I realize I’m doing myself a bit of a disservice hoping for such a fate, but I can’t help but speak in total honesty. Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk (via Ballhype) is saying that ESPN will be dropping sideline reports on Monday Night Football, a trend I would like to see proliferate. Sure, the job market narrows somewhat for someone like me, but honestly, what role do sideline reporters actually play? As in most assessments, the first question you must ask is what does the item/person in question bring to the table? Well, for sideline reporters, it’s the occasional injury update and interview of moderate significance. Outside of that, like 90% of sideline reports are absolutely useless.
What do they really give us? A human interest story of little interest (that can easily be told by the play-by-play or color man)? An uncomfortable and strained interview with a player or coach during the heat of battle who won’t be revealing anything interesting until after the game actually ends? An injury update that circulates through the press box anyway? Honestly, what good are they? I am in no way picking on either of Monday Night Football’s reporters, and for that, I won’t even mention their name because this has nothing to do with them. I’ve just always felt that sideline reporters were utterly useless, and this story by Florio actually seems like good news to me.
So no, don’t be mistaken, this is not a commentary on individual sideline reporters or the quality of their work; it’s strictly about the specific job. Much like Smykowski in Office Space, Lil’ Jon in rap songs, and the chilled salad fork at dinner, sideline reporters don’t bring anything to the table and are generally pointless. We could easily do without them.
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This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 and is filed under Media News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
This would make my day. They serve no purpose on the sidelines. Unless they are eye candy, they need to go.
[...] most assessments, the first question you must ask is what does the item/person in ques source: ESPN Dropping Sideline Reporters on Monday Night Football? Hopefully, Larry Brown [...]
They are useless LB. One game last season, think it was a college game on ESPN, reporter said it looks like “X player ” is gonna try to go back in. Well the player referenced was already out of his pads on the sideline. I would like to see different camera angles for the game, you could see them in picture in picture or swap out to a wide angle look so you could see the entire fiel (like the coaches film) That would take the place of what little value the sl reporters have.
Pretty faces on the sidelines are just another attempt at political correctness and further invasion of the few things left in a man’s world. They don’t play football and very few know the game; they just read from the teleprompter what some guy writes for them. They don’t even know the front from the back end of a football!
Hopefully the other networks will follow ESPN’s lead.
[...] class of 2008 | Football recruiting FanNation | Truth&Rumors | Pro Bowl crowd boos Patriots ESPN Dropping Sideline Reporters on Monday Night Football? Hopefully | Larry Brown Sports Boston Red Sox - XLII doesn’t supersede Sox collapses - The Boston Globe FanNation | [...]
[...] already made it pretty clear what I think (or don’t think) of sideline reporters. It’s not necessarily them that I don’t like, it’s just that I don’t like [...]