The morning Sportscenter (and Sportscentre, I lived in Canada for a while) should absolutely scrap all WWE highlights and updates. It’s not a damn sport. Sports do not have scripted winners and losers. WWE is closer to Cirque du Soleil than the NBA. This would be like CNN reporting on the latest murder in Days of Out Lives.
I am NOT saying wrestlers are not athletic, that’s there is no risk of injury involved, or that professional wrestling is not a perfectly viable form of entertainment. It is all these things. But it is NOT a sport.
Comments
Login here to leave a comment
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
I genuinely don’t think this is unpopular. As a professional wrestling fan. I’ve heard nothing but hate whenever it shows up on ESPN. Same with E-Sports.
>Sports do not have scripted winners and losers.
Oh, but the NFL is okay? /s
It’s a talking point. I love pro wrestling but they don’t even give the air team to other sports so it doesn’t matter anyways.
Let it go, my guy
I’m a lifelong wrestling fan, but I’ve never seen ESPN or any other “legit” sports media cover wrestling (probably because I’m European). How do they cover it? Is it like boxing / MMA where they treat it like a real combat sport going over who won etc. or is it treated more like let’s say figure skating, where it’s viewed a performance by two or more athletes.
I agree it’s a separate thing that shouldn’t be covered alongside actual sports like hockey or basketball.
The E in ESPN stands is for entertainment. I’m not a fan personally but wrestling is sports adjacent entertainment. Also…most likely not an unpopular opinion.
I’m a wrestling fan and I cannot for the life of me figure out why ESPN carries it outside of Pat McAfee who’s an employee of both sides and is realistically closer to a shock jock than an actual sports news show anyway.
In an episode of the Simpsons, I think from the first seasons, Lisa says to Homer, referring to wrestling, something like “But Dad, everyone knows that those fights have more choreography than a ballet!”(warning, this is the translation into english of the dubbed version into spanish; I do not know If It fits more or less to the original english version; anyway, the analogy is accurate!… Actually, someone has mentioned here Cirque du Soleil!)
I get the point. But you have to admit the physicality to do alot of that is to be comended
“Are you not entertained?”
Entertainment and Sports Programing Network
Yet ESPN/Disney embraced the clown mega star that the former fed created in PM.
Hypocrisy
Most every sports fan I know stopped watching ESPN and Fox a long time ago.
Sports is entertainment. Now controversial enough a lot of people think sports is rigged/script. However that’s more of a theory then fact. Wrestling is a sport it’s scripted. So really it’s a sport play if you will.
What does the E stand for in ESPN, OP?
Wrestling is popular, deal with it
There are many things on ESPN that are laughably not sports. I’m not defending “wrastlin,” but it’s at least more entertaining than some other things they cover.
While I get your point, I’d rather see wrestling clips over the 75th segment of the day about LeBron.
If ESPN actually covered a multitude of sports then sure. But they really only covered the top 1% of the top 3 sports. I’m fine with adding diversity in to it, even if it’s not the way I’d do it.
By that logic NBA and NFL has no place on ESPN’s SportsCenter either
Womp womp womp, the E in ESPN stands for entertainment. WWE is entertainment.
Probably not but at the end of the day they are just going to go with what they think the people want to see. In the UK, some people say darts isn’t a sport but it brings in the second highest ratings on sky sports behind soccer. Therefore it doesn’t really matter.
The “CNN reporting on the latest murder onDays of our lives” is the funniest shit I’ve read all morning.
If I watch sports it’s only for entertainment. In that lens, WWE is scripted in the same way that gymnastics is scripted. Sure, it’s a prepared routine. That doesn’t mean it’s incapable of entertaining
I didn’t get wrestling for years, said all the same stuff in this post. Thought it was dumb, no stakes, etc. friend got me to watch some and it’s just WAY more fun than I thought I’d be. It’s just silly, goofy drama schlock
ESPN hasn’t really been about sports in YEARS
A lot of sports based broadcasters report on wrestling because they also show it on their channels. It’s as much of a self interest thing as anything else.
Isnt Pro football categorized as ” Sports Entertainment” too? irl
Just gives away the fact that other sports are rigged too
I kind of disagree that wrestling isn’t a sport.
If you remove the idea that a sport needs a winner and loser to be a sport then wrestling is right there.
Wrestling has everything others sports has other than winners or losers. Wrestling has teamwork and cooperation which are key elements to all sports. Its athletic which is another key element to sports. Wrestling and Traditional sports are also entertaining, we wouldn’t have football or basketball if it wasn’t fun to watch or play.
I agree. My ESPN feed on YouTube is now flooded with WWE and it’s horrible. I’d rather take baseball or hockey coverage than WWE. It has no place there.
The more unpopular opinion seems to me that you still watch ESPN for anything other than the actual live sporting event.
As a professional wrestling fan since the late 80s, I 100% agree with this. Its absolutely a way to try and drive ratings and page views. I even see stories on ESPN’s main page regularly. I don’t recall any exposure on ESPN pre 2010 and it has increased since. Its on a lot now because WrestleMania happened this past weekend. Despite the very open and many times vocal dislike of wrestling by non-fans, WWE is more popular and a bigger earnings juggernaut than ever before. Their main PPVs are selling out stadiums. Their merch sells incredibly well. ESPN needs all that since their influence in sports has waned.
Now, if I am playing devil’s advocate, many WWE performers are more athletic than a lot of professional athletes. Brock Lesnar is the obvious example having been a UFC fighter and being a true genetic freak even without PEDs. Bobby Lashley was also a fighter in Bellator. CM Punk, although not successful, was in UFC. A ton of the performers are former football players. What they do in the ring, while choreographed, is still incredibly gymnastic at times. Hell, there are even many professional athletes that try their hand at WWE and don’t end up making it.
Somebody’s cranky.
I hope they actually start talking more about WWE, just to piss you off even more, Karen.