It’s nice to get a little wider analysis of the industry and society from you.
.
Happy Hawk
Disney has gone woke. Their leadership and decision making has veered steeply from their original core values. Watered down content + losing talent like McShay = meh products.
ShowMeYourHawk
Phew…. okay….. Wholeheartedly agree about McShay’s departure being a loss for ESPN. Todd will certainly land on his feet (CBS, FOX, NFLN?), so he’ll be fine. Still a bummer.
This site has been a godsend for those of us that love prospect watching and a debate over what needs the Seahawks have and how they can address those needs. A place to celebrate in the good times and to commiserate in the rough times. Rob, your tireless work to analyze tape and prospects is incredibly appreciated. Nobody does Seahawks coverage better.
However, PLEASE don’t make this site and the corresponding videos/podcasts a place to normalize political or general pop culture hot takes. There are literally an endless supply of YouTube, Reddit and Twitter channels/boards for flaming any given set of targets. I understand that these takes may be out of genuine frustration or even an effort to bring in more views, be it for SuperChat or Patreon donations or just to call more attention to the brand but IMO, it diminishes the hard work you put in.
It’s your site, of course, so you’ll naturally do whatever you see fit. Just please know that you’re the best at what you do and we are all richer as Seahawk fans for your contributions in that field. Calling out Top Billin’ and his ilk for their “cash-grab, no facts” video dumps was humorous because it was a criticism associated tangentially with Seahawks football. There’s so much vitriol and overt negativity to be consumed elsewhere. I’d humbly ask you to please keep the site on target.
Thanks again for your efforts!
ShowMeYourHawk
Ack. Reply fail but the message still endures!
Ben
I disagree. I could listen to Rob talk about anything. I’d humbly ask him to do whatever makes him happy.
Dominic
huh — I didn’t hear anything political in Rob’s actual take here except maybe a critique of brand over substance, bland and canned and family friendly over weird and interesting and (in the McAfee example) adult-oriented. If anything political, a critique of corporate approaches to labor … wait, is Rob a secret Marxist lol. Happy Hawk projected woke onto the critique, which is overtly political and annoying.
ShowMeYourHawk
Rob’s take wasn’t political but the strange path from ESPN cutting salary expenses to dogging Lucasfilm and Marvel (which he then says he doesn’t care for, anyways) was certainly a venture into pop culture deconstruction. It took only a few comments on this thread for someone to interject their political bias onto Rob’s take about ESPN. THAT is how the sociopolitical takes flourish and overtake the conversation.
My comment was more a plea that Rob’s great work on the Seahawks and the draft in general doesn’t get maligned with unnecessary chaff. If this board becomes Seaside Joe or Field Gulls where one-upsmanship and personal attacks are the prevailing attitude for commentary, instead of remaining a community of Seahawks fans above all… it’ll be a sad state of affairs.
1. The connection between ESPN, Lucasfilm and Marvel is simply that they are all owned and run by the same company.
2. This place will never become Seaside Joe or Field Gulls. Don’t worry about that.
3. It’s July. Nothing is happening in the NFL or college football. I’m pissed off that ESPN canned McShay. It’s one video.
JDH
That’s exactly how I took your video and I’m sure how most here understood it. No need for meta-analysis. Just an example of corporate decision-makers not getting what makes some products useful/entertaining even though that’s their whole job! Unfortunately, another example of competence (McShay) being punished.
Malanch
Rob, your video post wasn’t political at all, and I really appreciated it. The listener who would insert his own editorialized inferences has no leg to stand on when cautioning you not “to normalize political or general pop culture hot takes” with such commentary. And, in light of Disney’s recent axing of a premier NFL draft analyst, pointing out said company’s patterned decision-making across its various properties and platforms is far from a “strange path” to take. Looks right-down-the-stripes to me. And, as for the odd poster who might springboard from your vid with a comment on wokeness, such a post could easily be recycled for editing, if desired—no big.
As things currently stand, mainstream sports talk discourse heartily welcomes (and arguably prioritizes) sociopolitics and virtue-signaling (and even some geopolitics, too)—given that such precisely engineered and artificially dichotomized dialogues are sufficiently constrained so as to advance targeted narratives—and you’ve done a great job of being better than this. SDB is all about ball, however, forces larger than football have been influencing NFL product for some time, and one cannot possibly cover all things Seahawk in a genuine fashion without dealing with these forces in some way. Deft maneuvering is required in the ESG era, and your vid demonstrates this quite nicely.
Mr drucker in hooterville
This is hard for some to accept, but has been going this way for maybe 10 years. Trans activists in the Disney family and progressive politics have pushed people away. That gas been EDPNs business model and, even if you like it, it has hurt them.
Sean
This is exactly the kind of thing I don’t want to read on this site. Lets not veer into politics. It infects almost everything everywhere, and this site has been a safe haven. It’s what makes this place different…at least it has so far.
You weren’t there when Hooverville fell to the space lasers.
TJ
Please leave your politics out of SDB comments. Can there not be one place where we can all unite based on our commonality and not venture into politics? We are all football and Seahawks fans here despite all of our varied political leanings. Let’s stick with debating and disagreeing on football.
Mr drucker in hooterville
My comment was a simply a fact that it is Disney and ESPN’s politics is a major contributor to why they have lost customers and stockholders. It has influenced their products so much. It isn’t my politics that ruined them.
LouCityHawk
The only woke way to use woke is ironically, if you are really woke, stay woke!
509 Chris
Legacy media all over is crumbling, while Pat McAfee and Joe Rogan are now household names. For the last couple years ESPN doesnt have one show that gets the views McAfee does on a daily basis. This community is full of people who have left more traditional places and gone to the new media. Plainly, they lost everyones trust. They could lie to you, give you everything with a preachy political twist, or get things wrong and people just ate it because you had to go to espn, cnn, the ny times ect and there wasn’t really a good alternative. In the new world of podcasts and youtube content creators have to be responsible to their audience. For example if Rob has a bad take or gets something wrong people get upset. He can make a video and own it, but people will only be ok with that once or twice before credibility is shot and they just move on to top billin or something. It seems like everyday more people are realizing media is just lying and manipulating them and finding smaller, better sources for their news. I complain a lot about the modern technology but it has allowed people with real talent to shine through and find an audience. On that note a huge thanks to Rob and all the time you put into the blog and this community.
509 Chris
I should have watched the video before commenting. If McAfee sells out to ESPN it kills everything that drew people to the show in the first place.
McAfee is laughing all the way to the bank. It’s business but him getting his deal shorty before these recent batch of layoffs isn’t a great look for anyone (coincidence or not).
Pretty soon all we’re going to see on EVERY ESPN show is Greenberg, McAfee & Stephen A. Content on ESPN has been pretty awful for years anyways. I am curious as to where Van Gundy & McShay end up though.
seanmatt
Gross. This is a great site but I hope that it doesn’t turn into a place where angry white guys bitch about TV shows and movies having black folks and gay people in them. Corporations lay people off. It’s what they do. Please don’t turn this into some sort of place to spout chud nonsense.
Sneekes
Eh? No-one has mentioned anything of the sort. I agree with the general sentiment, but not sure what is has to do with Rob’s video.
seanmatt
Maybe he doesn’t know it cause he’s a Brit, but Disney bashing is totally a part of the far-right culture wars. You have people in the replies talking about Disney being “woke” and all that nonsense. Disney is a hot button cultural issue right now (most recently with people getting upset about a black little mermaiid). If he wants to talk about how it sucks that McShay was laid off, that’s cool. The anti-Disney stuff is very right-wing culture war-ish.
LouCityHawk
Some of us live in a world where you can offer fair criticism and not get lumped in with “bashers”.
We also live in a world where just because something/one may be getting treated unfairly, it doesn’t mean you have to be hands off or fawning.
Example: I might think it is stupid to not drink the beer you prefer because *things*, I’m not going to go and drink a beer I don’t like because of *things*, me criticizing beer producer’s labor practices doesn’t mean I also agree with *things*.
You do realise that when you start talking glibly about the ‘far right’ and ‘culture wars’ that you are doing the EXACT thing you appear to want to accuse everyone else of doing?
Nothing screams ‘culture wars’ like ‘you don’t like this film therefore you’re just going along with a far right agenda!’
Palatypus
Seanmatt said.
This is a great site but I hope that it doesn’t turn into a place where angry white guys bitch about TV shows and movies having black folks and gay people in them.
I think Ron Desantis is a Cowboys fan.
Elmer
This site has consistently done a great job of keeping the focus on football; specifically, Seahawks football. I hope that you are not implying anything to the contrary about Rob or SDB.
About life in general, the statement is reasonably accurate. A quote from somewhere stated that “The Human, in his or her perversity, will misuse anything”. Or words to that effect.
Mr drucker in hooterville
Stop it. Skin color is irrelevant. ESPN and Disney are cratering for many reasons. Noticing it has nothing to do with melatonin.
