Gene Smith's Response to me on ESPN

[jwinslow]

it's a strong possibility ESPiN decided not to come as well. Perhaps in a safer scenario they would argue, but in that case it could have been REALLY bad. It would have been so much worse than anything that could happen at the texas game.

 

[ScarletNGry]

I agree it is time to move past the fued between ESPN and tOSU. Even with that said, I have to agree with 3yards on this. If Gameday were to be on campus, and lets face it if we win our first and it is 2 undefeated teams play in the 'Shoe on a Saturday night, they will have ALL day to run with the crap about Troy, MoC, and whatever else they can dig up to fill airtime between now and then. That alone should be enough to say "No Thanks" to the Gameday crew. Safety and the schools image also needs to be considered. Lets face it... not every Buckeye fan is 100% sane and some have been known to step across the line. Is it worth that kind of publicity to host the Gameday crew that is not even there to discuss the game except for that fact that it is going to be play amid the "Controversy" surrounding the school. I think that is what Gene Smith needs to look at and I am sure he is.

Someone else made a good point, the Big Ten has some type of contract with ESPN and we do not know the details of that contract. I am sure if there is some sort of major concern we could tell them no but the probably have some type of "in" to be allowed to broadcast from the site of the game.

If they do insist on doing Gameday from Columbus I hope they do it from inside the stadium if possible.

 

[Taosman]

Gene Smith is still in the "Honeymoon" phase. We'll see just how long that lasts!

 

[crzykillernut]

I think there's a difference between denying GameDay for The Game last year right during the "storm of controversy" at the time, and denying them for the Texas game nine months after the Smith story broke. Keeping them away for the biggest non-conference game of the year will accomplish nothing.

Not necessarily. ESPiN's in the business to make $$. This is being dubbed the game of year, and could end up being an instant classic etc. et. al. They want to be at this game badly. Denying them this right could make them realize that yes, their action's do have consequences. Or it could do nothing. I'd like to think it would make them think twice next time, as far as their journalistic integrity goes.

 

[Dryden]

The thing that bothers me is that OSU's image WILL be the topic of discussion if Game Day is on location for the Texas/OSU game. The story WILL be Troy Smith's return to the team. Will he play? Will he start? A rehash of what he did and how it validated all of ESPN's previous trash. On and on. Don't think that will be ESPN's main story line?

I don't think it matters where GameDay is physically located, whether they're in Columbus, in Ann Arbor for the Notre Dame/Michigan game, in the studio, or wherever ... the Texas v. OSU matchup, Vince Young v. Troy Smith, is the story of the day.

I guess where I have a problem with this is that a lot of us, and I use the term in reference to us as Buckeye fans, students, and/or alum, are taking ESPN's reporting too personally. The problem with complaining about it is that you cannot dismiss the fact that OSU coaches or players did actually commit these crimes. Maurice wasn't a saint, Troy did take money, Lydell went to a strip club, 14-odd players were arrested, and O'Brien gave a recruit money. No, this doesn't justify putting a story about the women's basketball program on the college football page, but regardless these are all valid claims and admitted by the OSU athletics department, so whether it's unsavory or not, it's going to get covered by ESPN. Bitching about it and calling ESPN frauds, shams, liers, or whatever accomplishes squat. Eventually, they'll pick a new program to drudge through the mud ... or maybe I should say they already have ... see Tennessee and South Carolina.

As near as I can tell, the OSU propoganda is through. Personally, I'm less concerned about ESPN reporting that Buckeye football players are accepting money as opposed to the fact that Buckeye football players have, in fact, accepted money.

The fact that Trev Alberts, Mark May, and Tom Friend aren't very good at their jobs hardly provides any evidence to support that ESPN "has it out" for OSU athletics. As far as I have ever known, none of these idiots were ever any good at their jobs to begin with.

