How am I doing with my pledge to not consume information from the ESPN family of networks? Pretty well, all things considered. I have not seen an ESPN Web page since my return, and have not tuned into an ESPN network on TV or radio during that time, either. What I cannot control is what is on in restaurants, since channels from that family are popular in public spaces, but it isn't tough to look away.
So am I getting sufficient sporting content without ESPN? My family says no, and they are probably right. The only event I have watched live since returning to the US is the PGA Championship, broadcast on CBS and TNT. Of course, August is the least interesting month of the year on the sports calendar, so perhaps I haven't missed much.
It has been suggested to me that watching events live on the ESPN family is fair, as long as I get reporting details elsewhere. I'm not sure how I stand on this suggestion, since editorial content is inherent in everything ESPN produces, from which teams are being shown to the announcers assigned to the broadcast. College football is one test of this idea, and it begins in earnest today.
I noted with interest Bruce Feldman's move from ESPN to CBS Sports, and consider what happened to him partial validation of my premise. CBS Sports has grabbed a few notable writers in the last few months; I meant to write on Jeff Goodman joining their college basketball team, but moving has gotten in the way of that and a few other things of late.
