Let's review again, shall we?
All High School sports? Cancelled.
All College sports? Cancelled.
Pro Baseball? Postponed.
Pro Basketball? Postponed.
Pro Hockey? Postponed.
Auto Racing? Postponed.
Pro Soccer? Postponed.
Pro Marble Racing? Yeah, we still got that.
Pro Football? XFL is cancelled, but the NFL is in its off-season. Being a sports-talk radio addict, I've listened to the ins and outs of NFL free agency and the upcoming draft ad nauseam. The NFL has single handedly saved sports-talk radio.
What else is still going on? I'm not a big MMA guy, but supposedly UFC's 249 is still on at a secret location. And, of course, WrestleMania is still on, but maybe without a live audience.
What is my point? Sports isn't important, you say? I would argue that what's going on at ESPN is indicative of what is wrong with America.
You literally have millions of Americans sitting at home doing nothing. They are being good citizens and following stay-at-home orders. Many of these Americans are sports fans. What happens when they go to ESPN?
Right now, almost all free stories are related to the coronavirus. (Except for high schooler TreVeyon Henderson signing with Ohio State.)
It's nice that a sports channel is covering the effects of the coronavirus on sports, but that is the bare minimum that they can do. What about real sports stories for people who just want to escape?
What if I want stories about UFC 249? ESPN+
Kiper's Mock Draft 3.0? ESPN+
30 for 30 Award Winning Documentaries? ESPN+
Schatz's College Football QB Draft Analysis? ESPN+
Treash's Top Returning College Football Linemen? ESPN+
NFL's Best Free Agent Signings? ESPN+
If sports are supposed to be an escape from real life, ESPN+ is definately an extension of real life. How so?
You know what? Maybe $4.99 a month isn't that bad. I can get all the sports stories I want and I can watch any hockey game I want, that's not really a bad deal if you think about it....
Wait, I can't watch any hockey game I want? ESPN+ will have up to 2 games a night available when hockey returns? So, say I want to watch the out-of-market Buffalo Sabres play, I get to watch them once or twice a month with ESPN+? That's not really a great deal. Can I watch my favorite college hockey team, Minnesota State, play? No. But I can watch select Ivy League college hockey games?
Forget about hockey, I would probably get ESPN+ if they streamed the Premier League. No? I have to get NBC Sports Streaming to watch the Premier League? Well ESPN+ says soccer. Oh, the fine print says MLS and Serie A. Every game? Of course not every game.
Okay forget about hockey and soccer. As long I as a can binge watch college football. I can sit in front of the TV until my eyes bleed. Wait, not all games, but access to all games? What does that mean? That means....
You starting to pick up on the scam?