Me: I am really disappointed Todd McShay is leaving ESPN and think Indiana Jones has been ruined
seanmatt: Starts ranting about racism and ‘white guys’
FFS
Palatypus
What? You don’t want to go see Indiana Jones and the Wheelchair of Time? I heard he uses his whip on a geriatric nurse because he doesn’t want to take his Depakote and Haldol. Then he goes down a stairway, tilted on one wheel and barely makes it out of the sliding security glass security doors, reaching back to grab his hat at the last moment.
seanmatt
People in the comments are whining about Disney’s “woke” agenda. You are complaining about Disney ruining Star Wars. This is all about Disney being inclusive in their casting. That’s the hate towards Disney. Have the courage of your convictions, mate.
ElPasoHawk
Bad products produce bad results. Trying to project hate on others with out evidence is weak sauce, while giving reasoned view point knowing victimologists are going to wine requires courage.
LouCityHawk
“this is all about Disney being inclusive in their casting….”
Are you saying that Todd McShay was let go by Disney in order to add diversity to its draft coverage?I haven’t paid much attention because of other obligations, but were all those laid off white? They just hired McAfee?
Or are you one of those SW fans who endlessly defends the horrible sequel trilogy by lobbing ad hominem attacks at the critics?
With respect, you don’t get to lump everyone’s complaints for Disney Star Wards under your singularly defined one complaint
I know a lot of Star Wars fans. None of them complain about ‘diverse casting’ in the most recent films. They do, however, complain about them being utterly shite.
Palatypus
Jabba the Hut might make a good draft analyst. He knows a good slave when he sees one at the market.
Mr drucker in hooterville
Seanmat: disney and ESPN are not inclusive. Ask the ESPN talent who had a different POV and were fired. The woke talent larfely remained. Thet aint inclusive. They are cramming an agenda down people’s throats. Marvel characters don’t have to be trans to be inclusive. Everyone can enjoy them as they originally were meant to be. It isn’t inclusive to tell is Us Lia Taylor is a female athlete.
geoff u
I rather enjoyed the latest Indy. Certainly better than 4, and not as good as the first three, but I liked all the Archimedes stuff and like what made the first one original: the arrogant bad guys doom themselves. Main problem with Disney is too many cooks in the kitchen, this could’ve been simplified and cut down and it would’ve been a far better movie. Probably should’ve just let Mangold do his thing from the start.
Malanch
“…angry white guys bitch about TV shows and movies having black folks and gay people in them…” –seanmatt
Ah, the “far right” bigotry fallback: a Straw-Man-Plus-Ad-Hominem Combo Fail—tacked on to a whopper of a generalization, no less, and supplemented with a goodly amount of obligatory racism. That’s a really bad look for anyone, mate. Fallacy dependency is embarrassing and unbecoming of an adult.
The discipline of logic and rhetoric, though drastically downplayed in modern education (which I could expound upon at length in a different venue), nonetheless remains timelessly beautiful, and is worth pursuing individually. I recommend the autodidactic course of action here. It will serve you—and society—well. Plus, close listening/reading is just good practice. Always address the argument, not the arguer, and never mischaracterize another’s words, as this stymies communication and promotes self-deceit. Further, be very careful with generalizations; they can be employed if handled just right, but those who haven’t yet made it through Logic 101 had best just stay away.
The mind is precious, and yours is yours to command.
Rejected
Yikes, this post is bringing out all the politically correct nutters… THIS is the nonsense.
ElPasoHawk
Maybe take your own advice and refrain from making sweeping statements about people of any race whatsoever. It just breeds contempt all the way around. ESPN would do well to keep 100% of there focus on sports, their product would be a lot better.
ElPasoHawk
Comment not meant for Rob
Mr drucker in hooterville
Agreed but they left sports years ago.
Palatypus
FWIW, I don’t think Disney can ruin anything but ESPN right now during this writer’s strike.
I’m pretty sure ChatGPT could produce a better script than The Rise of Skywalker.
Romeo A57
It is noteworthy that many of Disney’s large entertainment division acquisitions seem be struggling right now ( ESPN, Pixar, Marvel & Star Wars). ESPN has to cut costs due to two primary reasons, cost of Broadcast Rights Fees and loss of subscribers as people move away from cable TV. ESPN doesn’t exist without live sports, mainly American Football. College and NFL Broadcast Rights Fees are going through the roof right now.
They are replacing 20 on-air talent personnel salaries with Pat McAfee due to PM having built up a large fan base for his brand of sports entertainment. There are a few names on the layoff list like McShay and Kolber that I would much rather listen to than PM. If PM can drive viewers to ESPN while the other 20 don’t, then this makes sense. There are also a few names on that list that I would mind never hearing from again.
I am sure right now some ESPN Directors are trying to come up with show ideas to have Greenberg, Steven A Smith and Pat McAfee yell at each other for 3 hours a day:)
P.S. after looking at some of the comments , I do hope that we can keep political debates off the SDB forum. I do get that Disney is a hot button topic at this time, but this site should be welcoming for all Seahawks fans. Rob did not go political in his post pointing out Disney’s and ESPN financial problems.
Go Seahawks!
Romeo A57
Reply Fail!
Palatypus
Before I forget, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.
Pensacola Beach is always packed this time of year, but Bayview Dog Beach is vacant. I had a great day with my dog Daisey there yesterday and today we hit the Edward Ball nature trails at the University of West Florida. Then something funny happened.
While stopping at one of the benches to give Daisey some water in the 94 degree heat, I heard some thing weird. I thought, “That doesn’t sound like a frog?” Well, it wasn’t. When I got home to do some investigating I figured out what it was.
Yeah, everybody is at Pensacola Beach out on Santa Rosa Island. Ask Devin Witherspoon.
Edgar
Really stretching it calling it a 4th weekend when it falls on Tuesday-
Palatypus
Here in Pensacola, it’s always a week long thing because the weekend after the 4th of July is when the Blue Angels officially start their summer season, with an airshow for their homeport. On the 4th they always have an airshow in Washington D.C., then they come home, then they travel the country, eventually doing rehearsal for Sea Fair during Seahawks practices over Lake Washington.
There will be about a million people on the beach for it extending from Fort Walton to Perdido Key.
Hoggs41
As an avid IJ fan I was severly dissapointed with Dial of Destiny.
I think the NFC West could go down to the wire. Not only have John Schneider brought in a lot of talented players over the last two seasons. They are good guys who LOVE FOOTBALL.
For Seattle to win the division, hell for them to make the playoffs, the D simply has to be better. They have got to get to a middle of the pack performance level. Geno will have to limit turnovers as well. I think there’s a pretty good chance of that because I believe the run game is going to be kick ass and he’ll throw less than last year.
Romeo A57
We definitely need to see a drastic improvement on the defense for the Seahawks to pass the niners and win the west. If all of their QBs hadn’t gotten injured, the niners may have made it to the Superbowl a fre months ago.
I do not expect much from the Seahawks defense in 2023 but let’s see them prove me wrong.
LouCityHawk
I’ve never been a huge ESPN guy, well, except for the old guy version of NFL Primetime that was just Boomer and TJ.
I generally recognized that it was contaminated with a huge northeast bias.
Disney hasn’t known what to do with it for years, flooding the channel with a glut of faces scrambling for face time, overproduced everything, and talk-radio style shows that focus on stimulating the Id.
Live sports programming (and specifically the NFL) are the last guaranteed programming to draw big ad buys, as such, sports that were traditionally relegated to ESPN2 or whatever are now getting featured on networks. Making ESPN less relevant.
The interesting line between ESPN – Disney – SW – Marvel is that each of them is trying to adapt for a number of factors – but the Corp is trying the same fix on each one.
Romeo A57
The only programming that ESPN or any sports channel has that will reliably generate viewership is live football (NFL or College) and to a lesser extent the NBA. It is impossible to fill 24 hours in a day with these relevant live sports, so we get all of the redundant sports talk shows.
The other problem is that these national sports talk shows try to appeal to a national market and focus on the more popular teams or players. Many fans would rather listen to shows about their local or favorite teams rather than the national stories.
Pretty much anything of substance was paywalled behind the ESPN+ grouping. Also a lot of junk too (“most underrated player on each team” lists – that’s worth paying a subscription for?). They also frequently do not share talk segment clips with insiders like Schefter and Fowler on their Twitter accounts, like NFLN does with Rapaport or others.
Which has led to a rise of a whole sub-group of fan Twitter accounts that watch ESPN and then post “Adam Schefter just said…Fowler listed three teams that might be interested in….” and generate massive views and followers. And blogs that openly discuss the paywalled information so much so that you don’t really need a login to see where your favorite team’s point came up.
Romeo A57
I don’t see how the paywall makes ESPN much money in subscription fees, but I am not an accountant.
One thing that seemed like a huge waste of money for ESPN was what they did for Monday Night Football. They payed big money for Troy and Buck in the booth then have the Manning’s doing their shtick on another channel at the same time.
KD
For my eternal sins, I watched the new Indy movie and oof, it is as bad as everyone is saying. I know there are a few Critical Drinker fans here, and his review sums up the stupidity nicely. The plot is stupid, Helena is an absolutely insufferable character, the dialogue is cringe, and it’s 2.5 hours of crapping on a legendary character.
Mac
There is a high correlation between Kathleen and ‘wish fulfill-y’/self-inserted characters.
Palatypus
I want to throw this out there.
