The last Sports Reporters

[SWC75]

ESPN's The Sports Reporters signed off today for the last time, eliminating a staple of my Sunday mornings. very well done. Lupica, (no I don't like him either but he's been on good behavior since he became host and done a good job), Rhoden, Albom and Ryan all choose their #1 athlete of the 29 years the show has been on. Each chose a different one: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tom Brady and Larry Bird, respectively. (Interesting that three of them were basketball players.) They gave heartfelt tributes to Dick Schaap and John Saunders as well as to their long-time producer and director. They bemoaned, (genteelly) the fact that the conversation will now be totally taken over by younger, hipper, more combative shows. They hoped their verison of "the conversation" would return in some form, someday.

The Sports Reporters - Wikipedia

As the Wikipedia article says, this show was, in part, inspired by the old "Sportswriters on TV" show from Chicago, which had a more intimate, around the card table look:

The Sportswriters on TV - Wikipedia

On the last Bud and the Manchild show before their current "vacation", (I understand that they hope to be back on the air tomorrow), I suggested to Jim Lersch that a local version of this type of show could fill a gap for all of us on Sunday morning, whether it was broadcast on radio or TV. He seemed interested but who knows if anything will come of the idea.

 

[MikeSU02]

ESPN's The Sports Reporters signed off today for the last time, eliminating a staple of my Sunday mornings. very well done. Lupica, (no I don't like him either but he's been on good behavior since he became host and done a good job), Rhoden, Albom and Ryan all choose their #1 athlete of the 29 years the show has been on. Each chose a different one: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tom Brady and Larry Bird, respectively. (Interesting that three of them were basketball players.) They gave heartfelt tributes to Dick Schaap and John Saunders as well as to their long-time producer and director. They bemoaned, (genteelly) the fact that the conversation will now be totally taken over by younger, hipper, more combative shows. They hoped their verison of "the conversation" would return in some form, someday.

The Sports Reporters - Wikipedia

As the Wikipedia article says, this show was, in part, inspired by the old "Sportswriters on TV" show from Chicago, which had a more intimate, around the card table look:

The Sportswriters on TV - Wikipedia

On the last Bud and the Manchild show before their current "vacation", (I understand that they hope to be back on the air tomorrow), I suggested to Jim Lersch that a local version of this type of show could fill a gap for all of us on Sunday morning, whether it was broadcast on radio or TV. He seemed interested but who knows if anything will come of the idea.

I'm 37 and would watch this show religiously growing up (also watched the McLaughlin Group, both with my dad).

Really loved Schaap and was impressed when they chose Saunders to replace him.

A few points about what you noted they said:

- It is sad that a lot of shows are or will become H0T Takes and shouting. However, ESPN created this more than any other sports media outlet. I'm very surprised the show lasted this long.

- During the parting shots I'd always "root" for Lupica (I was little, cut me some slack)

- While I always loved the discussion and the manner in which the conversations took place, even when animated, it was still very much sports reporters talking from experience and not very much hard core analysis.

- You can still get smart discussions from a certain strata of reporters. I'd argue they are smarter and deeper than what Sports Reporters provided most of the time. THIS IS NOT A KNOCK ON SPORTS REPORTERS. I believe there is better use of analytics and an awareness of how to measure sports performance, overall.

- With that said, I hate the First Take-style of this. Hate it in politics. Hate it in sports. Hate it for everything.

I would argue this is best done by the guys covering the NBA. Guys like Zach Lowe (imo, the pinnacle) and Nate Duncan (Dunc'd On Podcast).

One other note, I really thought PTI was a nice landing spot for an evolution of the Sports Reports: two established, smart sports journalists in a format that was friendly to the evolving media landscape. Issue for me with that show is I only really like Tony and Wilbon (don't mind if Bob Ryan is on).

I never liked Around the Horn with Kellerman or Riali.

 

[SWC75]

I'm 37 and would watch this show religiously growing up (also watched the McLaughlin Group, both with my dad).

Really loved Schaap and was impressed when they chose Saunders to replace him.

A few points about what you noted they said:

- It is sad that a lot of shows are or will become H0T Takes and shouting. However, ESPN created this more than any other sports media outlet. I'm very surprised the show lasted this long.

- During the parting shots I'd always "root" for Lupica (I was little, cut me some slack)

- While I always loved the discussion and the manner in which the conversations took place, even when animated, it was still very much sports reporters talking from experience and not very much hard core analysis.

