Sports Media Watch presents 20 notable sports media stories of the year 2011. Today, #15-#11, including several major TV rights deals, the launch of a new broadcasting career, a controversial suspension, and the final assignment for a longtime sports broadcaster.
#15: FOX Gets UFC
Fox Sports Media Group made waves throughout 2011, bidding on nearly every available major sports TV contract. The network’s prized acquisitions this year included the World Cup, the Pac-12 Conference, and in one of the bigger blockbusters this year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Mixed martial arts has made inroads in recent years, with EliteXC and Strikeforce gaining unprecedented levels of broadcast television exposure for the sport. Still, the highest profile brand in MMA — the UFC — remained on cable. That changed in August, when Fox Sports and the UFC agreed to a seven-year rights deal, calling for four UFC telecasts per year to air on the FOX broadcast network. The FOX aspect of the deal had already begun to pay dividends by the end of the year; the inaugural ‘UFC on FOX’ telecast in November earned the largest audience in UFC history. Starting next year, additional UFC content will air on FX (including The Ultimate Fighter reality show) and Fuel TV.
#14: The Rise of Terry Francona
An ailing Tim McCarver unwittingly launched a broadcasting career this October. When McCarver had to undergo a minor heart procedure just prior to the start of the ALCS on FOX, the network had to find a replacement for their longtime MLB analyst. In came a seemingly reluctant Terry Francona, who sought to lower any expectations ahead of time: ?I’ve only broadcast one other game in my life and that was in the Arizona Fall League about 13 years ago … and I sucked? (boston.com, 10/5).
Though Francona only worked Games 1 and 2, he attracted the admiration of national sports media critics ? the kind who can either make or break (ex., Chip Caray) careers. Even as he continued to downplay his broadcasting skills, mostly crediting FOX for his performance during the ALCS, Francona attracted the interest of Fox Sports, ESPN and MLB Network during the offseason. In December, he joined ESPN as a game and studio MLB analyst, replacing Bobby Valentine ? who in turn replaced him as Red Sox manager ? on the network?s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast team.
#13: Bruce Feldman Suspension
In July, Sports By Brooks reported that ESPN writer Bruce Feldman had been suspended indefinitely by the network for participating in a book by former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach. Leach was fired from Texas Tech in 2009 over an incident involving Adam James, son of then-ESPN college football analyst Craig James. In the aftermath, Leach filed suit against ESPN, arguing that he had been defamed in the course of the network?s coverage of the James controversy. Feldman received permission by ESPN to work on the book with Leach in 2007, but changed his status from ‘co-author’ to ‘editor’ after the James controversy (poynter.com, 7/19). Not surprisingly, the Feldman-Leach book was not complimentary of ESPN?s coverage.
The Feldman-ESPN controversy took on a he said-they said quality. Feldman accused ESPN of placing numerous restrictions on his reporting, while ESPN put out a formal statement denying that Feldman had been suspended or otherwise disciplined. Sports media critics overwhelmingly took the side of Feldman, even starting a ?Free Bruce? movement on the social networking website Twitter. Of course, while ESPN and James were easy targets, it should be pointed out that Feldman was not being punished for objectively reporting the facts. He co-authored a book with an individual who had an axe to grind, and who would presumably not be objective. If ESPN was biased due to its relationship with James, it stands to reason that Feldman was similarly compromised through his relationship with Leach. Certainly, ESPN mishandled the situation, but Feldman was far from an innocent victim. ESPN let Feldman out of his contract early and he departed for CBS Sports in September.
#12: Nick Charles? Final Fight
Longtime Showtime boxing voice Nick Charles was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2009, and late last year elected not to continue chemotherapy treatment. Over his final months, Charles took his battle with cancer public, granting interviews to Sports Illustrated and CNN. The former set the stage for his last assignment as a sports broadcaster. Quoting from Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski: ?When [Charles] talks about how much he’d like to cover one more fight for television, he smiles and admits it probably won’t happen. ?It’s O.K.,? he says. ?I’ve covered a lot of fights.?? Charles? desire to call one last fight caught the attention of HBO executives, who offered him the opportunity to call one of the network?s Boxing After Dark bouts in March.
Charles told Yahoo! Sports that the opportunity was ?a wonderful sign of fidelity, friendship and respect? (3/24). Charles: ?I?ll be honest: I?m overwhelmed. I never, ever expected this and I am so thankful, I?ll never really be able to express it.? As described by Boxing Insider, Charles handled his final fight ?like a pro? (3/27). ?This writer situated a few rows in back of the HBO team could see how important this call was for Charles. He looked at his notes, smiled, and it was a routine day at the office? (3/27). On June 25, Charles passed away ?peacefully, looking out at the spectacular land that drew him to Santa Fe, New Mexico? (CNN, 6/25).
#11: Soccer Takes Hold
2011 may have been an even better year for soccer than 2010. Major League Soccer, the English Premier League, and the World Cup each took major steps on network television this year, and the Women?s World Cup attracted near-record numbers on ESPN. In August, Major League Soccer reached a deal with NBC Sports Group through the 2014 season, putting 49 MLS and U.S. National Team matches per year on NBC and NBC Sports Network. In September, Fox Sports announced that the FOX broadcast network would begin televising tape-delayed English Premier League matches on NFL ?singleheader? Sundays, with two live, Sunday morning matches set for early next year. The biggest story took place in October, when Fox Sports and Comcast?s Telemundo acquired rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup and the 2015 and 2019 Women?s World Cup, replacing incumbents ESPN and Univision. The total value of the new World Cup deal was ?about $1 billion? — or ?more than double? the previous deal (nytimes.com, 10/22).
Beyond television rights, soccer had a second straight year of impressive ratings, thanks to this summer’s Women?s World Cup. The run of the United States national team led to three of the five largest Women?s World Cup audiences in television history, and the Japan/United States final earned over thirteen million viewers ? the largest soccer audience in ESPN history, and the fourth-largest audience in ESPN history (excluding the NFL).
The #10-#6 stories of 2011 will be posted on Wednesday, December 28.