Back in the 80’s when I collected a lot of Marvel comics, they came out with an Indiana Jones comic book series. So, Marvel owned the rights to Indiana Jones even before Disney acquired both.
So, why haven’t they made a Captain America/Indiana Jones crossover film set during World War II? That is a film I would go see.
Imagine Steve Rogers’s face when he walks in on Peggy Carter making out with Doctor Jones.
I can criticize Disney without even talking about ‘woke-ness’.
The new Star Wars trilogy was garbage. Rather than take inspiration from countless books written about SW, they decided to go with their own story due to lack of ‘source material’. They didn’t have a cohesive vision for what they wanted the trilogy to be, got too many cooks in the kitchen and botched it. The lack of vision made the cast feel really dull together, why should I care about this group of people who got together at the end of the second film for the first time? With the OG the cast assembles and interacts within the final parts of the first film. Great chemistry between the cast, I think part of the reason Empire is such a good film is that it ads adversity to the story in a clever way. Many things that make the mc succeed in the first film become hindrances. The new films have a pseudo-villain that never poses a significant threat, he loses every time he has to encounter the mc, the first ‘boss’ is a fake out and bringing back the emperor was trying to buy back good will.
I could easily write up 3000+ words on everything that’s wrong with that series but I won’t.
They also should have left IJ at 3 movies.
Marvel kind of peaked plot wise + fan fare at infinity war (though Civil War had a better plot). I watch too many films in general.
My big criticism for the Pat Macafe to ESPN move, is that even though they’d boast deservedly so about building out their show on YouTube, they never really felt connected in anyway to other sports YouTube channels. Certainly there is never any obligation to shout out a competitor but it would have been nice to see them elevate or integrate other YouTubers who could ride that wave with them.
Matthew Martin Johnson
The new star wars can be easily summed up with this: 3 different directors / writers. JJ rebooted it went to Rian, who then did something different at least, then the final director just butchered that angle and we got the same villain from 30 years ago. I remember the prequel trilogy being pretty garbage too, but after time it’s just ok. I expect we’ll get the same thing from the sequels at some point in the future, ok movies but lacking.
With ESPN the biggest problem to me is focusing on guys like Mcaffee. Its similar to how guys like SAS and Skip get all this money and attention and all i want to to is reach through the TV and punch them in the face. ESPN is adopting the model of the NFL essentially, pay big for HUGE stars and then hope to hit big on a unknown guy who doesn’t make anything.
geoff u
The prequel trilogy plotting I thought was pretty great, unfortunately the dialogue and acting not so much. That makes it very hard to watch, but the story holds up.
The new ones are just an absolute mess. They look great, ok acting, but good lord are the plots and the themes a complete mess. No direction at all. What even was the whole point of the new Star Wars? It was completely empty.
MontanaMike
I think some of you easily offended people need to get a life, Rob works hard to make this the best blog year round, he’s not being political or racist to point out the obvious. If he wants to rant when there’s nothing to write about stop being an idiot and finding something that’s not even there, go somewhere else that’s politically correct so we don’t have to worry about being offensive and your gender diversity bullshit! I don’t get mad about anything ever but asking him to cater to you is exactly what’s wrong with everything in the first place, and it only exemplifies exactly what he’s talking about. I don’t watch T.V. or movies anymore because hollywood and everyone else started pumping out this all inclusive, everyone gets a participation trophy crap.
Alex
What a toxic response. It sounds like you do get mad at plenty, most of which seems to be stuff that really has no bearing on your life. Relax and let people live. Freedom and all that…
King Felix
This feels like exactly the type of divisive response that has no place on this blog. Rob has every right to say what he wants on his own site, and there was nothing offensive in what he said in his video and agree I with most of what he said.
Unfortunately through no fault of his own, some people seem to take these kinds of posts as an invite to spew their own opinions that do cross lines and serve no purpose and doesn’t lead to any meaningful discussion.
You’re right, Rob didn’t say anything political or about race, but you sure did and I’d rather not read about it on this site.
Matthew Martin Johnson
well said felix, honestly i enjoy this site because Rob moderates the site very well and usually keeps this stuff off the comment boards and the community is better for it. I’m tired of reading “woke” and “gender diversity” etc, it’s exhausting. The SDB community prior to the responses in this post have been really good at sticking to sports and not getting political, i appreciate that. The world is falling apart and i just want somewhere to talk sports without all the extra nonsense that’s come around lately. Good Post felix.
An expression of disappointment shared by many. I pay to go to the theater several times a month and for the last few years most of what is being put out is crap and in my opinion producers have stopped trying to tell good engaging stories and are more concerned with promoting social messages. It’s there right to do it but people are going to stop paying good money for messaging when they are paying for entertainment.
Andrew
Rob, you do such a great job being nuanced and thought out. And for many readers we’re so accustomed to media outside of SDB not doing that. Feeding us language and buzz words that an algorithm knows we we’ll consume. It’s hard reading these comments and and having my own bias. It’s hard to give people grace. That’s the culture war we deal with nowadays. Not that you need to be informed
dahveed
Ahhh little White trash in the morning reminds me of the streets on New York during the garbage strike
but that stench is not coming from Rob and I can say that cause I was a Jalen Carter fan.
Hey Disney did do one thing right “Rogue One” and the series that fallowed (Andor)
But I blow it off as a kiddie pool I know has more pee in it then water
and thats kool …the kids seem to be having a good time and that gives more more time to enjoy my organic wine. Yeah I said it and its Fu#k1nG good.
bottom line
we dont have to like a whole company that mainly misses on creating memorable content …(when that is your business)we can critisize them even though they are inclusive ..we give credit for that… we dont have to talk shiiit about the British to make a point.
Palatypus
The French then?
KD
I read that post several times, and I still don’t know what point this was trying to make
dahveed
that there is no point everyone just has opinions and there own taste and things are not black and white blah blah blah
Saxon
White trash? So I guess racist epithets are perfectly fine now?
So much hypocrisy.
I know Rob doesn’t want this divisive garbage on his football blog.
This is not the venue. Take your cognitive dissonance to Twitter.
SpennyDunks
This has to be the strangest comment section I’ve ever seen here, so I’ll take this time to thank Rob for everything he does and to also express my disappointment in the new Star Wars trilogy. Despite that, I won’t stop watching any new pile of shit they throw at me. Hope Ahsoka is good, I really enjoyed Rebels.
I fully second this. And with Visions, how bad is it that a small (sometimes up and coming studio) can make me care about their characters and story in a few minutes, yet a company more powerful than some countries can’t?
In the words of Princess Leia’s CGI for in Rogue One: “Hope.”
Romeo A57
Disney did really mess up the last Star Wars Trilogy. On a positive note,
I really enjoyed Andor and can’t wait for season 2.
KD
Finally, an Andor fan arises. A broken clock right? I really enjoyed Andor. For once, Disney did something right. A big part of why I enjoyed Andor is because I can believe that it is actual canon. THESE are the events that lead to the forming of the rebellion! I don’t believe a second of the stupid Obi Wan Kenobi show. That is not canon. The Obi Wan Kenobi show was crappy fan fiction.
Andor draws from history quite a bt. The writers know how bureaucracies work, be it government or corporate. The writers know that the leaders of such rebellions try to push populations into it as did Lenin and Mao. They also need money and influence, and Andor gives back ground to all of that. Well done!
Romeo A57
Andor does a good job showing a society with no rights for individuals. Like the part where Andor goes on trial for some BS and is given no opportunity to even present a defense. He was guilty as sin when they literally arrested him for nothing.
The storyline I am most interested in going forward actually involves the future rebel leader Mon Mothma. She betrothed her underage daughter to a mobsters son to help the cause. Once the emperor finds put what she is doing, her family by blood or marriage won’t be very safe.
Rushless pass
What the hell is going on in here?
ShowMeYourHawk
The banter the last couple of days here is exactly what I was fearful of in my posts earlier in the thread. Some folks can’t control the impulse to infuse their political or societal biases whenever they can. When Rob asked his viewers to leave their personal opinions about Star Wars/Marvel or Disney in the comments of his latest video, this level of discourse was sure to follow. I’m fairly certain it was innocent and unintentional but some people read this as a battle cry and it wasn’t the best reading of the room. The internet is a hive of scum and villainy (to keep this thread on its topic) and you’re bound to get a circus when you invite clowns (of any association).
Mini-camp can’t come soon enough. I’d rather we leave our emotions related directly to the team, its play and the coaching/roster decisions involved.
When some Americans hear the word ‘disney’ it reminds me of ‘The Last of Us’ mushroom zombies being awakened out of their hibernation and rushing towards their victims.
BK26
It’s that way with A LOT of stuff with Americans. Depending on the group and details. Part of the definition of an American “WARNING: Can be easily triggered. Opinions en route.”
Hawk Finn
Can confirm.
Source: Am American
KD
As a big fan of the video game, “The Last of Us” was VERY loyal to the game if not restrained. And yes, I think Cordyceps fungus was a unique and inventive way to create a “zombie” apocalypse. As someone who played through the game several times, i can tell you that the show was very true to the story of the game, one which I consider to be a masterpiece of storytelling.