- You can still get smart discussions from a certain strata of reporters. I'd argue they are smarter and deeper than what Sports Reporters provided most of the time. THIS IS NOT A KNOCK ON SPORTS REPORTERS. I believe there is better use of analytics and an awareness of how to measure sports performance, overall.

- With that said, I hate the First Take-style of this. Hate it in politics. Hate it in sports. Hate it for everything.

I would argue this is best done by the guys covering the NBA. Guys like Zach Lowe (imo, the pinnacle) and Nate Duncan (Dunc'd On Podcast).

One other note, I really thought PTI was a nice landing spot for an evolution of the Sports Reports: two established, smart sports journalists in a format that was friendly to the evolving media landscape. Issue for me with that show is I only really like Tony and Wilbon (don't mind if Bob Ryan is on).

I never liked Around the Horn with Kellerman or Riali.

"- You can still get smart discussions from a certain strata of reporters. I'd argue they are smarter and deeper than what Sports Reporters provided most of the time. THIS IS NOT A KNOCK ON SPORTS REPORTERS. I believe there is better use of analytics and an awareness of how to measure sports performance, overall."

Actually I like the fact that the Sports Reporters didn't throw numbers at me but instead provided impressions and focused on the people of sport. I didn't tune in to determine who was the best point guard or shortstop statistically. It was more "Have you ever seen anything like that?" and big picture stuff and I liked that.

 

[MikeSU02]

"- You can still get smart discussions from a certain strata of reporters. I'd argue they are smarter and deeper than what Sports Reporters provided most of the time. THIS IS NOT A KNOCK ON SPORTS REPORTERS. I believe there is better use of analytics and an awareness of how to measure sports performance, overall."

Actually I like the fact that the Sports Reporters didn't throw numbers at me but instead provided impressions and focused on the people of sport. I didn't tune in to determine who was the best point guard or shortstop statistically. It was more "Have you ever seen anything like that?" and big picture stuff and I liked that.

Fair, definitely.

And, for the time, it definitely was the high water mark of sports discussion.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I'm going to miss this show. I didn't realize that it was ending until last week. Was The Sportswriters on TV the one where they were all sitting around the table in a smoke filled room? I'm normally not a huge Lupica fan, but did a really nice job as host, IMO. I haven't watched it yet, but I'll guess that the two guys with Boston connections (Lupica and Ryan) chose Brady and Bird.

 

[cmr27]

I'm going to miss this show. I didn't realize that it was ending until last week. Was The Sportswriters on TV the one where they were all sitting around the table in a smoke filled room? I'm normally not a huge Lupica fan, but did a really nice job as host, IMO. I haven't watched it yet, but I'll guess that the two guys with Boston connections (Lupica and Ryan) chose Brady and Bird.

You might be thinking of a sports reporters show out of Chicago that came before ESPN's version. It might been called The Sports Reporters. It was on in the late 80s and early 90s. I'm pretty sure it was on cable in the NYC area though it was very Chicago-centric. It featured Rick Telander, Bill Jauss and a couple of other guys I can't remember. None of the reporters were hugely famous but they could talk in depth about a subject. Each segment was 5 to 10 minutes. I'm not sure that show would fly today. People have shorter attention spans and need buzzers and bells to know when the topic is dead now. They got lucky that the Bears were a thing back then and MJ was coming into his prime.

 

[SWC75]

I'm going to miss this show. I didn't realize that it was ending until last week. Was The Sportswriters on TV the one where they were all sitting around the table in a smoke filled room? I'm normally not a huge Lupica fan, but did a really nice job as host, IMO. I haven't watched it yet, but I'll guess that the two guys with Boston connections (Lupica and Ryan) chose Brady and Bird.

Lupica took MJ. Albom was Brady. Ryan was Bird and Rhoden chose Magic.

 

[SWC75]

You might be thinking of a sports reporters show out of Chicago that came before ESPN's version. It might been called The Sports Reporters. It was on in the late 80s and early 90s. I'm pretty sure it was on cable in the NYC area though it was very Chicago-centric. It featured Rick Telander, Bill Jauss and a couple of other guys I can't remember. None of the reporters were hugely famous but they could talk in depth about a subject. Each segment was 5 to 10 minutes. I'm not sure that show would fly today. People have shorter attention spans and need buzzers and bells to know when the topic is dead now. They got lucky that the Bears were a thing back then and MJ was coming into his prime.

Click on the second link in the OP.

Here's a You-Tube sampling:



I loved those guys because they were obviously close friends. It was like listening to a conversation at a bar or a poker table. Bently, Gelason and Jauss are all gone now.

 

[cmr27]

Click on the second link in the OP.

