Observation from listening to ESPN Sports Radio last night...

[SpurPadre]

So, I was listening to ESPN radio and they had their sports update of the night where they ran down the day's events and scores. The reporter, named Marc Ketstecher, brought up Kobe's contract signing first and then began the scoreboard in his strange order: the Heat beating the Suns, Utah beating the Bulls, Houston beating the Grizz, THEN mentioning the Pacers being 13-1 after beating the Wolves. He goes over 4 more games, including the Blazers while giving them props for their hot start to the season before mentioning the Spurs last by saying "and New Orleans falls to San Antonio" without even bothering to mention the score to the game despite mentioning all other scores specifically. Ok, so as a seasoned Spurs fan, the media snubbing us is nothing new but isn't this treatment extreme and shamelessly blatant? I mean, it doesn't really bother me as long as I know how great they are and that they keep doing their thing but it makes me wonder. Are these so-called sports reporters/analysts/media personalities instructed by their employers to downplay the Spurs? Or rather, are they instructed by Stern and the league to downplay us in favor of teams he thinks are flashier (other than big markets)? Or are these idiots simply conditioned to downplay us without a thought simply because it's been going on for all these years? Maybe it's all of the above? It can't simply be a big market vs. small market type thing because the media is lapping up the Pacers for their hot start and Paul George. Again, it's not something to be butt hurt about but it's just something I'd thought I'd bring up here to get your thoughts on it.

[hater]

So, I was listening to ESPN radio

there's your problem right there homes

[SpurPadre]

there's your problem right there homes

You got a point there, patrón!

[Brunodf]

So, I was listening to ESPN
Stopped reading there

[MI21]

Who cares, tbh?

[TheGoldStandard]

ESPN will forever be about anything non Spurs like.. If you play team ball but don't have a flashy player on the team who gives sound bites chances are you won't get a lot of play. No worries though, we know who the Spurs are. Chances are if they do make it to the Finals they slurp us for a little while again and if we win they'll try their best to ignore the NBA season ever took place.

[HI-FI]

here is a theory in this thread
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213089

[PÒÓCH]

I find it annoying and astounding how a team that is so mediocre (Lakers) gets so much constant media attention. Some national radio show took most of its program time dissecting the possabilities for the Lakers given Kobe's new salary structure. The west-coast-centric media platforms can all bathe in a pool of botox and silicone for all I care.

[PlayNando]

Stopped reading there
:tu

[justinandimcool]

plz luv my spurs :( :(

[Johnsyounger]

I live in LA, and the local Laker coverage makes ESPN sound like they actually know what they are talking about. Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Lisa Leslie, and Robert Horry are insanely bad. Their takes are utter shit and they are huge homers, which is guess is to be expected.... But for playing the game, one would think they knew a little. I just assume they are told what to say. No one could actually be that stupid...except Israel Gutierrez....

[timtonymanu]

Who cares, tbh?

[Kidd K]

OP, ESPN always downplays San Antonio because they fear their ratings will fall during the NBA season if everyone thinks our team is going to be a major threat again.

As a collective organization, they may in a sense have a "personal" grudge against the Spurs because they've knocked off so many hot bandwagon teams over the years (ended Lakers chances at a 4 peat, always kept the Mavs down, crushed the Suns repeatedly, knocked off Chris Paul's hot Hornets, cucked LeBron in his first Finals appearance, etc). Spurs being a threat means they worry western conference fans may "skip the season", in hyperbolic corporate thinking.

So they downplay our team, quickly pass over any major Spurs wins unless some star nearly won it for the other team (then it's "Spurs barely survive onslaught", not, "Spurs gut out a win"), then the only time we ever get any significant coverage is if we lose or someone on our team gets hurt. In other words, to try and spread the idea that the Spurs are weak or failing.

My assumption is, as I said, that they worry ratings will drop if people think it's "just gonna be the Spurs again". I stopped being bothered by this phenomenon a long time ago, and now only get annoyed if they really go over the top and overt with the anti-Spur agenda. I really don't see them treat other highly successful teams in other sports that way. Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention though.

[Spur|n|Austin]

plz luv my spurs :( :(

[Man In Black]

Selective Mutism

[BillMc]

OP, ESPN always downplays San Antonio because they fear their ratings will fall during the NBA season if everyone thinks our team is going to be a major threat again.

As a collective organization, they may in a sense have a "personal" grudge against the Spurs because they've knocked off so many hot bandwagon teams over the years (ended Lakers chances at a 4 peat, always kept the Mavs down, crushed the Suns repeatedly, knocked off Chris Paul's hot Hornets, cucked LeBron in his first Finals appearance, etc). Spurs being a threat means they worry western conference fans may "skip the season", in hyperbolic corporate thinking.

So they downplay our team, quickly pass over any major Spurs wins unless some star nearly won it for the other team (then it's "Spurs barely survive onslaught", not, "Spurs gut out a win"), then the only time we ever get any significant coverage is if we lose or someone on our team gets hurt. In other words, to try and spread the idea that the Spurs are weak or failing.

