I'm not saying CBS had nothing at all to do with the current status of the SEC, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on whichever conference to which they may obtain broadcast rights achieving the same level of success and respect.
I’ve never liked CBS’ coverage of SEC games, from the production / announcers to the afternoon-only time slots. But I thought this was a funny bit: “CBS decided to exit the negotiations for college football's most-watched TV package after making an aggressive bid in the neighborhood of $300 million per season -- a massive increase from the $55 million it currently pays annually. CBS Sports execs decided that it made more sense to invest the money they would have paid the SEC into other sports.” Another way to read it: I’ve decided that my exclusive relationship with Beyoncé should end, and that I should see other people. Of course, this is purely a strategic decision on my part, and had nothing to do with Beyoncé wanting to charge me $300 to screw her, instead of the $55 I’ve been paying. It ain’t Beyoncé that anyone should be worried about moving on from that deal.
But I’m also concerned about the huge leverage this gives ESPN....and weren’t they the exact same network that just gutted the joint, laid off thousands of people, and as a direct result of their having way overspent on NFL / college football contracts?
Now may be trying to buy out some if not all of the remaining contract with CBS. Maybe they'll bring Nessler back to call the games.
Well, I am a traditional guy. I will miss CBS. I also know I am going to get screwed into having to pay more.
When it comes down to it, this is the end fact and destination. [uck fay]ers want to nickel and dime every last penny out of you. [uck fay] em if they make it so I have to buy their stupid ass streaming service.
Gary has gotten worse every year. I could tolerate him the first 4 or 5 years, but he's beyond insufferable now. Nessler might be best play by play man out there.
I already dumped DTV for Hulu Live...to save money. Only 1 channel I don’t get...local ABC. So I roku the espn app for ABC sports...the only reason I care about ABC. Bet I have to go ESPN +. Sure there’s a combo but still more money.
Their choice of Gary and Verne as commentators was ridiculous. The casual fan flipping through the stations could hear them and immediately think, "CBS doesn't take this shit seriously."
Gary has one of the most technically sound football minds of guys that do that on Saturday. No one seems to agree with me on this, and that is fine. But he really does understands formations, alignment, mismatches, etc. And Verne is great because play by play guys need to be folksy and sometimes goofy -- and genuinely excited about football! -- and he had that in spades. His call of Jauan's Georgia catch is legendary.
Danielson does know his stuff, but he gets hung up on one or two players and it's really annoying. Verne was fine, he just stayed about 3 years too long, the game was going to fast for him. They also didn't go well together.
I think of Gary the same way I think of Bill Raftery. When they stick to actually analyzing the game, they’re terrific. It’s when they get sidetracked with all the stupid bullshit that they becoming an annoyance.