Surprise: ESPN: The Magazine ignores Spurs Finals win

[CubanMustGo]

The July 2 edition of ESPN: The Excuse For A Magazine has Oden or Durant on the cover, a full page story about how Lebron is money for Cavs even though he sucked in the championship round, and exactly 67 words on the Finals. I'll save you the trouble of buying it by printing them here:


"LeBron & Co. [surprise, let's start with LeBron] can only watch as Tony Parker drops a layup in Game 4 of the Finals. Parker was a common sight in the lane, splitting the Cavs D at will to earn the Finals MVP award. Later, David Stern handeed the Frenchman his trophy, saying 'Congratulations, and bonne chance!' Nice, but if anyone needed a chance it was Cleveland, which never had one in the series sweep."

The backdrop for the 'story' was the shot we've all seen of TP driving to the hoop early in game 4 as the Cavs stand there and watch him go by.

So here is the flagship publication of the corporation which pays hundreds of millions to broadcast the NBA championship, yet somehow this is the best they can do in terms of print coverage. There's not even the usual one page NBA section in the back this time, either. What a joke.

More proof - as if we needed it - that the ESPN/ABC conglomerate is totally clueless when it comes to promoting the NBA. But, hey, we did get SIX PAGES about some shmuck who got picked to be an AF2 ref-for-a-day.

[Extra Stout]

I forgot about ESPN The Magazine. I cancelled my subscription almost three years ago.

It is very much aimed at the kind of fan who would prefer to ignore the result of these NBA playoffs.

[CubanMustGo]

I get it only b/c I pay for Insider. It generally goes in the recycle bin whenever it shows up in the mailbox for exactly that reason.

[Phil Hellmuth]

A Magnified Fish Wrap that magazine is.

[dallaskd]

maybe because no one watched the finals except spur fans and lebron lovers.

[zekes]

When it first came out, ESPN claimed the focus and concept of the magazine would not be on past events but rather upcoming events so as not to directly compete with Sports Illustrated.

[Spurminator]

I need ESPN The Magazine's validation like I need Terrell Owens' evaluation of my character.

4.

[Shred]

The July 2 edition of ESPN: The Excuse For A Magazine has Oden or Durant on the cover, a full page story about how Lebron is money for Cavs even though he sucked in the championship round, and exactly 67 words on the Finals. I'll save you the trouble of buying it by printing them here:


"LeBron & Co. [surprise, let's start with LeBron] can only watch as Tony Parker drops a layup in Game 4 of the Finals. Parker was a common sight in the lane, splitting the Cavs D at will to earn the Finals MVP award. Later, David Stern handeed the Frenchman his trophy, saying 'Congratulations, and bonne chance!' Nice, but if anyone needed a chance it was Cleveland, which never had one in the series sweep."

The backdrop for the 'story' was the shot we've all seen of TP driving to the hoop early in game 4 as the Cavs stand there and watch him go by.

So here is the flagship publication of the corporation which pays hundreds of millions to broadcast the NBA championship, yet somehow this is the best they can do in terms of print coverage. There's not even the usual one page NBA section in the back this time, either. What a joke.

More proof - as if we needed it - that the ESPN/ABC conglomerate is totally clueless when it comes to promoting the NBA. But, hey, we did get SIX PAGES about some shmuck who got picked to be an AF2 ref-for-a-day.

You mean to tell me, there isn't a single asterisk anywhere in the entire issue? Surely they mentioned the Spurs somewhere.

[MajorMike]

You mean to tell me, there isn't a single asterisk anywhere in the entire issue? Surely they mentioned the Spurs somewhere.


Nope. Not once.

They did mention Suns fans crying 3 times, tho.

[King]

More proof - as if we needed it - that the ESPN/ABC conglomerate is totally clueless when it comes to promoting the NBA. But, hey, we did get SIX PAGES about some shmuck who got picked to be an AF2 ref-for-a-day.


Actually, it's more proof that ESPN/ABC know exactly what they're doing when marketing the NBA. The Spurs aren't big draws, financially. Lebron James is. Kobe is. They're a business. An article about the Spurs won't sell their magazines. Why are you so insistent on media respect? It doesn't effect W/L. It doesn't effect championships. If there was an article in there about SA, would you sleep better at night? I don't get why people still care. The Spurs keep right on winning with or without articles written about them.

