I've ran out of words and energy to describe what the live daytime SportsCenter has become. In a sort of brain-being-sucked-out-of-your-head way, it can be as bad as First Take at times.
Today's entire block of daytime SportsCenter was dedicated to the Miami Heat's version of the Harlem Shake. It's as if Bristol, Connecticut just discovered the wonder of viral videos. The worst part is I couldn't tell if everyone on air was faking their interest and delight in this "story" or if in some kind of Stepford Wives alternate universe, they actually believed this was the greatest thing ever. And it's not as if this was a funny or cute throwaway segment that could break up the monotony of sports news and provide a brief chortle. It's not as if they just showed the video for a laugh, which would be fantastic. No, it had to say something about the Heat's mindset, too. All of SportsCenter was like this, and yes, the Harlem Shake received infinitely more coverage than the record setting Chicago Blackhawks.
Here's a clip from this morning's SportsCenter of Hannah Storm loving the Heat's Shake and then Sage Steele getting "analysis" from Herm Edwards and Seth Greenberg. I really do feel sorry for Herm Edwards, who now seems to appear on SportsCenter as a character actor that can celebrate birthdays, talk about viral dances, and offer motivational speeches.
Just watch Herm and Seth shimmy on set and you can actually pinpoint the moment SportsCenter died.
This is what SportsCenter has become, the flagship program of ESPN slowly evaporating into the daytime abyss. Soon Kathie Lee and Hoda will host the 10 AM ET hour and none will be the wiser.