JimQ
I enjoyed watching the below video and think the Seahawks may have scored big time with their first 2-nd round pick. He seems to be a really “dedicated to becoming great” type of player that has overcome a lot of adversity in his young life. I think the Seahawks may have hit a home run with this pick. The preseason should be a lot of fun to watch this year, can’t wait. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc59KCvLcZ0
Very enjoyable. Thanks for the link. Hope this kid is a difference maker.
Brodie
That was great. Thanks Jim. Seems like a great young man with some great people around him!
ElPasoHawk
Rob, great recommendation for Extraction movies, they were both excellent. In a similar vane, Denzel’s Equilizer film is very good.
LouieLouie
This is the world we live in today. The oligarchs have gobbled up everything that use to be diverse, and are turning everything into a mayonnaise sandwich. No pastrami, or corned beef. No pickles, olives or mustard. No rye or sour dough bread. Just mayonnaise on white bread.
KD
Hey, Disney and hollywood in general have been having a bad year, but it’s a great year for video games. Dead Space, RE4, Final Fantasy 16 are killing it. Elden Ring is still massively popular, T
KD
(damn relpy fail) The Legend of Zelda proves that Nintendo still has their swag. Loads of fantastic entertainment for all ages and dispositions out there. Star Dew Valley is still wildly popular. Tons and tons of great stuff out there and still coming.
I’m going to dig into RE4 remake. But I found the RE2 remake a lot more stressful than the original
KD
Me too in a lot of ways, but RE4 was a absolute blast. Weapon tips: Riot shotgun > Striker. Killer7 > Broken Butterfly. TMP is terrible. Don’t use it. Bolt Caster is the worst weapon in the game.
Matthew Martin Johnson
Well Rob, its just as stressful, but very long. I enjoyed it, but it was graphically impressive if nothing else. I thought Dead Space was much superior to the RE4 remake.
……hollywood in general have been having a bad year
Cruise led the way last year and I have a feeling he’ll do the same with the next Mission: Impossible flick this year. Not a big fan of the guy but damn he makes entertaining action movies.
Harry W
Hey Rob,
What going on with England down 2-0. Us Aussies are too good and too ruthless. Seahawks and Carroll and take a leaf from Australia book
I think it is interesting what he is saying about Mina Kimes being a rising star. Is that what made Suzy Kolber expendable? Seems like a bit of a lateral move, but Kimes is much younger.
I think she’s great where she is on NFL Live with Laura, Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears.
They work well together. They like each other. They can disagree without it turning into Sports Shouting with Tracy Jordan. And they keep it on football and off pop culture for the most part.
A similar show in a bigger/more prominent slot would be the ticket.
They run circles around the NFLN Good morning program with Peter Schrager and Kyle Brandt. Those guys pull one insightful comment every month or so. The rest of the time they’re talking about pop culture or having a musician or a movie star on to talk about their favorite team growing up. Why should I care who some Dad-Rock musician rooted for in the 1970’s?
Save that junk for a twitter clip I can ignore more easily.
The only worthwhile thing about their show is when they throw it to Rapaport or Garafolo for an insider update. The rest is garbage.
Here is the quality programming currently on ESPN.
ESPN1: The Nathan’s Coney Island hot dog eating championship.
ESPN2: The AKC Kennel Club dog diving championship.
Troy
Best spot for Todd would def be nfl network, it would be an absolute shame if he wasn’t hired somewhere else but I’m sure he will be, as you said his analysis and insights are of too high a value not to be shown. Worst case maybe he starts his own show or podcast on YouTube or similar.
I’d love them to join the NBCSports/PFT Mike Florio group.
Gomhawk
I think they actually did pretty well with Marvel. A lot better than Warner with DC. And to be fair Lucas Arts had already made some questionable movies, such as Indiana 4. How many good action movies have there been the last ten years outside of Marvel and Tom Cruise? Lol
Seems like the espn strategy is to cut anyone famous enough to command a high salary except for a few big names they think draw ratings, like Stephen A and SVP. I get why they see these ppl as replaceable with lower salaries, but the draft is such a big deal now they might be undervaluing Todd.
The latest phase of Marvel though has not been well received at all and the future appears bleak at the moment
Gomhawk
Oh I thought you this comment didn’t post so I retyped one.
They did fire their ceo for a reason. I liked the last Guardians tho. Looking forward to the Rock in the Moana live action film lol. I’ll gladly fork over money for that. Netflix solved their inability to create good content by outsourcing it to South Korea.
BK26
They need to quit with the remakes. For one: they have all been really bad. Second, it shows that they have no ideas for anything new. They are literally remaking a movie that is only 7 years old.
Marvel has had Guardians 3. Now the old guard is all done with and the new content looks like they let their teenage kids write the scripts.
Nothing has worked since they have taken all of this extra stuff on: Marvel was the golden goose and they are lost with it now. Star Wars had thousands of years of stories written and…we got the sequel trilogies and Boba Fett.
Espn under the Mouse? Yeah…that makes sense.
Gomhawk
Well they need to remake Moana before the voice actors are too old. A bit of a special case. And when you have The Rock, you gotta capitalize.
BK26
Why do they need to remake it? What was wrong with the original, which is not even an old movie?
It’s lazy and shows that they have no other creative ideas. The remade movies have been worse.
206Chris
Because money. Same reason the Michael Bay Transformers movies kept getting made, same reason M. Night Shyamalan will continue to get to make movies despite the majority of them being laughable at best.
If people didn’t go see the warmed over crap, they’d stop making it. But if mediocre live action remakes are going to pull in a billion dollars worldwide, then the studio will continue doing so. Because that’s what the studio is for is to produce things that put butts in seats.
Personally, I love most of the Marvel stuff while also thinking they should have stopped at Endgame (although I like a lot of the TV shows more than most people). Not everything has to be a billion dollar blockbuster, but that’s where we are. Most of the smaller, personal stories that you’d get as those middle-cost, 20 million dollar movies went to TV where there’s more time to tell the story you want.
The studios want to maintain exponential growth, so they’re going to keep pumping out the stuff that brings in the money, regardless of quality.
samprassultanofswat
Hey guys: Interior defensive linemen like Akiem Hicks, Ndamukong Suh, LInval Joseph, and Tyson Alualu are still available.
Anyone interested?
Paul
Depends on the cost and expectations.
Gomhawk
To be fair, Lucas Arts wasn’t doing that great before Disney bought them. Indiana Jones 4 was pre-Disney. I’d say most the good action movies the last decade have been either Marvel or Tom Cruise. Warner hasn’t done so well with DC.
It seems like ESPN is taking out their middle class. Basically anyone famous enough to command big bucks but not the flag bearers like SVP and Stephen A. They prolly think they’re replaceable with cheaper ppl, which is maybe often true, but in regards to McShay, this takes a huge bite out of their draft coverage that I don’t think gets replaced.
I don’t have a ton of opinions on ESPN since I haven’t paid for cable or their streaming service in 15 years, but it is amazing how your video brought out the politics. People are so into performative politics/patriotism that even a simple thing like “I’m disappointed that Todd McShay got fired” turns into something vitriolic.
I do agree in general with Disney, although the Mandalorian and Rogue One are really fun additions to the Star Wars universe. The artwork in the latest Spiderman cartoon movie was great, but I haven’t seen any other superhero movies since That 70’s Show guy and William Defoe were Spiderman/Green Goblin.
geoff u
Andor is pretty great so far, very much in keeping with Rogue One. They are certainly inconsistent though, I couldn’t make it through Boba Fett, which is a damn shame. How can you completely bomb one of the most iconic characters in Star Wars?
Oh yeah, Andor was good too. I didn’t find it to be something I’d watch again, but I’ll watch the second season when it comes out.
Boba Fett was awful until the last few episodes when it became a mini Mandalorian that tells the story between seasons 2 & 3. I could see season 4 going downhill more because they’re trying to pull it into the main Star Wars story. Just give me some good space cowboy bounty hunter stuff.
BK26
Supposed to be what Season 4 is: back to basics. Hopefully it and Ahsoka tie everything together FINALLY. They can’t mess up Thrawn with Dave FIloni and Jon Favreau heading it.
Andor was a breath of fresh air that casual or new fans found boring. For us die hards, it was a new and fresh take. Pretty bad look when the guy who played Boba was begging for the character to be bad ass/to be what he has always been.
And Cad Bane better still be alive.
Palatypus
I live here in Pensacola, Florida in the 1st congressional district. My Governor is Ron DeSantis. My representative is Matt Gaetz. My Senators are Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. They make EVERYTHING political. What you had for breakfast is subject to debate.
Disney owns Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar. and National Geographic…so, basically my childhood.
Ron DeSantis is at war with my childhood.
Gomhawk
The Simpsons too
KD
What is the monthly rent for an apartment then?
Rejected
They are in political positions, politics is their wheel house. You think Washington state reps in those roles aren’t twice as bad…
Welcome to Seahawks Draft Blog, providing daily analysis on the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL Draft.
The blog started in 2008 and is now into its 16th year. I'm available for any radio or podcast invites, just reach out using the 'contact' section.
We have a great community in the comments, we just ask you keep things on topic.
100% agreed. At least Disney has not come for seahawksdraftblog!
But Rob has been to Disney World.
