HAMSTRUNG!
With NFL in Trump’s control, are its broadcasters next?
THE WHITE HOUSE reality show, aka the Trump administration, has already taken over those Sunday Morning news shows, like NBC’s Meet the Press and CBS’ Face the Nation. Now the President is well on his way to hijacking your fall and winter Sunday afternoons.
Or any time NFL football is played. So throw in Monday and Thursday nights.
When Donald Trump “disinvited” the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House, he once again showed an ability to yo-yo NFL owners, dangling them on his string and embroiling the league in another controversy transcending the game itself. If nothing else, Donnie Twitter has proven he can turn the NFL upside down when he feels like it. His recent history of attacking the NFL shows he believes it’s good for his image and business.
That alone makes it a safe bet that Trump will up his attacks on the NFL once the season begins. What better way to play to his base, especially with midterm elections coming in November. Don’t be surprised if Trump doesn’t up the ante by going after the NFL’s TV partners for not televising the national anthem before every game.
No matter what Trump’s angle is, the network’s carrying NFL Football (Fox, ESPN, CBS, NBC, NFLN) should react and react strongly. Yes, Roger Goodell and the TV suits wish they could stick to football “controversies,” like replay review and what a “catch” is. Still, they now know Trump, with one late Saturday night or Sunday morning tweet, can totally disrupt the NFL on game day.
Ordinarily, the networks carrying NFL pregame shows, address “off-field” news by reporting it with little, or no, commentary or opinion. When Trump goes on the offensive during the season this must change for a few reasons. 1) You are treating viewers like morons if you don’t address it. 2) Hearing analysts like Michael Strahan, Phil Simms or Rodney Harrison take a political stance will make for excellent TV and 3) Like it or not, Trump has made himself an NFL “issue” and must be discussed in an in-depth manner whenever he injects himself into the story.
Once the game starts, any Trump stuff should take a back seat to what’s happening on the field. Still, it could fall on the game announcers to report who stayed in the locker room when the anthem was played.
Nonetheless, with Trump’s beak squarely in NFL business, the networks should realize the role of their analysts must be expanded. Sticking to football at a time when the pigskin has been politicized amounts to taking an ostrich approach. Ultimately it won’t work. It will make eyeballs wonder if the networks are also afraid of Trump or have something to hide.
Or just want to avoid Trump at all costs, no matter how it affects an analyst’s credibility.
TV HARDBALL
The Yankees’ recent threat to not cooperate (withholding manager/player interviews, etc.) with ESPN if it didn’t change a decision to push back the start time of the July 8 game with Toronto to 8 p.m., was not the first time the Bombers threatened a season-long boycott of ESPN.
During the Joe Torre years, the manager was furious at the Bristol Clown Community College Faculty for hyping a regular-season MetsYankees Subway Series “Sunday Night Baseball” game by constantly airing commercials featuring video of the Mike Piazza-Roger Clemens dustup. Torre threatened to deny all Yankees access to ESPN.
Cooler heads prevailed in that case. In the most recent episode, MLB, ESPN, and the Yankees reached agreement to move the game back to 1 p.m. so the Bombers won’t have to play a night game in Toronto followed by a makeup doubleheader in Baltimore the next day.
With the Yankees prevailing in this case, it now opens the door for other teams, who have a problem with the “SNB” sked, to deny ESPN access to their players. This would take place, despite the fact ESPN is paying MLB $700 million per year, for the right to an exclusive game of their choice on Sunday night. The current contract, which expires in 2021, is worth $5.6 billion.
There is a way for MLB to better control the schedule. Pay for that right by accepting LESS money from ESPN in the next contract. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that
to happen.
A-ROD & REEL
Will Alex Rodriguez reprise his baloney about wanting to play for the Mets when he works the final game of the Subway Series on ESPN Sunday night?
Or will he come up with some new angle?
He better bring something to the table because the ratings for “SNB” are way down compared to last season when A-Rod was watching the games on TV. Not to worry, a media who has gone gaga over Rodriguez says. For they claim Rodriguez has nothing to do with the ratings.
This is partially true. The quality of the matchup is more important. Yet Rodriguez, as well as Jessica Mendoza and Matt Vasgersian’s job is to bring some buzz to the telecast. Why do you think A-Rod is all over social media trying to do just that.
Clearly, it ain’t working.
TOO PC
Mickey Callaway’s press conferences are getting painful to watch.
Such was the case Wednesday afternoon when SNY’s Steve Gelbs asked Callaway — three different ways — if Asdrubal Cabrera bunted on his own in the eighth inning with the bases loaded against the Mighty Orioles. Cabrera popped into a double play.
Callaway, sounding unsure of himself and never gave Gelbs a straight answer, which revealed the state of mind Callaway is in. Credit Gelbs with being persistent. Bravo.
SCHEIN ON
Friday will mark Adam (Nabob) Schein’s 14th anniversary at SiriusXM. So, all hail to he who cast the first Nugget. Schein was the initial host on SXM’s NFL Radio Channel in 2004, when a caller’s wife went into labor during the show. Schein was working with John Riggins at the time and the woman had twins. She named them Adam and John. Since 2013 Schein, who also gigs at CBSSN, has hosted his own midday show on SXM’s Mad Dog Channel. This cat has always been a yakker supreme. Long may his mouth run… It sounded like Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa was actually awake during his WFAN audience with John Jastremski. J.J., the frenetic one, was on fire. Perhaps he was energized by finally being allowed outside in the daytime.