NHRA boots ESPN!

[Lew Silverman]

I'm guessing the live feed will be going away as well, because I don't think Fox Sports Net has offered that capability with the Formula 1 and AMA Superbike broadcasts. I just wish they (ESPN) would have left the live feed alone like it was when they first started it, so you could turn up the NHRA audio feed, turn down the sound on the video and actually have an real opportunity to enjoy the Sportsman Classes that they made available. When it became another "showcase" for the Professionals, I quickly lost interest! Hopefully this new network will be an improvement.

[Gary Smith]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

Be careful what you wish for ....

Say what you want about ESPN, it is a major sports network. If you're a motorsports series and are not on a major network, you are not going to get much attention at all.

True, except 1) all those lame timeslots, provided they were ever correct to begin with, and 2) Uncle Tom greased ESPN with membership money, only to take NHRA money then push it aside. Buying ESPN time had to be one of the stupidest "business decisions" of the century. So I say good riddance no matter what.

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

If your motorsport is on at 2AM, and get's pre-empted by every rain delayed stick and ball B.S. sport on the planet, you aren't going to get any attention, period.

ESPN2 is available in 81% of homes in this country. FS1 is available in 73%. ESPN2 is part of basic cable in most systems. FS1 is on the extra-cost Sports tier on many cable systems.

If you don't get FS1, does NHRA exist? In addition, without covering the series, how much coverage do you think NHRA will get on ESPN Sports Center? My bet is only when someone dies.

FS1 also does a lot of NFL coverage during the season, so I would not count on much airtime on Sunday afternoons.

The positive point is that NHRA will be the biggest name motorsports on FS1, now that F1 is on NBC.

[Dan Fahey]

Where is the Wide World of Sports when you need them!??

[Bob Don]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

ESPN2 is available in 81% of homes in this country. FS1 is available in 73%. ESPN2 is part of basic cable in most systems. FS1 is on the extra-cost Sports tier on many cable systems.

If you don't get FS1, does NHRA exist? In addition, without covering the series, how much coverage do you think NHRA will get on ESPN Sports Center? My bet is only when someone dies.

FS1 also does a lot of NFL coverage during the season, so I would not count on much airtime on Sunday afternoons.

The positive point is that NHRA will be the biggest name motorsports on FS1, now that F1 is on NBC.

Jim - Why are you trying to put such a negative spin on an apparently done deal that we have no control over anyways? Let's just hope the FS1 deal will be better for everyone involved, including sportsmen.

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by Bob Don

Jim - Why are you trying to put such a negative spin on an apparently done deal that we have no control over anyways? Let's just hope the FS1 deal will be better for everyone involved, including sportsmen.

Because I will not be able to watch next season unless I decide to pay more to get the sports tier on Comcast.

It makes no sense to me to intentionally move from the big network to one that is not in as many homes, Time slots, etc. are a function of the deal worked out between ESPN and NHRA. If ESPN was unwilling to give on the time slots, it is because they can make more money from women's softball than what they make from NHRA.

Jim

[Greg Gay]

Give me MAV TV for the Sportsman, and I don't care what they do with the Pros. I rarely watch them on TV, anyway. I have watched way more IHRA Sportsman/Vegas Spring Fling/WFC on the internet than I have watched the Pro's on TV this year. Show me the NHRA national event Sportsman on the internet, shut the internet camera off when the Pros run and show it on TV, and I'd be happy.

[Ron Middleton]

I'm with Greg on this idea but I don't see two companies on same property cooperating with each other on this idea.

[Dave Muller]

Originally Posted by Tar Heel

I wonder if a very small piece of the decision was the countless times ESPN let women's softball, soccer, ______________ (you fill in the blank) run long and push back their drag racing broadcast. That drives me nuts!

Scott

That's the part that always bugged me about ESPN. And it's not only other sports events--if the soccer game before went 45 minutes long they would still show some half hour "just talking about sports" show before finally getting around to drag racing over an hour late.

On the other hand, I don't like this trend to live coverage at all. I don't think drag racing lends itself to that at all with oil downs and the need to do such extensive between-rounds work. Have you noticed that they cram the first round into about 1/3 less time to make room for all the dead time between semis and the finals? I hate to think of having the whole season that way with NHRA running the show.

[novassdude]

Originally Posted by Greg Gay

Give me MAV TV for the Sportsman, and I don't care what they do with the Pros. I rarely watch them on TV, anyway. I have watched way more IHRA Sportsman/Vegas Spring Fling/WFC on the internet than I have watched the Pro's on TV this year. Show me the NHRA national event Sportsman on the internet, shut the internet camera off when the Pros run and show it on TV, and I'd be happy.

Mav may do good on sportsman type events but they are pretty limited in coverage. I added a package so I could get it on Dish then they got in a price disagreement now they are gone from dish. The local cable does not offer them at all.