Between firing mcshay and twitter locking browsers from their platform, it’s a bad day if you want to ravenously consume good quality draft content.
Indeed
It’s nice to get a little wider analysis of the industry and society from you.
.
Disney has gone woke. Their leadership and decision making has veered steeply from their original core values. Watered down content + losing talent like McShay = meh products.
Phew…. okay….. Wholeheartedly agree about McShay’s departure being a loss for ESPN. Todd will certainly land on his feet (CBS, FOX, NFLN?), so he’ll be fine. Still a bummer.
This site has been a godsend for those of us that love prospect watching and a debate over what needs the Seahawks have and how they can address those needs. A place to celebrate in the good times and to commiserate in the rough times. Rob, your tireless work to analyze tape and prospects is incredibly appreciated. Nobody does Seahawks coverage better.
However, PLEASE don’t make this site and the corresponding videos/podcasts a place to normalize political or general pop culture hot takes. There are literally an endless supply of YouTube, Reddit and Twitter channels/boards for flaming any given set of targets. I understand that these takes may be out of genuine frustration or even an effort to bring in more views, be it for SuperChat or Patreon donations or just to call more attention to the brand but IMO, it diminishes the hard work you put in.
It’s your site, of course, so you’ll naturally do whatever you see fit. Just please know that you’re the best at what you do and we are all richer as Seahawk fans for your contributions in that field. Calling out Top Billin’ and his ilk for their “cash-grab, no facts” video dumps was humorous because it was a criticism associated tangentially with Seahawks football. There’s so much vitriol and overt negativity to be consumed elsewhere. I’d humbly ask you to please keep the site on target.
Thanks again for your efforts!
Ack. Reply fail but the message still endures!
I disagree. I could listen to Rob talk about anything. I’d humbly ask him to do whatever makes him happy.
huh — I didn’t hear anything political in Rob’s actual take here except maybe a critique of brand over substance, bland and canned and family friendly over weird and interesting and (in the McAfee example) adult-oriented. If anything political, a critique of corporate approaches to labor … wait, is Rob a secret Marxist lol. Happy Hawk projected woke onto the critique, which is overtly political and annoying.
Rob’s take wasn’t political but the strange path from ESPN cutting salary expenses to dogging Lucasfilm and Marvel (which he then says he doesn’t care for, anyways) was certainly a venture into pop culture deconstruction. It took only a few comments on this thread for someone to interject their political bias onto Rob’s take about ESPN. THAT is how the sociopolitical takes flourish and overtake the conversation.
My comment was more a plea that Rob’s great work on the Seahawks and the draft in general doesn’t get maligned with unnecessary chaff. If this board becomes Seaside Joe or Field Gulls where one-upsmanship and personal attacks are the prevailing attitude for commentary, instead of remaining a community of Seahawks fans above all… it’ll be a sad state of affairs.
Go Hawks!
Agreed. The last thing I want to hear or see on this site is about the supposed scourge of “wokeness.” A new meme, but already a tired one.
Please don’t peddle your cult here, dawg.
Fair enough, but all three are examples of corporate enshittification so they seem connected to me.
1. The connection between ESPN, Lucasfilm and Marvel is simply that they are all owned and run by the same company.
2. This place will never become Seaside Joe or Field Gulls. Don’t worry about that.
3. It’s July. Nothing is happening in the NFL or college football. I’m pissed off that ESPN canned McShay. It’s one video.
That’s exactly how I took your video and I’m sure how most here understood it. No need for meta-analysis. Just an example of corporate decision-makers not getting what makes some products useful/entertaining even though that’s their whole job! Unfortunately, another example of competence (McShay) being punished.
Rob, your video post wasn’t political at all, and I really appreciated it. The listener who would insert his own editorialized inferences has no leg to stand on when cautioning you not “to normalize political or general pop culture hot takes” with such commentary. And, in light of Disney’s recent axing of a premier NFL draft analyst, pointing out said company’s patterned decision-making across its various properties and platforms is far from a “strange path” to take. Looks right-down-the-stripes to me. And, as for the odd poster who might springboard from your vid with a comment on wokeness, such a post could easily be recycled for editing, if desired—no big.
As things currently stand, mainstream sports talk discourse heartily welcomes (and arguably prioritizes) sociopolitics and virtue-signaling (and even some geopolitics, too)—given that such precisely engineered and artificially dichotomized dialogues are sufficiently constrained so as to advance targeted narratives—and you’ve done a great job of being better than this. SDB is all about ball, however, forces larger than football have been influencing NFL product for some time, and one cannot possibly cover all things Seahawk in a genuine fashion without dealing with these forces in some way. Deft maneuvering is required in the ESG era, and your vid demonstrates this quite nicely.
This is hard for some to accept, but has been going this way for maybe 10 years. Trans activists in the Disney family and progressive politics have pushed people away. That gas been EDPNs business model and, even if you like it, it has hurt them.
This is exactly the kind of thing I don’t want to read on this site. Lets not veer into politics. It infects almost everything everywhere, and this site has been a safe haven. It’s what makes this place different…at least it has so far.
This, this and oh yeah, THIS!
No thank you Mr. drucker
You weren’t there when Hooverville fell to the space lasers.
Please leave your politics out of SDB comments. Can there not be one place where we can all unite based on our commonality and not venture into politics? We are all football and Seahawks fans here despite all of our varied political leanings. Let’s stick with debating and disagreeing on football.
My comment was a simply a fact that it is Disney and ESPN’s politics is a major contributor to why they have lost customers and stockholders. It has influenced their products so much. It isn’t my politics that ruined them.
The only woke way to use woke is ironically, if you are really woke, stay woke!
Legacy media all over is crumbling, while Pat McAfee and Joe Rogan are now household names. For the last couple years ESPN doesnt have one show that gets the views McAfee does on a daily basis. This community is full of people who have left more traditional places and gone to the new media. Plainly, they lost everyones trust. They could lie to you, give you everything with a preachy political twist, or get things wrong and people just ate it because you had to go to espn, cnn, the ny times ect and there wasn’t really a good alternative. In the new world of podcasts and youtube content creators have to be responsible to their audience. For example if Rob has a bad take or gets something wrong people get upset. He can make a video and own it, but people will only be ok with that once or twice before credibility is shot and they just move on to top billin or something. It seems like everyday more people are realizing media is just lying and manipulating them and finding smaller, better sources for their news. I complain a lot about the modern technology but it has allowed people with real talent to shine through and find an audience. On that note a huge thanks to Rob and all the time you put into the blog and this community.
I should have watched the video before commenting. If McAfee sells out to ESPN it kills everything that drew people to the show in the first place.
5y/$85m
McAfee is laughing all the way to the bank. It’s business but him getting his deal shorty before these recent batch of layoffs isn’t a great look for anyone (coincidence or not).
Pretty soon all we’re going to see on EVERY ESPN show is Greenberg, McAfee & Stephen A. Content on ESPN has been pretty awful for years anyways. I am curious as to where Van Gundy & McShay end up though.
Gross. This is a great site but I hope that it doesn’t turn into a place where angry white guys bitch about TV shows and movies having black folks and gay people in them. Corporations lay people off. It’s what they do. Please don’t turn this into some sort of place to spout chud nonsense.
Eh? No-one has mentioned anything of the sort. I agree with the general sentiment, but not sure what is has to do with Rob’s video.
Maybe he doesn’t know it cause he’s a Brit, but Disney bashing is totally a part of the far-right culture wars. You have people in the replies talking about Disney being “woke” and all that nonsense. Disney is a hot button cultural issue right now (most recently with people getting upset about a black little mermaiid). If he wants to talk about how it sucks that McShay was laid off, that’s cool. The anti-Disney stuff is very right-wing culture war-ish.
Some of us live in a world where you can offer fair criticism and not get lumped in with “bashers”.
We also live in a world where just because something/one may be getting treated unfairly, it doesn’t mean you have to be hands off or fawning.
Example: I might think it is stupid to not drink the beer you prefer because *things*, I’m not going to go and drink a beer I don’t like because of *things*, me criticizing beer producer’s labor practices doesn’t mean I also agree with *things*.
You do realise that when you start talking glibly about the ‘far right’ and ‘culture wars’ that you are doing the EXACT thing you appear to want to accuse everyone else of doing?
Nothing screams ‘culture wars’ like ‘you don’t like this film therefore you’re just going along with a far right agenda!’
Seanmatt said.
I think Ron Desantis is a Cowboys fan.
This site has consistently done a great job of keeping the focus on football; specifically, Seahawks football. I hope that you are not implying anything to the contrary about Rob or SDB.
About life in general, the statement is reasonably accurate. A quote from somewhere stated that “The Human, in his or her perversity, will misuse anything”. Or words to that effect.
Stop it. Skin color is irrelevant. ESPN and Disney are cratering for many reasons. Noticing it has nothing to do with melatonin.
Thank you Mr. drucker
Me: I am really disappointed Todd McShay is leaving ESPN and think Indiana Jones has been ruined
seanmatt: Starts ranting about racism and ‘white guys’
FFS
What? You don’t want to go see Indiana Jones and the Wheelchair of Time? I heard he uses his whip on a geriatric nurse because he doesn’t want to take his Depakote and Haldol. Then he goes down a stairway, tilted on one wheel and barely makes it out of the sliding security glass security doors, reaching back to grab his hat at the last moment.
