And the ESPY for most thoughtful ESPN critique goes to…

July 18th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

Bad taste? How about just being unfunny? Is there an ESPY for that?

Someone does not like gay jokes. His name is Richard Sandomir, and he writes for the New York Times.

In a lot of ways, he’s got a point here. His thought: That Lance Armstrong’s joke about Jake Gyllenhall sitting in the front of the venue, when it’s clear he likes it in the rearhahahaha that’ssofunnyLance, was probably in poor taste, especially for a network that specializes in sports coverage, which tends to interest young children.

But Richard almost seems less concerned with the joke and more concerned with ESPN in general. Now we’re talking. Go on, Mr. Sandomir:

This, then, was another episode in the ongoing battle of Good ESPN and Bad ESPN, juggling inspirational stories with the fluffy and the profane.Good ESPN produces “Outside the Lines” while Bad ESPN creates the now-dead “ESPN Hollywood” daily series, a howlingly awful effort to blend sports and entertainment celebrity news.Good ESPN televised Sunday’s well-produced ballgame for six and a half innings — with super slow-motion replays that gave terrific portraits of Mets and Cubs batters connecting with the ball — before it gave way to Bad ESPN’s excessive promotion for the ESPYs.

That’s actually… that’s eloquent. Good ESPN and Bad ESPN. I would argue that Bad ESPN rules the roost, and that Good ESPN - Outside the Lines is a perfect example - has become ancillary to whatever promotional offer the World Wide Leader is sporting that week. Also, Bad ESPN gives Skip Bayless a weekly paycheck. Details.

Really, though, that is the most apt description I’ve heard of ESPN in a long time. Well done, Sandomir.

What’s that? You’re not done? Oh, then please continue:

(ESPN’s executive editor John) Walsh said the reason for such overboard (my word) promotion was to lead those who had watched the ESPYs’ red-carpet show on ESPN2 through the end of the game, which delayed the awards program. “When you’ve invested that much in that kind of show,” he said, “we’ll do everything we can.”

ESPN’s power is such that on nights like Sunday its nickname should be rewritten to be The Worldwide Leader of Itself.

Booyah!