Back to work for most of us today. Let me provide links for you.
Starting with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who breaks news in his Monday column. He says Joe Theismann who refused to work college football games for ESPN when he was removed from Monday Night Football now willing to work Notre Dame games for NBC. In addition, Michael has items on the NFL deciding to charge $40 to watch 54 exhibition games online and ESPN announcing its team for the late Monday Night Football game in its opening night doubleheader.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch tweets some sad news. A producer for ESPN Dallas, Leah Siegel has passed away after a battle with breast cancer. My sympathies to Ms. Siegel, her family and her ESPN colleagues. Here’s her website chronicling her battle.
In the Sports Business Journal, John Ourand writes that the Open Championship seeing its lowest ratings ever in its first year as an all-cable event is not a cause for concern for ESPN or sports leagues in general.
John also notes that the Red Sox on NESN has lost its local TV ratings lead to the St. Louis Cardinals on Fox Sports Midwest.
John and Tripp Mickel report that the International Olympic Committee may decide to sell the US TV rights for 2014 and 2016 by itself instead of using an outside source as it has in the past.
David Broughton of the SBJ writes that research shows that fans who use social media to connect to MLB and NFL are now more avid fans of the sports.
Jon Lafayette of Broadcasting & Cable profiles new Fox Sports President Eric Shanks.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes that boxer Manny Pacquaio has set a pay per view date for November, it just won’t be with Floyd Mayweather.
Diego Vasquez in Media Life Magazine talks about how sponsors can reach an audience at small college football games.
In the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry suggests to newspaper websites that they provide links to outside sources as a service to readers.
The Inside Track girls at the Boston Herald says NESN mistook Bill Hall for Mike Cameron in a Red Sox promo.
At the New York Times, Richard Sandomir recaps the rainy festivities at Cooperstown, NY for the annual Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions.
Viv Bernstein of the Times says NASCAR notes that with the lack of younger viewers to the sport comes the lack of younger drivers as well.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Times goes after Fox Sports’ Eric Karros for talking way too much during Saturday’s Mets-Dodgers game.
In SB Nation New York, Puck The Media’s Steve Lepore looks at SNY taking phone calls during a Mets blowout and Billy Jaffe losing his Islanders TV analyst gig.
Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the Nationals are no longer on the bottom of MLB’s local TV ratings.
Jim Williams in the Washington Examiner explores the list of Forbes’ Top 50 Sports Franchises.
Dustin Long of the Virginian-Pilot writes that NASCAR is attempting to reach younger viewers which have abandoned the sport.
Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times has his view of the weekend in televised sports.
Larry Harstein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explores an ESPN Outside the Lines report on stadium food safety.
Doug Demmons in the Birmingham (AL) News says NASCAR should be concerned about its TV coverage based on its slipping TV ratings.
Crystal Forester in the Fort Worth Business Press notes that ESPN will be coming to town for the Super Bowl.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reacts to a British study on drivers who listen to sports on the radio.
Bud Shaw from the Cleveland Plain Dealer says criticism ESPN’s role in LeBron James’ 73 minute infomercial could prevent other athletes from pulling the same shenanigans.
Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press says ESPN is interested in the story of the first girl to break the Little League Baseball gender barrier in 1973.
Jeff has more in this feature story on how the Little League gender barrier got broken.
Tim Feran of the Columbus Dispatch puts Ohio State fans on alert that Time Warner Cable could be taking ESPN and other Disney networks off its systems before the football season opener.
Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune notes that two local sportscasters have made the transition to news anchors.
Dusty Saunders in the Denver Post says you can’t keep track of the changes in local sports radio without a scorecard.
John F. Russell in the Steamboat (CO) Pilot profiles CBS’ Uncle Verne Lundquist who was honored by his Steamboat Springs City Council for his contributions to the local community.
Kimberly Nicoletti from the Summit (CO) Daily News says the Ski Channel is comin
g to the local Comcast system.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar in SoCal for this week.
Brian T. Smith of The Columbian (WA) says Comcast is scoffing at a Portland Trail Blazers’ charge that the company is preventing fans from seeing their games.
Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star looks at a key personnel change at CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.
Bruce Dowbiggin in the Toronto Globe and Mail says this change could lead to more down the road on HNIC.
The Sports Media Watch has a look at the state of ESPN both here and here.
SMW has some ratings news and notes.
Joe Favorito wonders if UFC Chief Dana White is mellowing.
Bruce Allen at Boston Sports Media Watch has a look at the Red Sox beat writers whining like bitter little hedgehogs when they can’t get their way.
Sox & Dawgs has a funny NESN promo featuring Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
And we’ll get these up now so you don’t have to wait until noon.
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