People in the comments are whining about Disney’s “woke” agenda. You are complaining about Disney ruining Star Wars. This is all about Disney being inclusive in their casting. That’s the hate towards Disney. Have the courage of your convictions, mate.
Bad products produce bad results. Trying to project hate on others with out evidence is weak sauce, while giving reasoned view point knowing victimologists are going to wine requires courage.
“this is all about Disney being inclusive in their casting….”
Are you saying that Todd McShay was let go by Disney in order to add diversity to its draft coverage?I haven’t paid much attention because of other obligations, but were all those laid off white? They just hired McAfee?
Or are you one of those SW fans who endlessly defends the horrible sequel trilogy by lobbing ad hominem attacks at the critics?
With respect, you don’t get to lump everyone’s complaints for Disney Star Wards under your singularly defined one complaint
I know a lot of Star Wars fans. None of them complain about ‘diverse casting’ in the most recent films. They do, however, complain about them being utterly shite.
Jabba the Hut might make a good draft analyst. He knows a good slave when he sees one at the market.
Seanmat: disney and ESPN are not inclusive. Ask the ESPN talent who had a different POV and were fired. The woke talent larfely remained. Thet aint inclusive. They are cramming an agenda down people’s throats. Marvel characters don’t have to be trans to be inclusive. Everyone can enjoy them as they originally were meant to be. It isn’t inclusive to tell is Us Lia Taylor is a female athlete.
I rather enjoyed the latest Indy. Certainly better than 4, and not as good as the first three, but I liked all the Archimedes stuff and like what made the first one original: the arrogant bad guys doom themselves. Main problem with Disney is too many cooks in the kitchen, this could’ve been simplified and cut down and it would’ve been a far better movie. Probably should’ve just let Mangold do his thing from the start.
“…angry white guys bitch about TV shows and movies having black folks and gay people in them…” –seanmatt
Ah, the “far right” bigotry fallback: a Straw-Man-Plus-Ad-Hominem Combo Fail—tacked on to a whopper of a generalization, no less, and supplemented with a goodly amount of obligatory racism. That’s a really bad look for anyone, mate. Fallacy dependency is embarrassing and unbecoming of an adult.
The discipline of logic and rhetoric, though drastically downplayed in modern education (which I could expound upon at length in a different venue), nonetheless remains timelessly beautiful, and is worth pursuing individually. I recommend the autodidactic course of action here. It will serve you—and society—well. Plus, close listening/reading is just good practice. Always address the argument, not the arguer, and never mischaracterize another’s words, as this stymies communication and promotes self-deceit. Further, be very careful with generalizations; they can be employed if handled just right, but those who haven’t yet made it through Logic 101 had best just stay away.
The mind is precious, and yours is yours to command.
Yikes, this post is bringing out all the politically correct nutters… THIS is the nonsense.
Maybe take your own advice and refrain from making sweeping statements about people of any race whatsoever. It just breeds contempt all the way around. ESPN would do well to keep 100% of there focus on sports, their product would be a lot better.
Comment not meant for Rob
Agreed but they left sports years ago.
FWIW, I don’t think Disney can ruin anything but ESPN right now during this writer’s strike.
I’m pretty sure ChatGPT could produce a better script than The Rise of Skywalker.
It is noteworthy that many of Disney’s large entertainment division acquisitions seem be struggling right now ( ESPN, Pixar, Marvel & Star Wars). ESPN has to cut costs due to two primary reasons, cost of Broadcast Rights Fees and loss of subscribers as people move away from cable TV. ESPN doesn’t exist without live sports, mainly American Football. College and NFL Broadcast Rights Fees are going through the roof right now.
They are replacing 20 on-air talent personnel salaries with Pat McAfee due to PM having built up a large fan base for his brand of sports entertainment. There are a few names on the layoff list like McShay and Kolber that I would much rather listen to than PM. If PM can drive viewers to ESPN while the other 20 don’t, then this makes sense. There are also a few names on that list that I would mind never hearing from again.
I am sure right now some ESPN Directors are trying to come up with show ideas to have Greenberg, Steven A Smith and Pat McAfee yell at each other for 3 hours a day:)
P.S. after looking at some of the comments , I do hope that we can keep political debates off the SDB forum. I do get that Disney is a hot button topic at this time, but this site should be welcoming for all Seahawks fans. Rob did not go political in his post pointing out Disney’s and ESPN financial problems.
Go Seahawks!
Reply Fail!
Before I forget, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.
Pensacola Beach is always packed this time of year, but Bayview Dog Beach is vacant. I had a great day with my dog Daisey there yesterday and today we hit the Edward Ball nature trails at the University of West Florida. Then something funny happened.
While stopping at one of the benches to give Daisey some water in the 94 degree heat, I heard some thing weird. I thought, “That doesn’t sound like a frog?” Well, it wasn’t. When I got home to do some investigating I figured out what it was.
Here is the terrifying truth.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_N8VIzF2Kcs
Maybe Dog Beach is vacant for a reason.
Yeah, everybody is at Pensacola Beach out on Santa Rosa Island. Ask Devin Witherspoon.
Really stretching it calling it a 4th weekend when it falls on Tuesday-
Here in Pensacola, it’s always a week long thing because the weekend after the 4th of July is when the Blue Angels officially start their summer season, with an airshow for their homeport. On the 4th they always have an airshow in Washington D.C., then they come home, then they travel the country, eventually doing rehearsal for Sea Fair during Seahawks practices over Lake Washington.
There will be about a million people on the beach for it extending from Fort Walton to Perdido Key.
As an avid IJ fan I was severly dissapointed with Dial of Destiny.
Not to change the subject. But I thought I would pass this article from Louis Riddick. Riddick is predicting the Seahawks to win the NFC West. https://www.fieldgulls.com/2023/7/1/23780806/espn-louis-riddick-he-backs-seattle-seahawks-win-nfc-west-san-francisco-49ers
I think the NFC West could go down to the wire. Not only have John Schneider brought in a lot of talented players over the last two seasons. They are good guys who LOVE FOOTBALL.
For Seattle to win the division, hell for them to make the playoffs, the D simply has to be better. They have got to get to a middle of the pack performance level. Geno will have to limit turnovers as well. I think there’s a pretty good chance of that because I believe the run game is going to be kick ass and he’ll throw less than last year.
We definitely need to see a drastic improvement on the defense for the Seahawks to pass the niners and win the west. If all of their QBs hadn’t gotten injured, the niners may have made it to the Superbowl a fre months ago.
I do not expect much from the Seahawks defense in 2023 but let’s see them prove me wrong.
I’ve never been a huge ESPN guy, well, except for the old guy version of NFL Primetime that was just Boomer and TJ.
I generally recognized that it was contaminated with a huge northeast bias.
Disney hasn’t known what to do with it for years, flooding the channel with a glut of faces scrambling for face time, overproduced everything, and talk-radio style shows that focus on stimulating the Id.
Live sports programming (and specifically the NFL) are the last guaranteed programming to draw big ad buys, as such, sports that were traditionally relegated to ESPN2 or whatever are now getting featured on networks. Making ESPN less relevant.
The interesting line between ESPN – Disney – SW – Marvel is that each of them is trying to adapt for a number of factors – but the Corp is trying the same fix on each one.
The only programming that ESPN or any sports channel has that will reliably generate viewership is live football (NFL or College) and to a lesser extent the NBA. It is impossible to fill 24 hours in a day with these relevant live sports, so we get all of the redundant sports talk shows.
The other problem is that these national sports talk shows try to appeal to a national market and focus on the more popular teams or players. Many fans would rather listen to shows about their local or favorite teams rather than the national stories.
Their internet model is also very strange.
Pretty much anything of substance was paywalled behind the ESPN+ grouping. Also a lot of junk too (“most underrated player on each team” lists – that’s worth paying a subscription for?). They also frequently do not share talk segment clips with insiders like Schefter and Fowler on their Twitter accounts, like NFLN does with Rapaport or others.
Which has led to a rise of a whole sub-group of fan Twitter accounts that watch ESPN and then post “Adam Schefter just said…Fowler listed three teams that might be interested in….” and generate massive views and followers. And blogs that openly discuss the paywalled information so much so that you don’t really need a login to see where your favorite team’s point came up.
I don’t see how the paywall makes ESPN much money in subscription fees, but I am not an accountant.
One thing that seemed like a huge waste of money for ESPN was what they did for Monday Night Football. They payed big money for Troy and Buck in the booth then have the Manning’s doing their shtick on another channel at the same time.
For my eternal sins, I watched the new Indy movie and oof, it is as bad as everyone is saying. I know there are a few Critical Drinker fans here, and his review sums up the stupidity nicely. The plot is stupid, Helena is an absolutely insufferable character, the dialogue is cringe, and it’s 2.5 hours of crapping on a legendary character.
There is a high correlation between Kathleen and ‘wish fulfill-y’/self-inserted characters.
I want to throw this out there.
Back in the 80’s when I collected a lot of Marvel comics, they came out with an Indiana Jones comic book series. So, Marvel owned the rights to Indiana Jones even before Disney acquired both.
