Batman On Steroids: How The <em>NFL On Fox</em> Theme Song Was Born
It was March 1994, and Fox Sports president David Hill was on the phone with a new employee. Hill himself was something of a new employee. The network was only a few months old at that point, being built on the fly after Rupert Murdoch had unexpectedly outbid CBS for NFC broadcast rights. Hill was k...
Deadspin Up All Night: When The Champagne's On Tap
Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Go have some fun tonight. ...
Shawne Merriman Took Off In The Middle Of An Interview On ESPN2
Former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman came on Highly Questionable this afternoon, purportedly to discuss the 11th Annual Lights On Foundation Coat Drive. The Lights On Foundation is a Merriman charity and it fights homelessness. ...
Every "Suck" Uttered On ESPN Over The Past Month
Right before the weekend, ESPN told its anchors to refrain from saying "sucks" so much on the air. The word is "simply not appropriate for ESPN," wrote ESPN bosses in a memo, adding that they didn't want to turn off "sports fans of all ages." Above, you'll find a video of ESPN's on-air folks—includi...
ESPN Asks Its TV People To Stop Saying "Sucks" So Much
ESPN is a roll with these memos. Just yesterday the Worldwide Leader told its talent to be extra extra careful when talking about rape allegations ("Today's developments in the Jameis Winston investigation are likely to be emotionally charged. Please consider that ..."). Today, network brass has a n...
ESPN Reminds Talent: Don't Say Anything Stupid About Jameis Winston
Like anyone else, ESPN talking heads can occasionally lapse into dumb talk on controversial topics. Nobody knows that better than ESPN brass, who must see the world as a vast lawn filled with an infinite number of rakes for Chris Broussard to step on. A couple hours ago, the news desk and talent off...
Jameis Winston Won't Be Charged
ESPN is reporting that Jameis Winston will not be charged with sexual assault. ESPN Radio's Jeff Cameron reported it first. [Update, 1:56 p.m.: Confirmed.] ...
ESPN Fired The Guy Who Made That Genius Olbermann/Tupac Video
Remember the Keith Olbermann-as-Tupac video? It was a bit of a thing a couple of weeks ago. We posted it; so did the The Big Lead and Complex and Awful Announcing. Apparently the guy behind it—Will Schleichert—worked for ESPN. He was a PA. Emphasis on the was. He was fired last week. ...
"Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait!": Mike Francesa Meets The Outside World
"Say something, please!" Mike Francesa shouted out to the audience....
Deadspin Up All Night: Foot On The Pedal
Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us. See you tomorrow. ...
This Is Brilliant: Keith Olbermann As Tupac
Let this be the bookend on the Olbermann v. WFAN dispute from last week. A YouTube user Will Schleichert made a supercut of Olbermann talking about Francesa and the rest of the gang to Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up." Bonus: It's less than a minute long. ...
FS1's Low Ratings Forced Fox To Give Away Free World Series Ads
Two bits of rough news for Fox Sports 1 over the last two days. One, Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox reported a hefty drop in income—by more than $1 billion—thanks to the FS1 launch. All of that was most likely accounted for and anticipated....
Olbermann Goes After Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton; Defends ESPN
Yesterday, WFAN's morning boys, Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, went after Keith Olbermann and Chris Berman in an admittedly confusing way while discussing Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. Apparently Olbermann and Berman are bullies and they're a bunch of hypocrites for talking about this. I...
Opera Star: I'm Obsessed With Manti Te'o
Nico Muhly, the young composer behind the very buzzy opera Two Boys, has a bit of an obsession with Manti Te'o. Two Boys, currently running at the Metropolitan Opera, has a Te'oish plot: It's about a teenage boy who assumed numerous online personalities in order to convince an older teenage boy to—t...
Tim McCarver Says Farewell. That's Another Word For Goodbye, Which Is A Thing People Say When They're Parting Ways.
Tim McCarver signed off for the last time on Fox last night. In the video above, Joe Buck says "I love you" three times. McCarver's last word on a national broadcast is "ditto." Let's all be nice and remember there was a time when McCarver was actually really very good....
How Would Mike Francesa Have Discussed The Civil War?
After his successful Revolutionary War commentary, time-traveling Mike Francesa is back, this time in the run-up to the Battle of Antietam. The best moment comes around the 2:32 mark, when a caller—Dred, from Scottsville (groan)—asks for Mike's take on Harriet Tubman. Mike responds as if she's Al ...
ESPN Came So Very Close To Buying Half Of The NFL Network
In today's New York Times, Jim Miller and Richard Sandomir report that ESPN apparently came very, very close to buying half the NFL Network for $2 billion four years ago. So close the NFL literally had the Champagne on ice when the deal fell through....
Brian Billick Called The Game For The Cowboys With 1:24 Left
The Lions may have had more than 500 total yards, but Matthew Stafford couldn't connect to Kris Durham on fourth down very late in the fourth quarter. "That's the story of the game," Brian Billick said. Ballgame. The Lions "are gonna come away with the 27-24 loss to the Dallas Cowboys," he said. Ex...
Terrelle Pryor Runs 93 Yards Untouched For Touchdown, Sets NFL Record
Well, that read option worked out nicely. Terrelle Pryor's 93-yard dash is the longest run by a quarterback in NFL history and the longest run by anyone in Raiders history. ...
Serena Williams Closes Out One Of The All-Time Great Seasons
Serena Williams came back to defeat Li Na in the WTA Championships today, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. Williams won the final nine games, including a bagel in the third set, which caps off the greatest year of her already-storied career, and one of the most dominating seasons in the history of women's tennis. Wil...