In L.A., Tom Hoffarth reports there has been “a bewildering panorama of criticism with the launch of the heralded sports website Grantland.com.” Bill Simmons, who started the site, said, "I don't care about reviews. We’ve only been up for two weeks. It’s like reviewing the first bite of a hot dog or something." He added, "We just want to be entertaining. You can be entertaining in 700 words or 7,000. As long as people come to the site every day not knowing what to expect, I’m happy” (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/24).
SPIKING THE PUNCH: ESPN.com's Chuck Mindenhall noted now that the “contractual partnership between cable’s Spike TV and the UFC is winding down things could get a little contentious.” Spike is airing a marathon of Nate Marquardt's fights on Sunday "that will overlap the UFC Live on Versus card going on in Pittsburgh" in which Marquardt is fighting Rick Story in the main event. Meanwhile, Spike is in “discussions with Bellator to broadcast live events moving forward.” The synergy “between Spike and UFC is important to the growth of mixed martial arts.” One entity "was pivotal to the other," as the original season of Spike's "The Ultimate Fighter" "made both entities wildly successful" (ESPN.com, 6/23).
NETWORK NEWS: Fox is in talks with NASCAR about moving some of its Sprint Cup races to Speed, which is owned by Fox, and in L.A., Louis Brewster noted with television contracts “expiring in 2013, perhaps Fox is sending a subtle message to the sanctioning body about the future of televising races.” If the move does take place, NASCAR "could become the stock car version of the IndyCar Series or, worse yet, viewed as a secondary sport on the professional level.” Brewster: "NASCAR should work hard to remain on an over-the-air-network” (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/23).
TOO CLOSELY ALIGNED? USA TODAY’s Michael Hiestand writes the “big question” that emerged from NBC editing out words from the Pledge of Allegiance during their U.S. Open telecast last Sunday is “why TV sports never learns that it should avoid wrapping itself in the flag.” NBC’s “gaffe Sunday should come as a warning to networks as the NFL’s season is scheduled to start on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.” Hiestand: “There’s enormous potential for overly maudlin, even tasteless, elements to be mixed into NFL coverage then” (USA TODAY, 6/24).