So, why haven’t they made a Captain America/Indiana Jones crossover film set during World War II? That is a film I would go see.
Imagine Steve Rogers’s face when he walks in on Peggy Carter making out with Doctor Jones.
I love The Drinker.
Go away now…
The drinker 👏🏻
Some of these comments smh…. Jesus Christ.
I can criticize Disney without even talking about ‘woke-ness’.
The new Star Wars trilogy was garbage. Rather than take inspiration from countless books written about SW, they decided to go with their own story due to lack of ‘source material’. They didn’t have a cohesive vision for what they wanted the trilogy to be, got too many cooks in the kitchen and botched it. The lack of vision made the cast feel really dull together, why should I care about this group of people who got together at the end of the second film for the first time? With the OG the cast assembles and interacts within the final parts of the first film. Great chemistry between the cast, I think part of the reason Empire is such a good film is that it ads adversity to the story in a clever way. Many things that make the mc succeed in the first film become hindrances. The new films have a pseudo-villain that never poses a significant threat, he loses every time he has to encounter the mc, the first ‘boss’ is a fake out and bringing back the emperor was trying to buy back good will.
I could easily write up 3000+ words on everything that’s wrong with that series but I won’t.
They also should have left IJ at 3 movies.
Marvel kind of peaked plot wise + fan fare at infinity war (though Civil War had a better plot). I watch too many films in general.
My big criticism for the Pat Macafe to ESPN move, is that even though they’d boast deservedly so about building out their show on YouTube, they never really felt connected in anyway to other sports YouTube channels. Certainly there is never any obligation to shout out a competitor but it would have been nice to see them elevate or integrate other YouTubers who could ride that wave with them.
The new star wars can be easily summed up with this: 3 different directors / writers. JJ rebooted it went to Rian, who then did something different at least, then the final director just butchered that angle and we got the same villain from 30 years ago. I remember the prequel trilogy being pretty garbage too, but after time it’s just ok. I expect we’ll get the same thing from the sequels at some point in the future, ok movies but lacking.
With ESPN the biggest problem to me is focusing on guys like Mcaffee. Its similar to how guys like SAS and Skip get all this money and attention and all i want to to is reach through the TV and punch them in the face. ESPN is adopting the model of the NFL essentially, pay big for HUGE stars and then hope to hit big on a unknown guy who doesn’t make anything.
The prequel trilogy plotting I thought was pretty great, unfortunately the dialogue and acting not so much. That makes it very hard to watch, but the story holds up.
The new ones are just an absolute mess. They look great, ok acting, but good lord are the plots and the themes a complete mess. No direction at all. What even was the whole point of the new Star Wars? It was completely empty.
I think some of you easily offended people need to get a life, Rob works hard to make this the best blog year round, he’s not being political or racist to point out the obvious. If he wants to rant when there’s nothing to write about stop being an idiot and finding something that’s not even there, go somewhere else that’s politically correct so we don’t have to worry about being offensive and your gender diversity bullshit! I don’t get mad about anything ever but asking him to cater to you is exactly what’s wrong with everything in the first place, and it only exemplifies exactly what he’s talking about. I don’t watch T.V. or movies anymore because hollywood and everyone else started pumping out this all inclusive, everyone gets a participation trophy crap.
What a toxic response. It sounds like you do get mad at plenty, most of which seems to be stuff that really has no bearing on your life. Relax and let people live. Freedom and all that…
This feels like exactly the type of divisive response that has no place on this blog. Rob has every right to say what he wants on his own site, and there was nothing offensive in what he said in his video and agree I with most of what he said.
Unfortunately through no fault of his own, some people seem to take these kinds of posts as an invite to spew their own opinions that do cross lines and serve no purpose and doesn’t lead to any meaningful discussion.
You’re right, Rob didn’t say anything political or about race, but you sure did and I’d rather not read about it on this site.
well said felix, honestly i enjoy this site because Rob moderates the site very well and usually keeps this stuff off the comment boards and the community is better for it. I’m tired of reading “woke” and “gender diversity” etc, it’s exhausting. The SDB community prior to the responses in this post have been really good at sticking to sports and not getting political, i appreciate that. The world is falling apart and i just want somewhere to talk sports without all the extra nonsense that’s come around lately. Good Post felix.
G?REAT post Felix!
Yes!
Jesus.
I implore you to make and post a new video Rob.
I don’t even think this is a rant
It’s just an expression of disappointment
An expression of disappointment shared by many. I pay to go to the theater several times a month and for the last few years most of what is being put out is crap and in my opinion producers have stopped trying to tell good engaging stories and are more concerned with promoting social messages. It’s there right to do it but people are going to stop paying good money for messaging when they are paying for entertainment.
Rob, you do such a great job being nuanced and thought out. And for many readers we’re so accustomed to media outside of SDB not doing that. Feeding us language and buzz words that an algorithm knows we we’ll consume. It’s hard reading these comments and and having my own bias. It’s hard to give people grace. That’s the culture war we deal with nowadays. Not that you need to be informed
Ahhh little White trash in the morning reminds me of the streets on New York during the garbage strike
but that stench is not coming from Rob and I can say that cause I was a Jalen Carter fan.
Hey Disney did do one thing right “Rogue One” and the series that fallowed (Andor)
But I blow it off as a kiddie pool I know has more pee in it then water
and thats kool …the kids seem to be having a good time and that gives more more time to enjoy my organic wine. Yeah I said it and its Fu#k1nG good.
bottom line
we dont have to like a whole company that mainly misses on creating memorable content …(when that is your business)we can critisize them even though they are inclusive ..we give credit for that… we dont have to talk shiiit about the British to make a point.
The French then?
I read that post several times, and I still don’t know what point this was trying to make
that there is no point everyone just has opinions and there own taste and things are not black and white blah blah blah
White trash? So I guess racist epithets are perfectly fine now?
So much hypocrisy.
I know Rob doesn’t want this divisive garbage on his football blog.
This is not the venue. Take your cognitive dissonance to Twitter.
This has to be the strangest comment section I’ve ever seen here, so I’ll take this time to thank Rob for everything he does and to also express my disappointment in the new Star Wars trilogy. Despite that, I won’t stop watching any new pile of shit they throw at me. Hope Ahsoka is good, I really enjoyed Rebels.
Bad Batch and Visions are amazing as well.
I fully second this. And with Visions, how bad is it that a small (sometimes up and coming studio) can make me care about their characters and story in a few minutes, yet a company more powerful than some countries can’t?
In the words of Princess Leia’s CGI for in Rogue One: “Hope.”
Disney did really mess up the last Star Wars Trilogy. On a positive note,
I really enjoyed Andor and can’t wait for season 2.
Finally, an Andor fan arises. A broken clock right? I really enjoyed Andor. For once, Disney did something right. A big part of why I enjoyed Andor is because I can believe that it is actual canon. THESE are the events that lead to the forming of the rebellion! I don’t believe a second of the stupid Obi Wan Kenobi show. That is not canon. The Obi Wan Kenobi show was crappy fan fiction.
Andor draws from history quite a bt. The writers know how bureaucracies work, be it government or corporate. The writers know that the leaders of such rebellions try to push populations into it as did Lenin and Mao. They also need money and influence, and Andor gives back ground to all of that. Well done!
Andor does a good job showing a society with no rights for individuals. Like the part where Andor goes on trial for some BS and is given no opportunity to even present a defense. He was guilty as sin when they literally arrested him for nothing.
The storyline I am most interested in going forward actually involves the future rebel leader Mon Mothma. She betrothed her underage daughter to a mobsters son to help the cause. Once the emperor finds put what she is doing, her family by blood or marriage won’t be very safe.
What the hell is going on in here?
The banter the last couple of days here is exactly what I was fearful of in my posts earlier in the thread. Some folks can’t control the impulse to infuse their political or societal biases whenever they can. When Rob asked his viewers to leave their personal opinions about Star Wars/Marvel or Disney in the comments of his latest video, this level of discourse was sure to follow. I’m fairly certain it was innocent and unintentional but some people read this as a battle cry and it wasn’t the best reading of the room. The internet is a hive of scum and villainy (to keep this thread on its topic) and you’re bound to get a circus when you invite clowns (of any association).
Mini-camp can’t come soon enough. I’d rather we leave our emotions related directly to the team, its play and the coaching/roster decisions involved.
Apparently the internet isn’t capable of handling criticism of a decision to get rid of Todd McShay and the handling of Indiana Jones and Star Wars
🤷🏽♂️
Anyhow… any interesting pre-camp roster predictions?
It’s not the entire internet, it’s just a few people who can’t stop themselves from virtue signaling.
Could really use a little Gross MaToast right about now…
A dose of Blitzy would be good too.
When some Americans hear the word ‘disney’ it reminds me of ‘The Last of Us’ mushroom zombies being awakened out of their hibernation and rushing towards their victims.
It’s that way with A LOT of stuff with Americans. Depending on the group and details. Part of the definition of an American “WARNING: Can be easily triggered. Opinions en route.”
Can confirm.