[Jamtas#2]

Actually, it's more proof that ESPN/ABC know exactly what they're doing when marketing the NBA. The Spurs aren't big draws, financially. Lebron James is. Kobe is. They're a business. An article about the Spurs won't sell their magazines. Why are you so insistent on media respect? It doesn't effect W/L. It doesn't effect championships. If there was an article in there about SA, would you sleep better at night? I don't get why people still care. The Spurs keep right on winning with or without articles written about them.

Because they feed the "boring" angle rather than try to play up and market the Spurs. They could choose to take an angle and play up the exciting play of Ginobili and Parker and help to market this team to the rest of the country. By only talking about how the rating were low, or how boring the spurs are to watch, they feed this story adn make other people believe it to be true.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Actually, it's more proof that ESPN/ABC know exactly what they're doing when marketing the NBA. The Spurs aren't big draws, financially. Lebron James is. Kobe is. They're a business. An article about the Spurs won't sell their magazines. Why are you so insistent on media respect? It doesn't effect W/L. It doesn't effect championships. If there was an article in there about SA, would you sleep better at night? I don't get why people still care. The Spurs keep right on winning with or without articles written about them.

What he said.

And face it, more people care about Oden/Durant/NBA Draft than the Spurs...that will be more recent info for the edition.

[Clutch20]

The July 2 edition of ESPN: The Excuse For A Magazine has Oden or Durant on the cover, a full page story about how Lebron is money for Cavs even though he sucked in the championship round, and exactly 67 words on the Finals. I'll save you the trouble of buying it by printing them here:


"LeBron & Co. [surprise, let's start with LeBron] can only watch as Tony Parker drops a layup in Game 4 of the Finals. Parker was a common sight in the lane, splitting the Cavs D at will to earn the Finals MVP award. Later, David Stern handeed the Frenchman his trophy, saying 'Congratulations, and bonne chance!' Nice, but if anyone needed a chance it was Cleveland, which never had one in the series sweep."

The backdrop for the 'story' was the shot we've all seen of TP driving to the hoop early in game 4 as the Cavs stand there and watch him go by.

So here is the flagship publication of the corporation which pays hundreds of millions to broadcast the NBA championship, yet somehow this is the best they can do in terms of print coverage. There's not even the usual one page NBA section in the back this time, either. What a joke.

More proof - as if we needed it - that the ESPN/ABC conglomerate is totally clueless when it comes to promoting the NBA. But, hey, we did get SIX PAGES about some shmuck who got picked to be an AF2 ref-for-a-day.

Quintessential ESPN.
Deserving of the title of captaincy of the USS WorldIsFlat and is currently sailing the waters of the Bermuda PJackson Triangle.
mamones.......

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

ESPN the mag has always been a joke

[Cleveland Steamer]

Why would they want to talk about a dirty, old, boring team? The Spurs mine as well be in Antartica as far as the rest of the US goes. Now the Cavs, thats a team

[ducks]

how did you arrive at the spurs are borring?
oh the media do you always believe the media?

[Cleveland Steamer]

how did you arrive at the spurs are borring?
oh the media do you always believe the media?
Why would ESPN lie to me?

[Extra Stout]

Because they feed the "boring" angle rather than try to play up and market the Spurs. They could choose to take an angle and play up the exciting play of Ginobili and Parker and help to market this team to the rest of the country. By only talking about how the rating were low, or how boring the spurs are to watch, they feed this story adn make other people believe it to be true.
Any marketing money they throw at the Spurs in the United States is wasted. The Spurs are hip-hop Kryptonite. Their best player speaks in a monotone. Their second-best player is French. Their third-best player is a walking reminder of America getting its ass kicked in international competition. They play in a small market full of people the red-staters want to see deported and the blue-staters dismiss as "quaint."

There is no media conspiracy against the Spurs. America just doesn't like them.

[AnkleBreaker21]

who gives a shit, we have another ring.fuck espn and all the hatarz

[ducks]

Why would ESPN lie to me?
media lies to people all the time
they do not even check 90 percent of what they report

[dbreiden83080]

Actually, it's more proof that ESPN/ABC know exactly what they're doing when marketing the NBA. The Spurs aren't big draws, financially. Lebron James is.

I'm sorry Lebron James is what? He just played in a finals that got bad ratings and he is a big draw. Big draw to who exactly? Jordan could have played a JV boys team and got massive ratings. Lebron is a media start he is not loved by the public the ratings pretty much confirm that.

