media companies such as FOX Sports, CNN/SI, and Yahoo! Sports have tried to surpass ESPN but have only succeeded in putting a small dent in the Worldwide Leader in Sports' popularity.

What follows is a list of things that I like about ESPN and also things that bother me. While many deride the network beaming from Bristol, Connecticut, there is no doubt that it has a sizable and dedicated following. I have tried to capture all that is good and bad about America's most popular sports channel.

Good: SportsCenter

The holy grail of sports highlight shows, SportsCenter is an addiction that is hard to kick. Of course, the show has its flaws, but ESPN has always done a good job of balancing solid reporting with entertainment.

What really makes the show is the talent they have in the anchor chair both past and present. Chris Berman, Dan Patrick, Linda Cohn, and Mike Tirico are some of the greatest anchors in sports history.

Also, personalities like Kenny Mayne, Craig Kilborn, and Scott Van Pelt are among the funniest in the sports world and beyond. What I wouldn't do to see "Kilby" do one more SportsCenter and give us a "Jumanji!" after a big dunk. The world would be a better place.

Bad: SportsCenter (The Glorification of the Highlight)

Whenever the negatives of ESPN and SportsCenter are brought up, highlights are usually the main reason why people don't like it. It's true that SportsCenter has helped promote the glorification of the highlight (particularly in the NFL and NBA), but I don't believe ESPN has that great of a role in creating this problem.

The truth is our culture at large is responsible for creating and tolerating the highlight, specifically when it comes to highlights that are very individualistic and inherently negative. Sure, we enjoy watching a team turn a beautiful double play, but what we really want to see is amazing individual efforts followed by entertaining and outlandish celebrations.

There have been research papers dedicated to this topic so I won't get into it any deeper. However, count me among those who would like to see more in-depth coverage and less glorification of the highlight on SportsCenter.

Good: SportsCenter Commercials

Truly a gem of modern television, ESPN's commercials for SportsCenter have been witty, creative, and downright funny for over a decade. The combination of using athletes and mascots, mixed with ESPN personalities and their Bristol offices, has been a bonafide winner from day one.

If you don't at least chuckle in nine out of 10 SportsCenter commercials then you might want to visit a doctor.

Bad: Jim Rome is Burning

For years I've never found Jim Rome entertaining or likable and I'm very surprised his career on ESPN has lasted this long. I don't want to say that I really dislike Mr. Rome, but he isn't a very dazzling personality.

In fact, the best part of his show is when he turns it over to an athlete who then gives us viewers a five minute look into their world. Other than that, Jim Rome is Burning is a very forgettable television program.

Good: Around the Horn/Pardon the Interruption

These two shows back-to-back starting at the 5-o'clock time slot more than make up for the dullness of Jim Rome. More often than not, these shows are worth watching more than SportsCenter, especially in the early evening when little sports are taking place.

Both of these shows give ESPN viewers a more in-depth and serious reporter-style look at sports without compromising the entertainment value as well. I can see these two programs lasting a long time, and it will be a sad day when they are taken off the air.

Bad: Baseball Tonight

I really don't hate Baseball Tonight and I actually think it's a really good show for in-depth analysis of Major League Baseball. My problem is with the amount of times the show is aired each day.

It seems as if ESPN resorts to recycling SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight for hours on end after dinner time during the summer. I realize there isn't much going on in the sports world during the summer, but can't ESPN come up with some alternate programming?

The worst part is coming home late and wanting to catch SportsCenter only to find that there's still 37 minutes left in a Baseball Tonight broadcast. And yes, they will be going over every single game that day, twice, and revisiting the same highlights three times or more. I'd much rather they just repeated SportsCenter over and over.

Good: College Gameday

To me there is nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning and laying on the couch with some breakfast while watching College Gameday and getting ready for an entire day's worth of college football.

