Joel Bulkley
ESPN begins a direct-to-consumer streaming service via the ESPN app Aug. 21. It will offer all seven ESPN networks and programs, shows including ACCN and ABC in one place for $29.99/month (without a cable subscription).
My understanding is if you’re a Spectrum cable subscriber with ESPN nets you’ll get the app for free, but no details have been announced as I write this 8/9. I’m sure there are plenty of questions.
In recent days ESPN added WWE and NFL Media properties like NFL Network, RedZone to expand programming, but the acquisitions need many approvals before it happens next year. In return The NFL would get a ten percent stake in ESPN. Remember, NFL games had 93 of 100 top TV audiences last year.
College football season is almost here. Lots of attention on UNC, Coach Belichick. Who knows what to expect. An ESPN writer says UNC is “the biggest mystery in college football.” CBS Sports says UNC is O/U 7.5 wins, Duke and State O/U 6.5 wins, Wake 4.5.
We do know UNC is “all in,” on football, spending money like crazy on everything football-related including Game Day activities like concerts with live music, etc.
ACC media picked Duke 6th, FSU 7th, UNC 8th, Pitt 9th, State 10th. The first three in the pre-season vote were Clemson, Miami, SMU.
Two UNC fan websites are battling it out this summer. On3 is the new one from Rivals Network, formerly Inside Carolina. Ben Sherman is in charge. The other is Tar Heel 247 with Andrew Jones and John Henson, from CBS Sports. Both have good writers and are looking for credibility on news and recruiting reports as well as subscribers.
Good stuff: The Charlotte Observer saluted the Panthers in a one hour documentary called the “Super Men: The Inside Story of the 2015 Carolina Panthers” on YouTube. Free. They did a nice job but there’s no interview with QB Cam Newton.
Roy Williams (3 titles, 7 Final Fours) was second and Coach K (3 titles, 5 Final Fours) third on an espn.com list of best college hoops coaches since 2000. Bill Self (2 titles, 4 Final Fours) was first. Coach Roy got the nod based on more Final Fours than K.
UNC women’s sports–championship soccer and lacrosse teams–were saluted during the ESPYs but no one won an award.
Broadcaster Mike Tirico and Boston columnist Dan Shaughnessy were inducted into the National Sports Media Hall of Fame in Greensboro earlier in the summer. Tirico, a Syracuse grad, apologized to Greensboro residents for broadcaster/former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s anti-Greensboro restaurant remarks years ago.
North Carolina athletes, teams, legends were highlighted on “Tar Heel Day” for ESPN’s 50 States in 50 Days. They were in Greenville for the Little League Softball World Series. There were plenty of Duke and UNC hoops highlights, NASCAR races, Julius Peppers tackles. The SportsCenter hosts even selected four former players for a Duke-UNC all star game they’d like to play on. One had Jordan, Carter, Worthy, Hansbrough, the other picked Laettner, Hill, Redick, Williams.
Still waiting for local papers to dig into what happened to scholarship swimmers and divers at N.C. State and Virginia after NIL rules were adopted this summer. The WaPo did a story on the loss of scholarships (it drew 1,473 comments) but local papers missed it.
Stu Mandel of The Athletic said Phil Steele’s annual college football magazine brought in more revenue for Barnes & Noble than any other. There are only two national pre-season college football mags left (Athlon, Lindy’s). Reader comments brought back memories of other long-gone fall publications.
The Washington Post had an interesting opinion piece on “why one epidemiologist won’t let his kids play on artificial turf fields.” Hint it was health/safety related to tire particles.
RDU Airport Authority is considering options for the Lake Crabtree property that formerly had MTB trails. The leading candidate is some form of whitewater center. Before they go too far, someone better check the water quality in Lake Crabtree. Years ago it was so dirty with PCBs that fishing advisories (don’t eat the fish) were common. Public input sessions are coming up Aug. 19 and Sep. 23.