[dbreiden83080]

Why would they want to talk about a dirty, old, boring team? The Spurs mine as well be in Antartica as far as the rest of the US goes. Now the Cavs, thats a team

Nobody gives a fuck about Prince James and his band of merry men. Nobody watched his ass in the finals. :donkey

[Cleveland Steamer]

Nobody gives a fuck about Prince James and his band of merry men. Nobody watched his ass in the finals. :donkey
The only reason the Finals were even televised on ABC was the King, if it had been the Pistons, it probably would have gotten moved to Telemundo. Nobody wants to watch the Spurs, deal with it

[dbreiden83080]

The only reason the Finals were even televised on ABC was the King, if it had been the Pistons, it probably would have gotten moved to Telemundo. Nobody wants to watch the Spurs, deal with it

Ready to get owned pal. Spurs/Pistons 2005 ratings were much higher than this one. They got an average of 8.2 and an 11.9 for game 7. You were saying about Telemundo genius.

[Cleveland Steamer]

Ready to get owned pal. Spurs/Pistons 2005 ratings were much higher than this one. They got an average of 8.2 and an 11.9 for game 7. You were saying about Telemundo genius.
What can i say, people like Ben Wallace's fro

[dbreiden83080]

What can i say, people like Ben Wallace's fro

More like they want to see a good series. However if the King was such a massive star would not have mattered how bad he got his ass kicked they would have watched anyway.

[Marcus Bryant]

Well, it could be worse. We could be fans of a team without any rings and live in Cleveland.

[Cleveland Steamer]

Well, it could be worse. We could be fans of a team without any rings and live in Cleveland.
Or I could live in the fattest city in the US with a shit river flowing through the middle of it. I guess we all make sacrifices

[Marcus Bryant]

Or I could live in the fattest city in the US with a shit river flowing through the middle of it. I guess we all make sacrifices

At least that river can't be set aflame and you don't have to shovel the heat. I can't imagine that Cleveland would be that far behind in the fat category. Cleveland's glory days were a century ago and even then John D. moved to NYC.

[dbreiden83080]

I love all the trolls in here saying yeah you beat our team and won the TITLE but the ratings were bad so HAHA. That is like saying yeah you may have won the hand of the hottest chick around but my DICK is still bigger than your's.

[Marcus Bryant]

Maybe next time the Spurs will play a team from a worthwhile market.

[Cleveland Steamer]

At least that river can't be set aflame and you don't have to shovel the heat. I can't imagine that Cleveland would be that far behind in the fat category. Cleveland's glory days were a century ago and even then John D. moved to NYC.
I think your river is probably flamable as well, it just hasnt had its moment to shine

[Cleveland Steamer]

I love all the trolls in here saying yeah you beat our team and won the TITLE but the ratings were bad so HAHA. That is like saying yeah you may have won the hand of the hottest chick around but my DICK is still bigger than your's.
Hey smart guy, you brought up the ratings, not I

[Clutch20]

I think your river is probably flamable as well, it just hasnt had its moment to shine
Cleveland.....steamer, try to rub the two brain cells you have left to answer this question for me.
How is it that when you're served turdcake and finish it without even waiting for the silverware, you ask for a second helping while ignoring all the smirks and sniggles that surround you?

[Extra Stout]

The only reason the Finals were even televised on ABC was the King, if it had been the Pistons, it probably would have gotten moved to Telemundo. Nobody wants to watch the Spurs, deal with it
The reason the ratings were down from 2005 (the last time the Spurs were in the Finals) was that everybody and their grandma knew the "King" was about to get humiliated.

[dbreiden83080]

Hey smart guy, you brought up the ratings, not I

And you were attempting to use that as a way of trashing the Spurs win against your team. Plus you were badly uniformed not even knowing what the ratings were for the 05 finals, hence your dumb comment about if the Pistons were in the finals it would have been on Telemundo.

[5ToolMan]

Actually, it's more proof that ESPN/ABC know exactly what they're doing when marketing the NBA. The Spurs aren't big draws, financially. Lebron James is. Kobe is. They're a business. An article about the Spurs won't sell their magazines. Why are you so insistent on media respect? It doesn't effect W/L. It doesn't effect championships. If there was an article in there about SA, would you sleep better at night? I don't get why people still care. The Spurs keep right on winning with or without articles written about them.

I hear what you are saying, but am far from complete agreement with it. Many great small market teams in many sports have been marketed mostly for their greatness, and are "remembered" by everyone mostly for their geatness. The Spurs on the other hand are among the best of the best AND have some of the most exciting players and/or proven champions, yet are falsly marketed as boring or any other term of disrespect that the press chooses to spew. The mass of American fans have increased in their ability and willingness to act as sheep to the press, baying what they hear because it is true to their desire, with no clue or concern to the truth of the matter.