Source: Am American
As a big fan of the video game, “The Last of Us” was VERY loyal to the game if not restrained. And yes, I think Cordyceps fungus was a unique and inventive way to create a “zombie” apocalypse. As someone who played through the game several times, i can tell you that the show was very true to the story of the game, one which I consider to be a masterpiece of storytelling.
I enjoyed watching the below video and think the Seahawks may have scored big time with their first 2-nd round pick. He seems to be a really “dedicated to becoming great” type of player that has overcome a lot of adversity in his young life. I think the Seahawks may have hit a home run with this pick. The preseason should be a lot of fun to watch this year, can’t wait.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc59KCvLcZ0
Very enjoyable. Thanks for the link. Hope this kid is a difference maker.
That was great. Thanks Jim. Seems like a great young man with some great people around him!
Rob, great recommendation for Extraction movies, they were both excellent. In a similar vane, Denzel’s Equilizer film is very good.
This is the world we live in today. The oligarchs have gobbled up everything that use to be diverse, and are turning everything into a mayonnaise sandwich. No pastrami, or corned beef. No pickles, olives or mustard. No rye or sour dough bread. Just mayonnaise on white bread.
Hey, Disney and hollywood in general have been having a bad year, but it’s a great year for video games. Dead Space, RE4, Final Fantasy 16 are killing it. Elden Ring is still massively popular, T
(damn relpy fail) The Legend of Zelda proves that Nintendo still has their swag. Loads of fantastic entertainment for all ages and dispositions out there. Star Dew Valley is still wildly popular. Tons and tons of great stuff out there and still coming.
I’m going to dig into RE4 remake. But I found the RE2 remake a lot more stressful than the original
Me too in a lot of ways, but RE4 was a absolute blast. Weapon tips: Riot shotgun > Striker. Killer7 > Broken Butterfly. TMP is terrible. Don’t use it. Bolt Caster is the worst weapon in the game.
Well Rob, its just as stressful, but very long. I enjoyed it, but it was graphically impressive if nothing else. I thought Dead Space was much superior to the RE4 remake.
Cruise led the way last year and I have a feeling he’ll do the same with the next Mission: Impossible flick this year. Not a big fan of the guy but damn he makes entertaining action movies.
Hey Rob,
What going on with England down 2-0. Us Aussies are too good and too ruthless. Seahawks and Carroll and take a leaf from Australia book
FYI I will be on VSIN today at 3:15pm today talking about the Seahawks
Will post the video on here if it makes YouTube
“Rob, I want you to do a deep dive on this…”
Brandon Perna brings up some good points here, if you haven’t seen it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmpYHazQZu4
I think it is interesting what he is saying about Mina Kimes being a rising star. Is that what made Suzy Kolber expendable? Seems like a bit of a lateral move, but Kimes is much younger.
I think Mina is more of a pundit than an anchor/host though
I think she’s great where she is on NFL Live with Laura, Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears.
They work well together. They like each other. They can disagree without it turning into Sports Shouting with Tracy Jordan. And they keep it on football and off pop culture for the most part.
A similar show in a bigger/more prominent slot would be the ticket.
They run circles around the NFLN Good morning program with Peter Schrager and Kyle Brandt. Those guys pull one insightful comment every month or so. The rest of the time they’re talking about pop culture or having a musician or a movie star on to talk about their favorite team growing up. Why should I care who some Dad-Rock musician rooted for in the 1970’s?
Save that junk for a twitter clip I can ignore more easily.
The only worthwhile thing about their show is when they throw it to Rapaport or Garafolo for an insider update. The rest is garbage.
GMF is unwatchable for me
Here is the quality programming currently on ESPN.
ESPN1: The Nathan’s Coney Island hot dog eating championship.
ESPN2: The AKC Kennel Club dog diving championship.
Best spot for Todd would def be nfl network, it would be an absolute shame if he wasn’t hired somewhere else but I’m sure he will be, as you said his analysis and insights are of too high a value not to be shown. Worst case maybe he starts his own show or podcast on YouTube or similar.
A smart broadcaster should be pushing for a Mayock/McShay double act
Dreaming here, but they should team up and start their own media group.
I’d love them to join the NBCSports/PFT Mike Florio group.
I think they actually did pretty well with Marvel. A lot better than Warner with DC. And to be fair Lucas Arts had already made some questionable movies, such as Indiana 4. How many good action movies have there been the last ten years outside of Marvel and Tom Cruise? Lol
Seems like the espn strategy is to cut anyone famous enough to command a high salary except for a few big names they think draw ratings, like Stephen A and SVP. I get why they see these ppl as replaceable with lower salaries, but the draft is such a big deal now they might be undervaluing Todd.
The latest phase of Marvel though has not been well received at all and the future appears bleak at the moment
Oh I thought you this comment didn’t post so I retyped one.
They did fire their ceo for a reason. I liked the last Guardians tho. Looking forward to the Rock in the Moana live action film lol. I’ll gladly fork over money for that. Netflix solved their inability to create good content by outsourcing it to South Korea.
They need to quit with the remakes. For one: they have all been really bad. Second, it shows that they have no ideas for anything new. They are literally remaking a movie that is only 7 years old.
Marvel has had Guardians 3. Now the old guard is all done with and the new content looks like they let their teenage kids write the scripts.
Nothing has worked since they have taken all of this extra stuff on: Marvel was the golden goose and they are lost with it now. Star Wars had thousands of years of stories written and…we got the sequel trilogies and Boba Fett.
Espn under the Mouse? Yeah…that makes sense.
Well they need to remake Moana before the voice actors are too old. A bit of a special case. And when you have The Rock, you gotta capitalize.
Why do they need to remake it? What was wrong with the original, which is not even an old movie?
It’s lazy and shows that they have no other creative ideas. The remade movies have been worse.
Because money. Same reason the Michael Bay Transformers movies kept getting made, same reason M. Night Shyamalan will continue to get to make movies despite the majority of them being laughable at best.
If people didn’t go see the warmed over crap, they’d stop making it. But if mediocre live action remakes are going to pull in a billion dollars worldwide, then the studio will continue doing so. Because that’s what the studio is for is to produce things that put butts in seats.
Personally, I love most of the Marvel stuff while also thinking they should have stopped at Endgame (although I like a lot of the TV shows more than most people). Not everything has to be a billion dollar blockbuster, but that’s where we are. Most of the smaller, personal stories that you’d get as those middle-cost, 20 million dollar movies went to TV where there’s more time to tell the story you want.
The studios want to maintain exponential growth, so they’re going to keep pumping out the stuff that brings in the money, regardless of quality.
Hey guys: Interior defensive linemen like Akiem Hicks, Ndamukong Suh, LInval Joseph, and Tyson Alualu are still available.
Anyone interested?
Depends on the cost and expectations.
To be fair, Lucas Arts wasn’t doing that great before Disney bought them. Indiana Jones 4 was pre-Disney. I’d say most the good action movies the last decade have been either Marvel or Tom Cruise. Warner hasn’t done so well with DC.
It seems like ESPN is taking out their middle class. Basically anyone famous enough to command big bucks but not the flag bearers like SVP and Stephen A. They prolly think they’re replaceable with cheaper ppl, which is maybe often true, but in regards to McShay, this takes a huge bite out of their draft coverage that I don’t think gets replaced.
I don’t have a ton of opinions on ESPN since I haven’t paid for cable or their streaming service in 15 years, but it is amazing how your video brought out the politics. People are so into performative politics/patriotism that even a simple thing like “I’m disappointed that Todd McShay got fired” turns into something vitriolic.
I do agree in general with Disney, although the Mandalorian and Rogue One are really fun additions to the Star Wars universe. The artwork in the latest Spiderman cartoon movie was great, but I haven’t seen any other superhero movies since That 70’s Show guy and William Defoe were Spiderman/Green Goblin.
Andor is pretty great so far, very much in keeping with Rogue One. They are certainly inconsistent though, I couldn’t make it through Boba Fett, which is a damn shame. How can you completely bomb one of the most iconic characters in Star Wars?
Oh yeah, Andor was good too. I didn’t find it to be something I’d watch again, but I’ll watch the second season when it comes out.
Boba Fett was awful until the last few episodes when it became a mini Mandalorian that tells the story between seasons 2 & 3. I could see season 4 going downhill more because they’re trying to pull it into the main Star Wars story. Just give me some good space cowboy bounty hunter stuff.
Supposed to be what Season 4 is: back to basics. Hopefully it and Ahsoka tie everything together FINALLY. They can’t mess up Thrawn with Dave FIloni and Jon Favreau heading it.
Andor was a breath of fresh air that casual or new fans found boring. For us die hards, it was a new and fresh take. Pretty bad look when the guy who played Boba was begging for the character to be bad ass/to be what he has always been.
And Cad Bane better still be alive.
I live here in Pensacola, Florida in the 1st congressional district. My Governor is Ron DeSantis. My representative is Matt Gaetz. My Senators are Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. They make EVERYTHING political. What you had for breakfast is subject to debate.
Disney owns Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar. and National Geographic…so, basically my childhood.
Ron DeSantis is at war with my childhood.
The Simpsons too
What is the monthly rent for an apartment then?
They are in political positions, politics is their wheel house. You think Washington state reps in those roles aren’t twice as bad…