I cannot imagine that 10,000 Buckeye fans are going to descend in front of St John Arena to lynch Herbstreit, Corso, or Fowler. There might be some pretty nasty signs directed towards Trev and Mark, but I imagine the GameDay "talent" will be fine and overall very well received.

 

[Jagdaddy]

Gene Smith = Tabula Rasa

Andy Geiger stepped aside but in all reality, he acted as a shield for the University. Smith has a blank slate to work with and starting out with an olive branch is a very intelligent move. If ESPN should continue the attack and focus on Mr. Smith, his tune may change...but for now, GS has decided to keep his friends close and his enemies closer.

Great points. Geiger stepped up to the plate and IMO focused the heat OSU got upon himself to the extent possible and I for one will always respect him and give him props for that. If the punditocracy thinks it "got their man" when he stepped down then all the better for OSU. They can move on to the next scandal now.

 

[martinss01]

I think we need to strongly urge Gene Smith to take the proper precautions for that day. All of columbus will be drunk by the end of that day of tailgating, and the game will not have even started. Most likely the crew will be set up for most of the day, as they often do where they cut to the gameday crew for short segments. That has trouble written all over it.

couldn't agree more. i think this presents far to much of a danger to us looking even worse than we already do. even if we do suck espin's rear it isn't going to keep the one liners about how we are finally starting to clean up our "dirty program" from the various espin crews. imo the possible dangers greatly outweigh the positives of having game day in town.

turn game day down due to security conscerns and leave it at that. i see no positives for tOSU starting its own crusade against espin. so mr. smith's reply is on par with what i would expect the current mentality to be.

as for me? my espin boycott continues with no end in sight.

 

[scUM Buster]

The best thing that could happen for College football would be more sports networks. ESPN has achieved a Monopoly. There is no quality alternative. As much disgust as I have for ESPiN, I will be watching the first airing of ESPiN's Gameday. They have cornered the market on College football. FOX has pretty much backed away from the NFL. I would like to see them assemble a quality crew (headed by Herbstreit) and take a run at ESPN.

 

[Steve19]

The problem with complaining about it is that you cannot dismiss the fact that OSU coaches or players did actually commit these crimes. Maurice wasn't a saint, Troy did take money, Lydell went to a strip club, 14-odd players were arrested, and O'Brien gave a recruit money. No, this doesn't justify putting a story about the women's basketball program on the college football page, but regardless these are all valid claims and admitted by the OSU athletics department, so whether it's unsavory or not, it's going to get covered by ESPN. Bitching about it and calling ESPN frauds, shams, liers, or whatever accomplishes squat.

But Dryden, these aren't the only allegations that they made and they didn't tell the truth. In fact, they trumped up Clarett's allegations by regurgitating a list of allegations that they knew very well had already been investigated and rejected by the NCAA. They continually portrayed OSU as a program out of control until the NCAA called them out and said that the compliance procedures at OSU were light years ahead of any other school.

You are right. GameDay is not the Prince Albert and the May Queen and I think people in Columbus would respond well to Corso and Herbstreit, Fowler hasn't done anything. It doesn't matter where GameDay is located.

But that is exactly why it shouldn't be located at Ohio State.

What does Ohio State gain from GameDay on campus? There is no additional exposure of any real kind. Everyone will be watching the game.

On the other hand, there is much to lose. There is great potential that fans will embarrass us and create an incident that puts OSU right back in the spotlight. Not worth it in my opinion.

If ESPiN mends fences and clears tOSU before the event, then the picture is very different. So, I accept the potential for this to be good for Ohio State but right now, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot barge pole.

 

[Dryden]

But Dryden, these aren't the only allegations that they made and they didn't tell the truth. In fact, they trumped up Clarett's allegations by regurgitating a list of allegations that they knew very well had already been investigated and rejected by the NCAA. They continually portrayed OSU as a program out of control until the NCAA called them out and said that the compliance procedures at OSU were light years ahead of any other school.

