The only reason I ever visit espn anymore is for the Sports Guy. Otherwise it's a big pile of suck. As soon as they make his column part of their insider package I'll never visit there again.

The only things that are working for the Disney company are the US parks and ESPN. The rest of the corporation is in trouble. That's why Michael Eisner was kicked out.

So Disney is milking ESPN for all its worth. But if they don't watch out, they will kill this cash cow.

I've noticed that too. Of course, they have a right to charge for their content if they want, but I wonder if they aren't overestimating the number of people who are willing to pay to read their columnists, rather than just do without. Other than the Sports Guy and the stats, everything in the free section is pretty lame. Once they move the SG to the pay site, I'm going to just find someplace else to get my stats.

They seem to have beendoing this incrementally, moving a few features at a time behind the pay wall. I wonder if this was planned, or if they're doing it this way because the response to the pay sight has been disappointing and they're figuring "If we just move a few more features to the pay site, maybe business will pick up".

That's exactly what i've noticed, JimN. i think its a bad business move. i'm a huge sports fan, but i don't need to rely on ESPN for my sports news. There are too many alternatives. And really, the only thing i'm willing to pay for is live sporting events and cable tv. i think most people are like that. i've updated my drop-down favorites menu to CNN-SI.com.

I get all my statistics and news from NFL fantasy football. Its free, and one of my two teams is now 4-0.

I bought the "Gameplan" broadband download package last year for the grand sum of $100 for the season. All things considered, it wasn't worth it. The resolution sucked. The big draw though was that you could watch archived games all season long, which was a neat idea, although I never did it.

Imagine this, I've been a purchaser. They know everything about me except whether the roll is installed over or under. Am I solicited for the '05 season? Fuck no, I'm just a customer. BTW, this year ABC games are no longer available in archive, "contract problems". WTF, they're the same company! The proliferation of ESPN variant channels is another thing. Now I have go buy a satellite package to watch a football game?

I could go on and on about what's wrong with ESPN, but you have it right. Really the problem runs from ABC on down. I suspect that the people making decisions are MBA's not sportsfans, thus their cluelessness is remarkable. There is plenty that could be done to increase revenue at ESPN, instead they cluelessly choke the goose.

I agree about ESPN. The best place to go for NFL news and stats these days is NFL.com. That is also the home of Gregg Easterbrook, author of Tuesday Morning Quarterback, who was fired from ESPN for pissing off his Disney masters. Always worth a read.

yup, espn sucks, besides, as someone above expressed, for sports guy. even the fantasy football is crap. I joined a couple leagues over there and abandoned them because I don't have 8 hours to watch the screen load up, on broadband nonetheless. okey doke. rant over. yahoo all the way. ALSO: big game this weekend, cal's gonna take ucla out to the woodshed in pasadena, he said hopefully with a side of chagrined not-so-youthful exuberance. GO BEARS.