Lets spice it up

Many of us watch TV. I watch TV mostly to follow sports and news. Most of us also have a favourite show. Until recently, my favourite show on TV was ESPN's sportcenter. It was a great show. Incisive analysis. Knowledgeable guests who were often legendary ex players. Weekdays 10 PM almost always saw me glued for half an hour. It was too good to last.

ESPN Asia has sadly succumbed to the supposed demand to "spice" up the show or as we Indians say "add masala". One good anchor has changed to accommodate an absolutely exasperating, blithering buffoon and the other anchor who until recently was doing a fairly good job has begun clapping his hands, raising his voice like those Latin American football commentators and in general trying to prance about the studio while still being rooted to his chair. It seems that the temptation to trade the serious viewer for the "masala" hungry (supposedly) masses was too great to resist. This show could now well be on Sony, Zee or any one of the dozen or so Hindi channels that show soppy soaps interspersed with slapstick dance & game shows.

Abysmal. ESPN - you have let me down. Throw out that buffoon. Bring back Poonam Sharma. Start serious sports programming & analysis again. Stop trying to be slapstick. Stop trying to sensationalize every little step the Indian cricket team takes. Stop trying to make every step taken by the team as a potentially life changing event in our lives. Leave that to NDTV, Sidhu, Set Max and Mandira Bedi.
You are a serious show. You are a true sports lover's show.

If not...buenas noche y buena suerte.