Yes, and I don't disagree that the reporting was generally atrocious. But as I've stated before I have a hard time using a very nebulous 'they' when specific individuals such as Tom Friend, Mark May, Trev Alberts, and Steve Levy have already demonstrated that they're not very good at what they do to begin with. The lead authors in all of these stories have suspect journalism skills, so I don't put any stock into their write-ups.

Hell, Stewart Mandel and Dennis Dodd have also been critical of the Buckeyes and taken more than a few shots at the program in columns over the last six months ... so should we boycott SI and CBS too? How about FOX sports' CFN after the quips in their Alamo Bowl by-the-minute coverage?

What does Ohio State gain from GameDay on campus? There is no additional exposure of any real kind. Everyone will be watching the game.

Everyone knows what GameDay is about. Everyone here is quite familiar with the format. There will be a piece on the Buckeyes, the trouble around the program last fall, and specifically Troy Smith ... we all know this is coming on Sept 10. So, here are two scenarios.

1. GameDay is at Columbus for Ohio State/Texas. They run a 'lite' version of the piece on Troy Smith and Ohio State, and 10,000 Buckeyes standing around St John Arena get to cheer Troy Smith and scream their lungs out showing support for the program and the QB, maybe even drowning out a good bit of the audio that accompanies the piece.

2. GameDay is at Ann Arbor for Michigan/Notre Dame. They run a 'critical' version of the piece on Troy Smith and Ohio State, and 10,000 Wolverines standing around on a golf course get to boo every image of Ohio State that is shown on the screen and maybe even make up some 'cheater' or 'corruption' chant.

Which of these two do you want a recruit to see on Saturday morning?

For better or worse, ESPN/ABC is closely affiliated with college football. The GameDay show specifically is one of the most popular pre-game shows/formats since the conception of televised sports and is watched by millions of people around the country every Saturday. Whether anyone on Buckeye Planet has decided to cease viewing ESPN programming is entirely irrelevant. Millions upon millions of other people will still wake up to S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y, and the images that are shown to them are very powerful and lasting.

Gene Smith, I think, is taking the right approach. Get over it. Move on. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Getting into a pissing match with ESPN is a battle OSU cannot win. Geiger figured this out about a month too late. ESPN/ABC controls the airwaves; The Ohio State University's Athletics Department does not.

 

[BB73]

So, here are two scenarios.

1. GameDay is at Columbus for Ohio State/Texas. They run a 'lite' version of the piece on Troy Smith and Ohio State, and 10,000 Buckeyes standing around St John Arena get to cheer Troy Smith and scream their lungs out showing support for the program and the QB, maybe even drowning out a good bit of the audio that accompanies the piece.

2. GameDay is at Ann Arbor for Michigan/Notre Dame. They run a 'critical' version of the piece on Troy Smith and Ohio State, and 10,000 Wolverines standing around on a golf course get to boo every image of Ohio State that is shown on the screen and maybe even make up some 'cheater' or 'corruption' chant.

Which of these two do you want a recruit to see on Saturday morning?

Gene Smith, I think, is taking the right approach. Get over it. Move on. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Getting into a pissing match with ESPN is a battle OSU cannot win. Geiger figured this out about a month too late. ESPN/ABC controls the airwaves; The Ohio State University's Athletics Department does not.

I think Dryden makes an excellent point with these 2 scenarios. If tOSU takes actions that appear to perpetuate a feud with ESPN, it will be a losing battle. Even if it becomes a losing battle for both sides, it's a losing battle for tOSU in comparison to other top programs. Having ESPN as an enemy will almost certainly do more harm than good to tOSU over the long term.

ESPN's dominance of sports coverage allows them to slant public perception. I remember when Geiger was asked at a press conference "Do you think ESPN has an agenda against tOSU?" (or something close to that). His response, which he intended to be innocuous, was something like "I don't know what ESPN's agenda is." Including the words "ESPN's agenda" was unfortunate, as the talking heads on shows like Around The Horn (this was when I still watched it) only showed Geiger's response. Tools like Jay Mariotti acted like Geiger was raising the issue as an accusation, when Geiger was trying to avoid that, and only meant to give an uninteresting answer to a specific question. Those are the battles that are almost impossible to win.

