ESPN was praised for its coverage of the NBA and MLB as they addressed the coronavirus pandemicESPN IMAGES
ESPN has spent much of the past decade "making itself more and more powerful through various platforms," but whether the network "realized it or not, its power and scope has put it in an excellent position to weather this sports-less storm," according to Will Leitch of the WASHINGTON POST. It is "hard to tell" what ESPN's strategy for covering the unfolding health crisis in the "Era of No Sports" will be going forward. But Leitch wrote "SportsCenter" on the night the NBA suspended its season "had all the information I could want, and only the information." ESPN's NBA reporters "provided immediate, intelligent updates on how the league was handling news" of Jazz C Rudy Gobert testing positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, updates from MLB Spring Training "hinted at how dicey the regular season was looking." Viewers also got a "good sense of the imperiled status of various college basketball tournaments." ESPN during this downtime has in "many ways fallen back into its old habits of self-promotion, loud 'debate' ... and fevered sycophancy toward the NFL." But it is "hard to blame the network too much for that" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/19).
KEEPING THE WHEELS TURNING: ESPN's Scott Van Pelt said of the net's coverage, "It's not like we had a powwow of how to do it. I think it's common sense to recognize that in times of great crisis, people turn to sports as a place to feel normal." He added, "You have to understand the gravity of this, the weight that this carries, and that there are far more important things in life than sports" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/20). USA TODAY's Scott Gleeson writes it has been Van Pelt's "tell-it-how-it-is authentic tone that's helped ESPN navigate an unprecedented time when a priority for the network has been finding the right balance to reach fans without games." Van Pelt said that "connecting with the audience has always been his aim and that goal has even greater meaning now." Van Pelt added that he is "focusing on the day-to-day, while his bosses plan for the future" of "SportsCenter" (USA TODAY, 3/20).
GETTING CREATIVE: SI.com's Jimmy Traina noted talk shows and debate shows on sports networks have been "able to continue thanks to creativity, iPhones, Skype and other technology." ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" has "become 'Pardon the Isolation,'" while "Highly Questionable" has "become 'Highly Quarantined.'" All the shows "deserve major props for social distancing AND continuing to give sports fans a much-needed distraction to help them get through long days" (SI.com, 3/19).
BRADY'S BEST: In Boston, Chad Finn notes ESPN will "present a seven-hour marathon Sunday featuring Tom Brady's best games and highlights during his 20 seasons with the Patriots." The seven-hour block begins at noon ET (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/20). In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal facetiously writes of the seven-hour Brady marathon, "Like that's different from most days" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/20).
GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT: In Cincinnati, Jason Hoffman notes ESPN on Sunday is "bringing back its counter-programming of ESPN8: The Ocho." Shows will feature the Stupid Robot Fighting League, Cherry Pit Spitting, World Sport Stacking Championship, Death Diving Championships and more. Sunday's broadcast will be the "fourth time ESPN has rolled out The Ocho" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 3/20). In DC, Adam Zielonka notes ESPN is bringing back The Ocho in "hopes of drawing some fans who want to put the state of the world out of mind for a while" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/20). NBC NEWS' Dylan Byers writes, "This isn't a joke" (BYERS MARKET, 3/20).
