Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[DontPushMe]

You may not like the game but nba playoffs are the top rated shows on cable TV atm. May 1-7 they occupied the top 12 of the top cable TV ratings. Many of these games on tnt so it's not just an ESPN thing.

[Bull Matrix]

6 hours ago, DontPushMe2 said:

You may not like the game but nba playoffs are the top rated shows on cable TV atm. May 1-7 they occupied the top 12 of the top cable TV ratings. Many of these games on tnt so it's not just an ESPN thing.

Need to bring back Jordan, Bird, and Magic. Those were the days that I miss the most about NBA

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

23 hours ago, Sellular1 said:

The NHL left ESPN and went to Comcast/OLN/Versus each team got $1million more per season.  The bad news was half the country didn't get Versus channel.  A short sighted Gary Bettman almost killed the NHL.  If you remember, ESPN and ESPN2 had NHL games on every night during the season.  Then suddenly had zero presence in half the country.  Then the NHL signed a slightly better deal with NBC Universal for 10 years.  So ESPN wants to fill the massive programming void by losing the NHL (and their pissed at eachother) so ESPN goes down the path of "creating" programming.  Every stupid kind of Texas Holdem tournaments to giving half hour slots to idiots like Steven A Smith...

The NHL is a great product and in the 30 or so cities that have a team most are financially stable.  I just think the NHL lost the casual fan who tuned into ESPN to catch a game.

I hope the AAC doesn't do something shortsighted that will piss off ESPN.  It will be like when the 3 Amigos get fired by Harry Flugelman

Much as I think Bettman is a clueless little troll the owners have kept him commissioner for ~20 years now. He is clearly giving the owners what they want. Bettman makes what I think are terrible decisions(a hard-headed insistence that the Coyotes are a viable franchise) but since he hasn't been fired I've come to believe he's just the puppet for the decisions the owners want.

I remember the coverage on ESPN/ESPN2 and the great nightly recap show they had. Now throughout most of the year espn.com lists NHL under "Other sports". They are vindictive and will destroy a sport if they can to ruin a competitor.

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

17 hours ago, Ionbull said:

Who remembers when he coached the Lightning? 

He was totally benign in that regards. The real cancer was Lawton the crook who would socialize with the players and Koules the clueless owner. That circus had a ton of problems but Melrose was probably one of the lesser problems.

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

12 hours ago, USFBULL_08 said:

Ugh and the terrible NBA contract. That sport is hot garbage. Even the ESPN "analysts" are saying how bad these playoffs have been.

NHL on the other hand has been great. I think they are in a great position for the coming implosion of tv contracts.

 

11 hours ago, NewEnglandBull said:

For the life of me I just can't see how people like NBA basketball. I can literally watch the last three minutes and that is about it. Can't believe that espn overpaid for it. 

Basketball is already a debased form of hockey and the players are fundamentally unsound now to a large extent. I don't understand the popularity either.

[Triple B]

2 hours ago, George_Bullnard_Shaw said:

Bettman makes what I think are terrible decisions(a hard-headed insistence that the Coyotes are a viable franchise) but since he hasn't been fired I've come to believe he's just the puppet for the decisions the owners want.

Am I that off base in thinking that's pretty much what he's supposed to be doing for the most part? Wasn't he elected by the owners?

 

2 hours ago, George_Bullnard_Shaw said:

I remember the coverage on ESPN/ESPN2 and the great nightly recap show they had. Now throughout most of the year espn.com lists NHL under "Other sports". They are vindictive and will destroy a sport if they can to ruin a competitor.

The recap shows, and game night coverage, by NHL Network and NBCSN are head and shoulders above what ESPN used to do. It's just sad that not as many are able to see them .... but by no means will the NHL be destroyed but ESPN's non coverage. It just leaves a ton of sports fans out there unenlightened.

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

1 hour ago, Triple B said:

Am I that off base in thinking that's pretty much what he's supposed to be doing for the most part? Wasn't he elected by the owners?

 

The recap shows, and game night coverage, by NHL Network and NBCSN are head and shoulders above what ESPN used to do. It's just sad that not as many are able to see them .... but by no means will the NHL be destroyed but ESPN's non coverage. It just leaves a ton of sports fans out there unenlightened.

You aren't off base, thus I am saying Bettman has no blame for the decisions, he's just the face and the water carrier for the owners. The blame rests with the owners.

[USFBULL_08]

3 hours ago, Triple B said:

Am I that off base in thinking that's pretty much what he's supposed to be doing for the most part? Wasn't he elected by the owners?

 

The recap shows, and game night coverage, by NHL Network and NBCSN are head and shoulders above what ESPN used to do. It's just sad that not as many are able to see them .... but by no means will the NHL be destroyed but ESPN's non coverage. It just leaves a ton of sports fans out there unenlightened.

Honestly, I'm kind of glad NBC took it over. Otherwise, ESPN would be playing up the concussion\fights\hard hits angle up so much the casual fan would grab their pitchforks and demand change. Bring back the old NHL, but keep the 2 line pass and trapezoid please.

[BullsFanInTX]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 1:38 PM, Triple B said:

The dome held 71,000. Their new configuration of Turner Field will be for 23,000 so even if they still have the 6K it won't look near as bad ...

Actually 33,000.  The 23,000 number is just for this year, as the stadium is still under phase 1 of construction/renovation.  Phase 2, completed by 2018, will make Turner Field (aka Georgia State Stadium) capacity for football at 33K.  It actually looks halfway decent for trying to make a baseball stadium into a football field.

[GaUSFBull]

23 hours ago, NewEnglandBull said:

For the life of me I just can't see how people like NBA basketball. I can literally watch the last three minutes and that is about it. Can't believe that espn overpaid for it. 

 

23 hours ago, charsibb said:

GMTA, LOL

Years ago I said we should just give each team 100 points and play the last five minutes.

 

Count me in on this.  NBA basketball sucks ass.