Eventually we are going to have to accept College Gameday on campus. If ESPN doesn't apologize before Sept. 10th (which is unlikely), it will never happen. Are we planning on asking ESPN to stay away from campus when scUM comes in 2006 and 2008, when USC comes in 2008 or 2009, and when Miami visits in 2010? How about their new basketball version of College Gameday? Don't we want them at the Schott in 2006/2007, to highlight our reascendent hoops program?

Perhaps it's time for us to start thinking seriously about how tOSU can best be portrayed when ESPN does make those on-campus telecasts. Wouldn't it be better to have hundreds of signs that say "NCAA says OSU is Clean" rather than signs that say ESPN SUCKS?

What they did was totally unfair and shameless. But let's ask ourselves if we want to stay in the mud fighting with ESPN, or rise above that for the long term good of tOSU and its athletic programs.

 

[LloydSev]

You know... off the topic....

but the title of this thread just puts this picture in my head of Gene Smith having an interview with ESPN and out of nowhere going "Hey crazykillernut, you asked about 'blah blah', well I just wanted to let you know....."

lol

 

[Dryden]

Perhaps it's time for us to start thinking seriously about how tOSU can best be portrayed when ESPN does make those on-campus telecasts. Wouldn't it be better to have hundreds of signs that say "NCAA says OSU is Clean" rather than signs that say ESPN SUCKS?

This is an eloquent and brilliant strategy, and a simple example of how to begin to remedy the problem and make some progress.

Here's another A vs B scenario, presuming that the choices for GameDay are either C-Bus or Ann Arbor.

1. After the game, OSU fans get to chant "Teddy Heisman"
2. After the game, MICH fans get to chant "Henne Heisman"

Am I the only one on here that remembers the "Maurice Heisman" chant after #13 blistered the Wazzu defense for 230 yards on national television?

If ESPN is going to give us free national airtime for nearly 14 hours on one of the biggest days in the 2005 college football season, for God's sake take advantage of it and broadcast the entirety of OSU athletics in the most positive light possible.

We've got to realize how powerful an ally ESPN can be. Hell, last year the network single-handedly made some no-name OG from tiny little Troy University a household name and an NFL prospect ... Junior Louissaint. Look at what ESPN has done for the MAC, or Va Tech. Five to seven years ago ... could you have named five players in the MAC, let alone five serious Heisman contenders? Did you know the name of Northern Illinois' RB? Could you name the starting QBs at Marshall, Bowling Green, Akron, Toledo, and Miami?

Three years ago, could you name any player on the North Texas roster? How about Memphis? Louisville? Utah? Boise State?

Great coaches and great players didn't make these programs household names. ESPN did.

 

[Steve19]

Yes, and I don't disagree that the reporting was generally atrocious. But as I've stated before I have a hard time using a very nebulous 'they' when specific individuals such as Tom Friend, Mark May, Trev Alberts, and Steve Levy have already demonstrated that they're not very good at what they do to begin with. The lead authors in all of these stories have suspect journalism skills, so I don't put any stock into their write-ups.

This isn't an issue about atrocious reporting or poor journalistic skills. This is about a premeditated attack on The Ohio State University that involved numerous slurs and falsehoods that were repeated over and over. What happened at the Alamo Bowl, just four months ago, was a slanderous, malicious attack that is unprecedented in sportscasting history.

Hell, Stewart Mandel and Dennis Dodd have also been critical of the Buckeyes and taken more than a few shots at the program in columns over the last six months ... so should we boycott SI and CBS too? How about FOX sports' CFN after the quips in their Alamo Bowl by-the-minute coverage?

