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Westminster moving dog show to Fox’s FS1
- Thread starter mvcg66b3r
- Start date
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network was ESPN's original name, before its acquisition by Disney. The letters don't stand for anything anymore, it's just ESPN Inc., a division of the Walt Disney Co. And why do you call it a "wanna-be." It broadcasts a lot of sports and talks about sports even more. Just because it doesn't stick to the sports dear old Dad -- or Grand-dad -- remembers so fondly from the black-and-white days (baseball, football, boxing, horse racing) doesn't mean it's completely lost its focus. Games like poker and pool have the same element of competition that sports do, and many people who play sports also play those games. Dog show, spelling bee, figure skating, Special Olympics ... all are competitions, but the reason they're shown on any network is to attract female eyeballs and interest more advertisers.
It's a sports Network, not a sports station.
Interchangeable terms for viewers, who likely knew precisely what was meant. It's the same thing in this situation.
AFAIK, FS1 (and FS2) are one broadcast element with a single series of programming and not a collection of affiliates each running their own schedule. As such, it is a station and not a network. Splitting hairs perhaps.
ESPN used to be the go-to place for a bunch of traditional sports programming as well as sports-related programming (talk shows, etc.). Now they carry bunches of events that are definitely not sports (poker, billiards, dog shows, spelling bees etc.). Calling it a sports outlet any longer is stretching the description. ABC's WWoS programming went much the same route in the old days bringing in such "sports" as swamp buggy racing and tractor pulls.
ESPN was never known as Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. ESPN is just plain known as Entertainment SPorts Network. If it were combined Entertainment and Sports, it would be similar to that of E! Entertainment TV with the latest entertainment news and reality shows mixed in, which ESPN does not have. ESPN is definitely not like A&E (Arts & Entertainment Network). ESPN is strictly a 24/7 all sports network as are the other national sports networks (FS1, FS2, CBS Sports Network, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), etc.) Anyway, that is all.
They even had an e-sports event a couple months ago. It made for great television, and it got loads of social media buzz (to the point of trending worldwide on Twitter), but it also failed to bring in a lot of ratings on a Sunday night.
Quibbling over the "and" seems silly. In its early formation, it had the "and," as in entertainment and sports. That's simply how it was, but it makes no difference, except to those who cling to the past and complain about old names and symbolism instead of living in the present.
Regardless, it took several years before they claimed any pro sports, so the early days were filled with plenty of non "big four" content. A few proverbial sticks-in-the-mud don't change that sports and competition extends beyond the most popular. They devote ample time across multiple platforms to every major pro and college sport. That they fill in some of their schedule with other types of completion doesn't change that.
Looks like Fox sports is going to the Dogs.
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