ESPN does too much Yankees-Red Sox and they don't care

• From the final column of ESPN ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber. Successor not yet announced:

"When a sports media empire repeatedly turns fans off some of sports' most talented players, both established and emerging, something is wrong. And yet the message from fans that I have found hardest to impress upon ESPN's executives and talent is this:

• The predictable day-after-day dominance on ESPN of certain marquee teams and players is making a lot of fans both heartsick and cynical.

• Why does ESPN resist the message?

Because they see strong counterevidence in what matters most: event telecast ratings.*

• Marquee teams and superstar players draw the audience that justifies the escalating billions ESPN pays in rights fees. From a telecast-ratings perspective,

there seems to be no such thing as too much Yanks, Red Sox, Cowboys, Patriots, Manny, Kobe … you know the list."...via Neil Best Watchdog

• *In the confines of an ombudsman's column I wouldn't expect actual ratings to be included. My general understanding is ESPN does a great job in Men 18-34, a sought-after demo. Nonetheless, there's a lot more to the story with ratings, eg trends over several years, gains or losses within age cells, time spent viewing, (do they sit through the commercials), etc. I wouldn't accept a summary by ESPN on any of this. I wouldn't ask ESPN for the right time. (sm)

Thanks, Ms. Schreiber, for all your efforts. I don't think anyone could have done better under the circumstances.

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