This is not about critical reporting. It's about accurate reporting. Mandel and Dodd also have said positive things about Ohio State during this period. They have shown balance, except for Mandel's comments in one column asking Ohio State to shut down its operations for a year. Neither of them has set out to slur tOSU at every opportunity or to repeatedly repeat allegations that were already investigated by the NCAA and rejected as untrue. I am not aware of the comments made by Fox and can't comment.

Everyone knows what GameDay is about. Everyone here is quite familiar with the format. There will be a piece on the Buckeyes, the trouble around the program last fall, and specifically Troy Smith ... we all know this is coming on Sept 10. So, here are two scenarios.

1. GameDay is at Columbus for Ohio State/Texas. They run a 'lite' version of the piece on Troy Smith and Ohio State, and 10,000 Buckeyes standing around St John Arena get to cheer Troy Smith and scream their lungs out showing support for the program and the QB, maybe even drowning out a good bit of the audio that accompanies the piece.

2. GameDay is at Ann Arbor for Michigan/Notre Dame. They run a 'critical' version of the piece on Troy Smith and Ohio State, and 10,000 Wolverines standing around on a golf course get to boo every image of Ohio State that is shown on the screen and maybe even make up some 'cheater' or 'corruption' chant.

Which of these two do you want a recruit to see on Saturday morning?

I hope I won't offend you in saying that you are erecting a strawman here and then knocking it down. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that these two GameDay content scenarios have any validity. In my opinion, it is more likely that they come to Columbus and run the critical content from there, just waiting for a fan to shout an obscenity or for some other incident so that they can have another issue to throw at us. What critical version can they run of Troy Smith? He has served his punishment and it has been agreed as fair by the NCAA? None of us knows what is coming on Sept 10. None of us know what ESPiN's agenda is!

Dryden, please answer the question I raised, what is the benefit of having GameDay. Directly, what is the benefit? We get virtually the same coverage on the day anyway. And we have a lot to lose. Does anyone really think that all those Buckeye fans are going to be shouting nice, politically correct slogans for ESPiN GameDay broadcasts?

For better or worse, ESPN/ABC is closely affiliated with college football. The GameDay show specifically is one of the most popular pre-game shows/formats since the conception of televised sports and is watched by millions of people around the country every Saturday. Whether anyone on Buckeye Planet has decided to cease viewing ESPN programming is entirely irrelevant. Millions upon millions of other people will still wake up to S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y, and the images that are shown to them are very powerful and lasting.

You did realize that Columbus is the largest audience for GameDay? Hardly irrelevant. First, highlights of tOSU-Texas will be shown on every sports channel in America. Second, most of GameDay coverage is of other games around the country, so it doesn't really mean any great coverage for tOSU.

So, specifically what benefits do we gain by having GameDay at tOSU? Answer: very few. What risks do we take? A lot.

Gene Smith, I think, is taking the right approach. Get over it. Move on. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Getting into a pissing match with ESPN is a battle OSU cannot win. Geiger figured this out about a month too late. ESPN/ABC controls the airwaves; The Ohio State University's Athletics Department does not.

Again, I am not in favor of getting into a pissing contest. Telling ESPiN, "maybe next time guys", is not a pissing contest. It's saying, "we respect ourselves and our program."[/QUOTE]
ESPiN has exceptional reach and viewership but it does not control the airwaves. Nor does it have much to flog about Ohio State. Clarett is gone and made an ass out of himself going out the door anyway. We have served a post-season ban in basketball. Smith has served his two-game suspension. ESPiN have to broadcast the best teams, it's in their interest to broadcast Ohio State games because we draw one of the largest national audiences. Moreover, they have been told by the NCAA and Big Ten to cool it.

Do not for a moment think that this is just an Ohio State issue or that the Ohio State sports adminstration does not have incredible influence. Giving us the best shot they could, they have not substantially hurt our recruiting. Ohio State is seeing a resurgence across the sports spectrum, in basketball, hockey, etc. We don't need ESPiN. They need us because they can't be seen to be doing their job if they ignore the best team.