Here's a You-Tube sampling:



I loved those guys because they were obviously close friends. It was like listening to a conversation at a bar or a poker table. Bently, Gelason and Jauss are all gone now.

That was such a great show. Love the Chicago accents. I always thought the Chicago accent was close to a Syracuse accent but those guys took Chicago to a whole other level. That must have been the easiest show in the world to shoot. Those guys could have talked all night.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Click on the second link in the OP.

Here's a You-Tube sampling:



I loved those guys because they were obviously close friends. It was like listening to a conversation at a bar or a poker table. Bently, Gelason and Jauss are all gone now.

Yup, that's what I was thinking of. Thanks.

 

[br801]

That was such a great show. Love the Chicago accents. I always thought the Chicago accent was close to a Syracuse accent but those guys took Chicago to a whole other level. That must have been the easiest show in the world to shoot. Those guys could have talked all night.

There's a reason those accents sound similar.

Inland Northern American English - Wikipedia

 

[kirbivore]

stopped watching the day Saunders died. Can't stand Lupica.

 

[kirbivore]

ESPN's The Sports Reporters signed off today for the last time, eliminating a staple of my Sunday mornings. very well done. Lupica, (no I don't like him either but he's been on good behavior since he became host and done a good job), Rhoden, Albom and Ryan all choose their #1 athlete of the 29 years the show has been on. Each chose a different one: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tom Brady and Larry Bird, respectively. (Interesting that three of them were basketball players.) They gave heartfelt tributes to Dick Schaap and John Saunders as well as to their long-time producer and director. They bemoaned, (genteelly) the fact that the conversation will now be totally taken over by younger, hipper, more combative shows. They hoped their verison of "the conversation" would return in some form, someday.

The Sports Reporters - Wikipedia

As the Wikipedia article says, this show was, in part, inspired by the old "Sportswriters on TV" show from Chicago, which had a more intimate, around the card table look:

The Sportswriters on TV - Wikipedia

On the last Bud and the Manchild show before their current "vacation", (I understand that they hope to be back on the air tomorrow), I suggested to Jim Lersch that a local version of this type of show could fill a gap for all of us on Sunday morning, whether it was broadcast on radio or TV. He seemed interested but who knows if anything will come of the idea.

As long as Bud is not involved I'm all for it

 

[obliterata]

Click on the second link in the OP.

Here's a You-Tube sampling:



I loved those guys because they were obviously close friends. It was like listening to a conversation at a bar or a poker table. Bently, Gelason and Jauss are all gone now.

This brings back memories. I used to often listen to these guys on the radio Sunday night during the winter. Can't remember if it was WGN, WLS, WBBM, or some other 50,000 watt Chicago station that reached Syracuse. I hadn't heard those voices in over 2 decades, thanks for posting.

 

[SWC75]

Meanwhile, Bud had called me a couple of weeks ago and they were hoping to get Bud and the Manchild (which I have for breakfast each weekday morning), back on the air by may 8th, either on ESPN 1200 r the Score 1260. It's not on either this morning, no explanation or further information.

 

[MikeSU02]

SWC75 I think you would enjoy the latest Bill Simmons Podcast.

The New Era of Sports Media and the End of 'The Sports Reporters' (Ep. 210)

Talk about sports media. Good guests.

 

[SWC75]

SWC75 I think you would enjoy the latest Bill Simmons Podcast.

The New Era of Sports Media and the End of 'The Sports Reporters' (Ep. 210)

Talk about sports media. Good guests.

They talked about TSR briefly at the beginning, then about the other current shows, then moved on to other topics. Their attitude seemed to be the TSR was a dinosaur. "Where else could see a bunch of middle aged guys talking about sports?"

Hey! I'm a middle aged guy, (or I used to be). Once upon a time older people were considered a source of wisdom. Now they are considered a source of boredom.

 

[SWC75]

That was such a great show. Love the Chicago accents. I always thought the Chicago accent was close to a Syracuse accent but those guys took Chicago to a whole other level. That must have been the easiest show in the world to shoot. Those guys could have talked all night.

Yup, that's what I was thinking of. Thanks.

This brings back memories. I used to often listen to these guys on the radio Sunday night during the winter. Can't remember if it was WGN, WLS, WBBM, or some other 50,000 watt Chicago station that reached Syracuse. I hadn't heard those voices in over 2 decades, thanks for posting.

This one was worth a look. Can you imagine any of the current sports llak shows doing something like this?

 

[br801]

This one was worth a look. Can you imagine any of the current sports llak shows doing something like this?

Great stuff. An excellent, organic show.