This is sad. Not to the Spurs, and not to Spurs Fans. It is sad to those who go through life like sheep. Idiots!

[Tha Carter]

dun give a fuck about any mag,4 rings nuff said...if the spurs winning rings means no espn mag shoutouts lol then so be it,who reads that magazine anyway

[td4mvp3]

Why would ESPN lie to me?
hell, why wouldn't they?

[BigBeezie]

I used to wipe my ass with ESPN the magazine...but it gave me a nasty rash.

[Marcus Bryant]

http://assets.bengals.com/images/history/wyche_sam.jpg

You people don't live in Cleveland, you live in San Antonio de Bexar!

[SenorSpur]

The July 2 edition of ESPN: The Excuse For A Magazine has Oden or Durant on the cover, a full page story about how Lebron is money for Cavs even though he sucked in the championship round, and exactly 67 words on the Finals. I'll save you the trouble of buying it by printing them here:


"LeBron & Co. [surprise, let's start with LeBron] can only watch as Tony Parker drops a layup in Game 4 of the Finals. Parker was a common sight in the lane, splitting the Cavs D at will to earn the Finals MVP award. Later, David Stern handeed the Frenchman his trophy, saying 'Congratulations, and bonne chance!' Nice, but if anyone needed a chance it was Cleveland, which never had one in the series sweep."

The backdrop for the 'story' was the shot we've all seen of TP driving to the hoop early in game 4 as the Cavs stand there and watch him go by.

So here is the flagship publication of the corporation which pays hundreds of millions to broadcast the NBA championship, yet somehow this is the best they can do in terms of print coverage. There's not even the usual one page NBA section in the back this time, either. What a joke.

More proof - as if we needed it - that the ESPN/ABC conglomerate is totally clueless when it comes to promoting the NBA. But, hey, we did get SIX PAGES about some shmuck who got picked to be an AF2 ref-for-a-day.

I just received my issue today and noticed there was no mention of the Spurs anywhere. They only won the damn NBA Championship. You can bet I'm going to give them an earful.

[King]

I hear what you are saying, but am far from complete agreement with it. Many great small market teams in many sports have been marketed mostly for their greatness, and are "remembered" by everyone mostly for their geatness. The Spurs on the other hand are among the best of the best AND have some of the most exciting players and/or proven champions, yet are falsly marketed as boring or any other term of disrespect that the press chooses to spew. The mass of American fans have increased in their ability and willingness to act as sheep to the press, baying what they hear because it is true to their desire, with no clue or concern to the truth of the matter.

This is sad. Not to the Spurs, and not to Spurs Fans. It is sad to those who go through life like sheep. Idiots!

I think the biggest problem is that people expect ESPN or SI to be an unbiased sports medium. They're a business, first and foremost. The stories aren't arbitrarily scheduled on Sportscenter. They're scheduled in order of interest, regardless of who the team is. There's a science to it, and it's a formula which brings in the most money to ESPN, not a science to slight the Spurs. Face it, as much as we love the Spurs and as good as they are, they're not a big draw outside of San Antonio.

And it's a catch 22 - they're not marketed because they're not popular, and they're not popular because they're not marketed. It's the way of the beast in San Antonio. But, I'll take rings over lead stories any day.

Mainly, what I'm saying is, the sooner you realize that ESPN is less of an impartial network, and more of a business, the easier it'll be to take when the Spurs are hidden somewhere in the middle, if at all.

[OldDirtMcGirt]

I forgot about ESPN The Magazine. I cancelled my subscription almost three years ago.

It is very much aimed at the kind of fan who would prefer to ignore the result of these NBA playoffs.

I only get it for the insider blogs, and alot of it is garbage (although they'll occasionally have a few interesting pieces by some decent writers).

I really don't know any sports or basketball magazines that I think are worth anything.

[dbreiden83080]

SI put Timmy on the cover when they made the finals and the Spurs are on the cover of SI after winning it all. They are the quintessential Sports Mag in the business period so it shows you how pathetic ESPN the mag is and who they are trying to cater too.

[mikeanthony21]

Why would they want to talk about a dirty, old, boring team? The Spurs mine as well be in Antartica as far as the rest of the US goes. Now the Cavs, thats a team

... that were recipients of a four-game beatdown.

[dbreiden83080]

... that were recipients of a four-game beatdown.

Exactly Cavs got bitchslapped, Suns got beat and the Spurs are a dynasty everyone needs to accept it and move on.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Who gives a fuck about ESPN.