College Gameday is a perfect balance of reporting and entertainment led by Chris Fowler, one of the most underrated broadcasters and show anchors in the industry. Kirk Herbstreit is a stand up guy who usually knows what he's talking about and Lee Corso...well he's a funny and cute old man.

Best of all, College Gameday captures the college spirit by broadcasting live from a different campus each week. The passion and energy you find at these places at 10 in the morning could never be duplicated in any NFL parking lot.

Bad: Mark May

I know Mark May doesn't have his own show but I really can't stand this guy. Does my love for Notre Dame make me want to slash his car tires? Absolutely. But my dislike for him goes far beyond his hatred for the Irish.

May seems like some stuck up Ivy League blow hard who can never admit he's wrong or imagine that he could ever be anything but right about college football. He always seems abrasive and I could never imagine having a good conversation with him or wanting to have a beer with him.

Maybe it's because his personality is in such contrast to Lou Holtz and that their squabbles make May seem like he's beating up an old man? Whatever it is, I think ESPN would benefit from someone else taking his place.

Good: Bill Simmons aka The Sports Guy

It took me a long time to really appreciate Bill Simmons and his style of writing and humor, but now I'm hooked. Initially I would skim through his articles in ESPN the Magazine and be lost as to what he was talking about.

Now, I religiously follow his work on ESPN.com, and I think he's one of the funniest and insightful writers there is. Sure, he's a little bit out in left field sometimes and he makes no attempt to hide his allegiances, but that's part of what makes him great.

Bad: The X Games

Five or six years ago I would want to smash my television whenever the X games were on ESPN. Today, I've learned to control my emotions, but I still can't come to terms with the X Games and its takeover of ESPN twice a year.

I understand that these action sports are growing in popularity and that it is a smart business move for ESPN, but part of me believes that the X Games just don't belong on the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

I find it kind of sad and depressing that whenever I drive down my street on a nice warm day I don't see any kids playing football or street hockey. They are all skateboarding and riding bikes trying to emulate what they see on the X games. Kids have so much to learn from team sports! I hope all is not lost.

Good: ESPN movie series

At first when it was announced that ESPN would be making movies and mini-series I was sure it would be a huge mistake. But somehow I believe it was a pretty good move.

There have been some big misses (the football mini-series from a few years back, whose name escapes me, that made "Any Given Sunday" look like a real NFL documentary), but there have been some really good shows as well.

The Bronx is Burning and the movie on Dale Earnhardt were both very well put together and full of accurate and decent acting. Hopefully, there will be more of the same when ESPN continues to market these television shows to us sports fans.

Bad: Rick Reilly

Although he's relatively new to ESPN, I wish Reilly had stayed with Sports Illustrated. I can't think of one instance when I agreed with the overall theme of any Reilly article. His personality is intensely unlikable, and it always seems like he has nothing positive to say. I'd count him as among the most overrated sports writers of the past 50 years.

Most recently he wrote a piece on how Tiger Woods should show more respect for golf and stop throwing temper tantrums on the course and showing his anger. Really? C'mon Rick, is it really that big of a deal? I didn't even read the article because I knew it would be ridiculous.

Good: ESPN.com

Although you'll find smaller websites that are more accurate and devoted to specific sports or teams, ESPN.com really is the godfather of sports websites. It's tentacles are too large and penetrating to ignore their impact.

The website arena is where other companies have hurt ESPN the most, but I still favor it over any others mainly because of the several writers and reporters in each sport that are the best in the business. A quick shout out to NHL writer John Buccigross! 

Bad: ESPN the Magazine

There was a time when I loathed Sports Illustrated and sought the cheaper more entertaining ESPN the Magazine as an alternative source for news and sports writing. Now when my ESPN the Magazine comes in the mail I have to force myself to pick it up and read it.

Even still, I usually flip through it reading only three or four articles and purposely skipping the rest. It just seems like the magazine is dominated by advertisements and the articles have gotten shorter and less intriguing. Also, did I mention Rick Reilly has the last article inside it each week?