So, my point remains, let's see what Mr Smith can do behind closed doors. My guess is that ESPiN is dying to find a way out of this mess. There's bigger fish to fry (USC, Tennessee, South Carolina).

Until then, I will continue to boycott ESPiN. If they don't set the record straight, no GameDay.

This is an eloquent and brilliant strategy, and a simple example of how to begin to remedy the problem and make some progress.

Here's another A vs B scenario, presuming that the choices for GameDay are either C-Bus or Ann Arbor.

1. After the game, OSU fans get to chant "Teddy Heisman"
2. After the game, MICH fans get to chant "Henne Heisman"

Am I the only one on here that remembers the "Maurice Heisman" chant after #13 blistered the Wazzu defense for 230 yards on national television?

More strawmen. Chad Henne is hardly a serious contender for the Heisman. All that chanting didn't get Clarett a Heisman, or even a serious contender position.

If ESPN is going to give us free national airtime for nearly 14 hours on one of the biggest days in the 2005 college football season, for God's sake take advantage of it and broadcast the entirety of OSU athletics in the most positive light possible.

They aren't going to give us that. They will broadcast the game and GameDay will focus on the guys for no more than two hours the whole day, during which time they will largely be discussing other games. GameDay isn't a prep piece for tOSU. By the way, have you considered that Texas also happens to be playing and that they are the second largest university in America after tOSU? Isn't ESPiN likely to be giving their university and its athletics lots of attention too?

I am reminded of the African story of the frog and the scorpion. There is a raging fire in the veld and the scorpion pleads with the frog to carry him across the river. "Please Mr Frog, I will not sting you, I promise." The frog is unconvinced, "you will sting me, it is what you do." "No, I promise, will you let one of God's creatures die in this horrible fire?" So, the frog relents and halfway across the river the scorpion stings him. "Why did you do that? Now we will both die?" "I am sorry," said the scorpion, " it is in my nature."

We've got to realize how powerful an ally ESPN can be. Hell, last year the network single-handedly made some no-name OG from tiny little Troy University a household name and an NFL prospect ... Junior Louissaint. Look at what ESPN has done for the MAC, or Va Tech. Five to seven years ago ... could you have named five players in the MAC, let alone five serious Heisman contenders? Did you know the name of Northern Illinois' RB? Could you name the starting QBs at Marshall, Bowling Green, Akron, Toledo, and Miami?

Three years ago, could you name any player on the North Texas roster? How about Memphis? Louisville? Utah? Boise State?

Great coaches and great players didn't make these programs household names. ESPN did.

I have an alternative hypothesis. What you are describing are rather the effects of parity on the college football landscape. Programs are no longer able to shelve players four or five deep and better players are going to junior schools. Troy made its name with a couple of big upsets early in the season. That had nothing to do with ESPiN. And, there have been Heisman contenders from junior conferences forever. And the NFL has been drafting from lower divisions since I was a boy.

 

[Piney]

While I love reading your arguments for and against ESPN doing Gameday in Columbus, you are missing a big point (in my opinion)

What would look better

Scenerio #1 - ESPN Gameday live from Ohio State and then having to shut down the broadcast due to unruly fan behavior as thousands of fans protested the fact ESPN is in Columbus.

Scenerio #2 - Ohio State tells ESPN no. Then ESPN goes elsewhere and is done safely and the story will still be about Ohio State v Texas and also the fact that Ohio State requested that ESPN not show up.

It is about PR, but not about the Heisman Trophy or anything like that. It is about the image of the school. ESPN is also not dumb enough to put there 3 biggest money makers (ie Fowler, Corso & Herbie) in a situation that was not safe for them.

The point of this? IF ESPN comes to Columbus it has to be done in a controlled matter. While I am sure most of us would not do anything crazy, throw in a few drunk guys wanting to cause trouble and feed into a mob mentallity would not be a great way to have Ohio State in the news that day.