Deadspin
It surprised many that, according to ESPN's metrics, the most commonly searched term on their site for the month of February was "Greatest Highlight." This registers as a surprise because, well, the "Greatest Highlight" basically consists of our man Berman deux deux deuxing his way through ruining some of the greatest calls of our lifetime. All for the sake of Old Spice and other smiling sponsors. Sports fans like this? Really?
No, no they don't. When you consider that "Greatest Highlight" has been on every "SportsCenter" for a month, it would be a rather resounding failure for it not to show up somewhere. In our view, this is the same reason "Who's Now?" was the top searched term of 2007. We've discussed this before, but it warrants repeating:
ESPN is a corporation. As a corporation, their goal is to grow and make money. There is no crime in this; this is not an art project. But as most sports fans can tell you, even those of us who grow exhausted of the "Greatest Highlight" and "Who's Now" antics watch ESPN all the time. There is no viable competitor; if you're a sports fan who doesn't watch ESPN, you're really not much of a sports fan.
ESPN knows this. They know they have you; you aren't going anywhere. Because of this, they do not need to cater to you. To grow, they must bring in new viewers, people who are more casual sports fans, people who are more drawn in by the shiny objects of "controversy" and Dick Vitale. They're the ones who might think, hey ... I AM curious about how the world of sports intersects with the world of Hollywood! They are the new viewers; they are the people who discovered Nirvana way too late and ruined everything. (Note: We are one of these people, at least when it comes to Nirvana.) They are exactly the type of people who keep Chris Berman in our faces every night. And they're exactly the type of people who love the "Greatest Highlight;" people who, really, don't actually like sports that much.
So that's why, in our humble opinion, "Greatest Highlight" is the most searched term on ESPN.com. That, or the world is fucking collapsing all around us. Could be that.
Comments
Isn't that why they originally created ESPN 2?
"Greatest Highlight" is Miguel Batista's favorite search term.
So how many of Berman's interns have been forced to spend their day entering that phrase into the search box on ESPN.com?
Jeez someone needs a vacation.
Eventually ESPN will have nothing to do with sports the way MTV has nothing to do with music.
I thought it would be "Erin Andrews Nude"
Who, Exactly, is Searching "Greatest Highlight" on ESPN.com?
Ummm, the people who make "The Best Damn Sports Show"? Either that or trainables with internet access.
Did the Eduardo leg break make the list?
So "Greatest Highlight" is now, basically?
the biggest 'gripe' i have for the evil rodent that rules this corporate juggernaut:
TOO FEW HOT WOMEN.
we have, like three of them. and no asians. fascist cunts.
commie.
Indeed, our balls are all caught in the deadly vice grip of Skip Bayless' left hand.
Not an art project? What the hell should I do with my papier-mâché bust of Tom Jackson?
According to the "story," "Greatest highlight" is the number one search and "Super Bowl" is the number three search. All that tells me is that only complete fucking idiots (who don't know where on the internet to find Super Bowl information) use the ESPN.com search engine.
They are the people who discovered Nirvana way too late and ruined everything.
I can't wait until teenage girls can sing along to "Rape Me" for Rock Band.
ES-PN?
I once searched "Greatest Highlights." But I was trying to find that one classic issue where Goofus was nicer than Gallant and the Timbertoes' house burned down.
@Barry Lutz: or that they are loading up the top searches with fed terms in order to point users in the direction of special promotional sections they are looking to.... promote.
@DAGOTRON: Kinda like this, right?
[deadspin.com]
These are the same people that type "porn" into google.
Will, you're in kind of a Debbie Downer mood today.
i thought courtney love killed kurt cobain, now i find out will did it.
The yummy Boise State cheerleader got some more air time. The rest of the contest sucked.
@Carlton_Whitfield: Of course he is. Cardinals lost 10-2 today to the Orioles.
@GreatOdensRaven: AHHHHHH I'M SORRY I EVEN BROUGHT IT UP
@Tuffy: Donate it to the Special Olympics.
I mean, ESPN Hollywood and Page 3 kind of prove this, don't they?