[Fast Dunk]

I do

[Fast Dunk]

Exactly Cavs got bitchslapped, Suns got beat and the Spurs are a dynasty everyone needs to accept it and move on.


No, They're not!! :nope

[ChumpDumper]

Yes, they are!! :D

[Fast Dunk]

:nope
Yes, they are!! :D

[ChumpDumper]

:D

[JustSpurs]

The July 2 edition of ESPN: The Excuse For A Magazine has Oden or Durant on the cover, a full page story about how Lebron is money for Cavs even though he sucked in the championship round, and exactly 67 words on the Finals. I'll save you the trouble of buying it by printing them here:


"LeBron & Co. [surprise, let's start with LeBron] can only watch as Tony Parker drops a layup in Game 4 of the Finals. Parker was a common sight in the lane, splitting the Cavs D at will to earn the Finals MVP award. Later, David Stern handeed the Frenchman his trophy, saying 'Congratulations, and bonne chance!' Nice, but if anyone needed a chance it was Cleveland, which never had one in the series sweep."

The backdrop for the 'story' was the shot we've all seen of TP driving to the hoop early in game 4 as the Cavs stand there and watch him go by.

So here is the flagship publication of the corporation which pays hundreds of millions to broadcast the NBA championship, yet somehow this is the best they can do in terms of print coverage. There's not even the usual one page NBA section in the back this time, either. What a joke.

More proof - as if we needed it - that the ESPN/ABC conglomerate is totally clueless when it comes to promoting the NBA. But, hey, we did get SIX PAGES about some shmuck who got picked to be an AF2 ref-for-a-day.
I'm suprised it wasn 't full of Mighty Ducks coverage due to the fact that ABC/ESPN is owned by Disney.

[MadDog73]

It's just more proof that ABC/ESPN loves wasting money.

I doubt they make a profit on the magazine anyway, to them it's just about getting the ESPN brand out there, not pimping basketball.

[samikeyp]

Who cares?

The trophy still stays. :)

[SAGambler]

Why would they want to talk about a dirty, old, boring team? The Spurs mine as well be in Antartica as far as the rest of the US goes. Now the Cavs, thats a team that gets a lot of hype, but will never win an NBA finals

There....Fixed it for you.

[td4mvp21]

The only reason the Finals were even televised on ABC was the King, if it had been the Pistons, it probably would have gotten moved to Telemundo. Nobody wants to watch the Spurs, deal with it

Really? Then how come the 2005 Spurs-Pistons Finals drew better ratings then this year's Finals? Probably because the Pistons were actually a good team that didn't suck ass like the Cavs.

[Cherry]

"ESPN: The Magazine ignores Spurs Finals win"

Pop: "I don´t give a sh*t" :)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I'm suprised it wasn 't full of Mighty Ducks coverage due to the fact that ABC/ESPN is owned by Disney.

Disney sold the Ducks to private ownership two years ago.

[703 Spurz]

You mean to tell me, there isn't a single asterisk anywhere in the entire issue? Surely they mentioned the Spurs somewhere.

Ever hear of the phrase "Move the fuck on jackass"?

[Lonestar]

AAHHHHH!! Screw the haters cuz we got ours!!

:toast

[ancestron]

maybe because no one watched the finals except spur fans and lebron lovers.

Spurs fans and LeBron lovers....hmmm...so that was probably about HALF of the PLANET.

[mrsmaalox]

Same thing happened in 2005. I thought it was because a couple of issues earlier they had done that "What's Not to Love About Manu and the Spurs?" issue with the adorable pic of Manu on the cover. But I suppose now they are intended slights. :depressed

[dbreiden83080]

Really? Then how come the 2005 Spurs-Pistons Finals drew better ratings then this year's Finals? Probably because the Pistons were actually a good team that didn't suck ass like the Cavs.

Exactly it is pretty clear in todays NBA that the public want a good series over just star power. This finals proves that. All the media was saying with the Cavs here in the finals and Lebron the ratings will be good. Well they were awful thanks to most people going in knowing that the Spurs were so much better and then sweeping the Cavs easily.

[Agloco]

The only reason the Finals were even televised on ABC was the King, if it had been the Pistons, it probably would have gotten moved to Telemundo. Nobody wants to watch the Spurs, deal with it


Hard to have a competitive rating when only one team shows up. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank your Cavaliers for their help in turning this finals into the pile of dogshit that it was.

Strong work from LeBrick and crew.