My assumption is, as I said, that they worry ratings will drop if people think it's "just gonna be the Spurs again". I stopped being bothered by this phenomenon a long time ago, and now only get annoyed if they really go over the top and overt with the anti-Spur agenda. I really don't see them treat other highly successful teams in other sports that way. Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention though.


This. I mean could you imagine if the Lakers or Knicks had won 50 or more games for 15 straight seasons (17 if you prorate the '99 lockout year)? That consistentcy is unrivaled in the league and one of the best in the history of all sports. This alone should make Duncan an automatic top 5 in any list and says much for Holt, Pop, RC and the organization. (And the culture first put in by Robinson.)

If a major market team had that they'd be constantly, they'd be hailed for their extended greatness. Why I have to hear all the time about Melo, who's done nothing is beyond me.

Instead, our conistentcy clearly annoys people like Stephen A. Smith, because there's no "story" to tell. So, they ignore us. When our streak finally ends they'll mention it as a "fall" rather than the end of something truly great.

Hope we make it to 20 straight seasons (could happen, probably won't). That round figure would force then to give the Spurs their due (I hope).

[wildcardX]

I was at home on Saturday and kept it on NBATV to see the Spurs highlights vs the Cavs. I had it on for about 2 hours after the game without seeing highlights. They showed highlights of all the other games, even the ones that finished later than the Spurs game. I finally just turned it off and went online(which I should've done in the first place).

[SpursRock20]

This is awesome. 13-1 and yet we are still under the radar. There was a time not so long ago that the idea of my team not giving credit would bother me. But as I've learned more and more that the Spurs genuinely don't give a shit, why should I? And credit from ESPN is so "bleh" anyway. Let's first win a trophy and laugh as they act as if they've seen this coming all along. Until then, enjoy the quiet ride of Spurs success.

[Maddog]

ESPN will forever be about anything non Spurs like.. If you play team ball but don't have a flashy player on the team who gives sound bites chances are you won't get a lot of play. No worries though, we know who the Spurs are. Chances are if they do make it to the Finals they slurp us for a little while again and if we win they'll try their best to ignore the NBA season ever took place.

It's in part that
But also this



http://www.tvb.org/media/file/TVB_Market_Profiles_Nielsen_TVHH_DMA_Ranks_2013-2014.pdf


ESPN is a for profit organization. So do you spend a lot of time on a team in the 36th largest TV market.....

[SpurPadre]

Thanks to those with actual responses and good takes to contribute instead of the wannabe tough guy act bullshit with crying emoticons to show how cool they are for putting down the original post.

[SpurYank]

Here's a hint as to why ESPN and other major sports stations and announcers don't mention the Spurs. Phil Jackson, the best "AMERICAN" NBA coach ever (in the eyes of the aforementioned stations & announcers) recently tweeted, as he was watching the Spurs completely dismantle their opponent, "... Popovich's foreign legion ... ." Let's face it, America's team "we ain't."

As a Spurs fan since they came over from Dallas, I personally love it.

[Sean Cagney]

Who cares, tbh?
Not me, thats why I don't listen. He might have said it fast though because it is a given usually they continue to win and nothing new at all so I would think of it that way as well. Spurs have been winning for so long it's like ehhhhh they are winning nothing new.

[LakerHater]

405780312321306624

[Obstructed_View]

I certainly won't make fun of the OP for pointing it out, because if there's something sillier than getting upset about ESPN's policy toward the Spurs, it's someone suggesting that it doesn't exist.

That said, it's not really a secret anymore. The Giants and the Cowboys probably take up a massive portion of ESPN's NFL coverage, and they're both fucking abysmal.

[DMC]

So, I was listening to ESPN radio and they had their sports update of the night where they ran down the day's events and scores. The reporter, named Marc Ketstecher, brought up Kobe's contract signing first and then began the scoreboard in his strange order: the Heat beating the Suns, Utah beating the Bulls, Houston beating the Grizz, THEN mentioning the Pacers being 13-1 after beating the Wolves. He goes over 4 more games, including the Blazers while giving them props for their hot start to the season before mentioning the Spurs last by saying "and New Orleans falls to San Antonio" without even bothering to mention the score to the game despite mentioning all other scores specifically. Ok, so as a seasoned Spurs fan, the media snubbing us is nothing new but isn't this treatment extreme and shamelessly blatant? I mean, it doesn't really bother me as long as I know how great they are and that they keep doing their thing but it makes me wonder. Are these so-called sports reporters/analysts/media personalities instructed by their employers to downplay the Spurs? Or rather, are they instructed by Stern and the league to downplay us in favor of teams he thinks are flashier (other than big markets)? Or are these idiots simply conditioned to downplay us without a thought simply because it's been going on for all these years? Maybe it's all of the above? It can't simply be a big market vs. small market type thing because the media is lapping up the Pacers for their hot start and Paul George. Again, it's not something to be butt hurt about but it's just something I'd thought I'd bring up here to get your thoughts on it.