Tne next sport highlight I want Berman to recreate is that skier wiping out that was shown on the intro to Wide World of Sports.
Literally.
*The
Sheesh.
[throws hands up; walks out door]
Is this because hockey finally won something, Leitch?
If only I could figure outa way to watch ESPN programming without also watching gimmicks like the "Greatest Highlight". Maybe someone could figure out the pattern and order certain programs come on the channel, and organize it into a list form. A "list of programming", if you will. Then, I can turn on the television intending to watch a college basketball game and won't be ambushed by SportsCenter.
Watch your mouth, young man!
well, i'm a believer that most people just needed more berman face time. he hasn't been getting much exposure over the past couple of months.
@Tuffy: BOOM BOOM BOOM. Aaaand I'm spent.
You're making the assumption that the most commonly searched terms isn't a load of shit planted by ESPN as part of a hype machine. Bad assumption.
@Matt_T: pffft...I type in "boobies"
I'd be way more indebted to Old Spice if they just sponsored the public execution of Who's Now, Berman, or whoever nixes my Erin Andrews swimsuit calendar idea.
In a related report, Pyongyang Daily News says that the new tractor factory exceeded its output projections AGAIN, which is an amazing coincidence, considering the Divine Leader was just talking about how wonderful the new tractors were.
*sigh*
@asliceofbacon: That and the need to hyperbolize everything under the sun.
Does this make "The Greatest Highlight" Now?
.
That, or the world is fucking collapsing all around us. Could be that.
You know the Editor of this site is pissed off when...
I think this entire day has been a God Save the Fan rewrite.
Just more proof as to how stupid the average sports viewer with the internet is, God Save the Intelligent Fan.
clearly, it's time for a contest: a bracket to find the greatest highlight among the ESPN Featured Comments of the Day.
.
Just to be fair: Greatest Highlight is Greatest Highlight. I could watch Joe Carter all day.
Though I was more disgusted by "Who's now". What next, ESPN is going to tell me "What's for Lunch?"
Every single day we move closer to Idiocracy.
Leitch, I mean this with all due respect: What's with the GSTF-esque essays today?
Rob, please don't ban me.
Should have been you editing today, Christmas Ape.
Yeah for more simian stories!
if you're a sports fan who doesn't watch ESPN, you're really not much of a sports fan.
That's bullshit. I haven't watched anything other than game broadcasts on ESPN in years. No studio shows, no College Gameday, no Sportscenter, nothing. As a knowledgeable sports diehard and with the proliferation of media outlets on TV and the internet (this counts as a media outlet whether you like to admit it or not, Leitch), I don't need their corporate-branded "commentary" on the events of the day.
That's something I don't understand about your position on ESPN, Will. On the one hand you excoriate what it has become, but then you always throw up your hands and say "what else is there". There's a lot out there; your stance reminds me of someone who shops religiously at Wal-Mart, all the while complaining about it. There are other places to get what you need, whether what you need is food/clothing/lightbulbs in the case of Wal-Mart or sports information in the case of ESPN. You might have to work a little harder to find it, but it's there if you want to find it.
Sorry. Back to the dick jokes.
[walks back in the door]
So this is my theory on SportsCenter. It used to be a nice building with a good design and a solid structure. However, new ownership has allowed it fall into disrepair and it has essentially become a HoneyBucket. People just keep shitting in the HoneyBucket piling on top of the other shit, but there is no company to service the HoneyBucket and clean out the shit every once in a while. Pretty soon, if not already, SportsCenter is going to become a Mardi Gras HoneyBucket with shit and piss flowing out the door onto the street.
[leaves the room]
@Tuffy: It's going to get JACKED UP!
@Clare: Will's back from the book tour, it's solely how he's been thinking lately. Plus, IIRC, this is a nice intersect with the Orlando Sentinel article in which Will was quoted, at length, yesterday.
I wonder, if we actually looked at the search pattern for "Greatest Highlight" would it be similar to the way in which cheaters were found in the Deadspin Commenter Bracket.
@