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On Thu, 4 Apr 1996, MR ADAM C WODON wrote: > -- [ From: Adam Wodon * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] -- > > I believe I inadvertantly started this ESPN thing about Bob Norton. > The original note was talking about the studio host, - you know, the > clown who said the Final game was an "appetizer to tonight's main > course, the [basketball] Final Four." - not Norton. I must preface this post by saying that I did not see the NC$$ Hockey Finals broadcast on ESPN (I had a friend taping the game, but he set his VCR for 1:00am). I am only going on what has been written on the list. Also, I am in no way shape or form a college basketball fan. So here it goes.... I will probably get flamed BIG for this one, but from an ESPN (not a hockey fan's, but a sports programmer's) perspective, the comment that the hockey finals were an "appetizer to tonight's main course, the [basketball] Final Four" is not to far out of line. Before you tearing off to rip on me for this, let me try to explain. On a nationwide scale, what is more popular, college basketball or college hockey? Answer: college basketball (unfortunately) What event was a sellout over a year ago, with scalpers getting $5000+ per ticket? Answer: The basketball Final Four (Thank goodness it was Hockey, because then I can't afford to go any more.) In general, what event draws more attention in the media nationwide, the Hockey Final Four or the Basketball Final Four? Answer: the Basketball Final Four. So as a sports programmer, ESPN, wants to hype the big sporting events as much as possible, even if they are not showing them. Why do they have a football pre-game show every Sunday morning in the fall, when they don't show NFL football? They are promoting themselves as a sports information center. If you watch their pre-game and post-game, then they are getting an audience from an event they didn't even show. The problem was that the comment was made to a hockey fans, who may not care (like me) about college basketball. Effectively, the announcer put down hockey, which they were broadcasting at the time, to hockey fans for the sake of trying to appeal to the greater popularity of basketball. Which I agree 1000%, was the wrong thing to do. Just my thoughts/Kevin HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.