Take it as a compliment. Saying the Spurs won now is like saying the sun rose. The Spurs have been winning regular season games for longer than that reporter (actually just a guy reading off a piece of paper) had been an adult in all likelihood. I doesn't mean anything.

[Budkin]

Spurs are boring. /thread

[Kidd K]

This. I mean could you imagine if the Lakers or Knicks had won 50 or more games for 15 straight seasons (17 if you prorate the '99 lockout year)? That consistentcy is unrivaled in the league and one of the best in the history of all sports. This alone should make Duncan an automatic top 5 in any list and says much for Holt, Pop, RC and the organization. (And the culture first put in by Robinson.)

If a major market team had that they'd be constantly, they'd be hailed for their extended greatness. Why I have to hear all the time about Melo, who's done nothing is beyond me.

Instead, our conistentcy clearly annoys people like Stephen A. Smith, because there's no "story" to tell. So, they ignore us. When our streak finally ends they'll mention it as a "fall" rather than the end of something truly great.

Hope we make it to 20 straight seasons (could happen, probably won't). That round figure would force then to give the Spurs their due (I hope).

ESPN staff would be constantly popping lozenges for their sore throats after all the deepthroating they'd be doing to the Knicks and Lakers during their broadcasts if they actually had that level of sustained success. There'd be a fight at the scorer's table between ESPN reporters every game for who got to do it first.

In the end though, I kind of like their frustration over it. The past two years, I've been more pleased than ever with the prospect of the Spurs winning. The Spurs are basically the bad guy now, and it will disappoint a lot of shit-talking fans should they win again. If we won either of the last two years (or god forbid, both times), it would've completely changed the landscape of all time talks.

Duncan would've tied Kobe's rings with one title, and his body of work, accolades, and stats would've put him comfortably above Kobe on any logical all time list (he's still above anyway, but it seals the debate). Then if he got both titles, he would've then tied Jordan and Kareem at 6 titles, surpassing Magic too. He would've forced his way into that company. Plus LeBron would've been stifled two to three times by us, tarnishing his legacy forever. Think of how close that was to happening.

The Spurs aren't done yet (worse chance this year than the past two imo, but still a chance), so I'm still going to be excited over a title. It will really change the complextion of NBA history if they get one more. And ESPN's going to hate every second of it. All I have to say to that is "good".

[Skull-1]

Here's a hint as to why ESPN and other major sports stations and announcers don't mention the Spurs. Phil Jackson, the best "AMERICAN" NBA coach ever (in the eyes of the aforementioned stations & announcers) recently tweeted, as he was watching the Spurs completely dismantle their opponent, "... Popovich's foreign legion ... ." Let's face it, America's team "we ain't."

As a Spurs fan since they came over from Dallas, I personally love it.

The Spurs embody what made America a great nation. People united in a common cause...goal.... Teamwork. Pursuit of excellence. And they are gung ho about the military. What's not American about any of that? NBA just sucks at marketing.

[Captivus]

If the Spurs want media attention, they need to rest the starters every 2 games.
I think the problem is that the media hasn't find a way to show how great the Spurs are, so people don't want to watch the Spurs, they just don't understand it.

Its easy to see the attractiveness in a dunk, but its not easy to see it in...lets say...Ball Movement.

[Skull-1]

If the Spurs want media attention, they need to rest the starters every 2 games.
I think the problem is that the media hasn't find a way to show how great the Spurs are, so people don't want to watch the Spurs, they just don't understand it.

Its easy to see the attractiveness in a dunk, but its not easy to see it in...lets say...Ball Movement.

We do need more dunks but that's because they're worth more points than a "miss hoping for a foul we don't get"...

[Obstructed_View]

We do need more dunks but that's because they're worth more points than a "miss trying to avoid a foul that won't be called"...

[Skull-1]

^^^^ What the......??? Avoid wha'???




We do need more dunks but that's because they're worth more points than a "miss hoping for a foul we don't/won't get"...

[Obstructed_View]

^^^^ What the......??? Avoid wha'???

:lol Yeah, that was more confusing than I intended.

Going up aggressive, getting hacked, and getting no whistle equals as many points as missing because you tried to avoid the contact.

[Skull-1]

:lol Yeah, that was more confusing than I intended.

Going up aggressive, getting hacked, and getting no whistle equals as many points as missing because you tried to avoid the contact.


Gotcha. LoL

I just want them to forcefully dunk it like Leonard has done at least twice tonight. Put it through the hoop and forget about drawing a foul. Get the points. Put your crowd into the game and take theirs out of it.

[rascal]

Spurs are boring. Bring back the same core team every year, play boring style basketball with very few dunks and little run and attack the rim basketball, have an older core, are a top regular season team year after year so no storyline here, are in a small market and bring bad ratings. Why should ESPN push the Spurs when it has been proven the country doesn't even care to watch them?

[ducks]

because they got to the finals last year
play fundatmental basketball