I’m fond of a little TV as I sit down to write my columns every afternoon. But what’s a girl not interested in Maury or Dr. Phil or soaps to do? I flip over to ESPN, which has quietly assembled the most unique and entertaining programming block in daytime.
Afternoons across ESPN and ESPN2 have put the “entertainment” back into “Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.” You don’t have to be up on your stats to enjoy Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable, SportsNation, Around The Horn, Numbers Never Lie and Pardon the Interruption. You just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.
My colleagues at CliqueClack like to rib me about my enjoyment of DLHQ, which I called one of my favorite shows of 2011. It’s true that Dan Le Batard might not have a fan club, but his show is definitely original. Dan answers questions posed by his father, Gonzalo Le Batard, in a makeshift Miami kitchen. Dan’s mom Lourdes is on speed dial, athletes like Jason Taylor wander in and out, and the show has recently become the source for all your drunk Pat Sajak news. It’s pretty laugh-out-loud hilarious. But more importantly, it goes back to something that’s a cornerstone of sports: fathers and children. I grew up talking sports with my dad, just like Dan does with his. The difference is he gets paid for it. Also, he gets to play “Si o No?” which is the most fun you can have with two pieces of paper.
After DLHQ I flip over to Around The Horn, “the show of competitive banter.” Host Tony Reali (on whom I have a completely innocuous crush) poses topics to a panel of four sportswriters, then scores them arbitrarily to determine an eventual winner. But don’t rub him the wrong way, because he has a mute button. ATH is full of characters, from Denver’s Woody Paige and his chalkboard of daily sayings (“Zombies eat brains! Tony, you’re safe”) to Dallas’s Tim Cowlishaw and his tiny Stanley Cup. The show isn’t afraid to be totally off the wall (such as an April Fool’s Day episode where the entire show ran backwards, from finish to start), but it also offers serious discussion, such as about former ATH panelist Jay Mariotti’s legal issues.
Pardon the Interruption has been on ESPN for over a decade. The simple description of the show is that it’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon arguing, but it’s arguing of real substance on issues across the sports world. After the discussion of headlines and guest interviews, there are various games that pop up, whether it’s “Psychic Hotline” (which involves Kornheiser in a turban taking viewer questions) or “Role Play” (in which the hosts pretend to be various figures by utilizing paper heads on sticks). ATH host Reali is “Stat Boy” on PTI, and Dan Le Batard was a frequent guest host (and subject of ridicule) until he got his own show.
Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle host SportsNation, which relies more heavily on audience input, such as posing a question and then revealing the results of a viewer poll. There’s “Fake Calls From Real Fans,” where people can call in pretending to be a sports figure and ask a question of the hosts. It’s interesting to have a show in which the voices of the fans can be heard just as much as those of the personalities, and to see the similarities and disagreements between the two. Oh, and Colin does a killer impression of Ron Burgundy.
Frequent ATH panelist Michael Smith also got his own show last year, co-chairing Numbers Never Lie with Charissa Thompson. Now, I am not a stats person. I was horrible at math in college. Yet NNL uses numbers in a way that even I can understand. And it’s great to see Smith, who’s done exceptional work on the network for years (particularly on the newsmagazine E:60), have his own series.
All of these shows are chock-full of sports content; watch just one of them and you’ll be caught up on what’s new and hot that day. But you can get that on any sports channel or online. What makes ESPN’s afternoon programs unique is that they mix news with discussion and humor. The personalities are real personalities who know not only how to deliver a story, but also make it accessible and entertaining. I can get my sports news and have a good time simultaneously. And I don’t have to watch another dozen paternity tests or a talking box of fudge.
Bravo, ESPN, and thanks for all the mutes…!
Clacked by Brittany Frederick 
on Jan 31, 2012 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
From someone who wakes up to Mike and Mike in the morning – well done, Brittany.
*POST AUTHOR*
Thanks, Ruby!
Mike and Mike is my “up way too early, looking for something to watch while packing my suitcases for whatever trip necessitates leaving at four AM” show. I even remember Greenberg’s short-lived game show host stint. XD
I think I’ll always have a soft spot for Around The Horn though because it’s the show that got me started watching all the other shows…
Ah yes… Duel. I actually saw every episode of that. Haha, sad.
*POST AUTHOR*
The best ESPN-related game show will always be 2 Minute Drill with Kenny Mayne.
I’d say Dream Job, but I’m biased because I auditioned for that. Twice.
I’ll take the Dan Patrick show over any of the dopes (Kornheiser-style … PTI is the exception to the dope rule) any day of the week.
*POST AUTHOR*
One of those things about which we can agree to disagree, Ivey. (And I’ll take any of these dopes over another Maury hour of paternity tests. It’s baffling how many people apparently don’t know the father of their kid(s).)
How can you not be a fan of DP? I appreciate that he actually spends time discussing the process of being a sports journalist.
*POST AUTHOR*
Oh, I didn’t say I wasn’t a fan of his. I grew up watching him and Olbermann anchor SportsCenter.
I’m curious – have you watched E:60 or the daily version of Outside The Lines yet? Both of those are pretty insightful as well. I just haven’t had the time to keep up with either because of my schedule.
No, I really go out of my way to avoid ESPN these days. PTI is the only thing I watch regularly, but I don’t even watch MNF anymore unless the Redskins are playing. Other than that, the occasional NC State game if its on, and SVP’s radio show if I’m out and about in the afternoon.
I’m truly fed up with the way that they cover sports … not in the “Too Much Tebow” perspective (Go with what pays the bills I say), but everything from the Decision to Craig James to the way that they don’t credit sources properly to the Ben Roethlisberger story to the way they handle the DP Show to … well, the list could keep going.
They think they’re the only game in town, and in many ways, they are. But I’m a NFL fan more than anything else, and therefore I have the NFL Network and my local sports channel.
I’ve just gotten to the point that I avoid the ESPN brand everywhere I can. Not to say I don’t like some of the personalities, but I’m not giving them any of my (theoretical) money if I can help it.