ESPN-A new low?

Have you actually seen the top cup stackers? It is un-be-lievable! You can't even see the cups as they fly. Still, though, yeah ... a sport? A competition?

Hey buddy, watch it. It's not as easy as it looks. I'm out there bustin' my tail stackin' cups 2-3 hours a day just so I can hang with the elites in this. I was the regional champ at our local McDonald's when in HS. My time still hasn't been beaten. When I win a gold in London in 2012, we'll see who's laughing then.

What's stunning to me isnot just that this is being aired on ESPN-A, but that there are TV ads geared towards cup stacking. They're advertising speed cups and Comcast just had an ad featuring cup stacking. Sheesh. Who knew this was such the rage.

Quit acting like ESPN is some public-funded entity that should choose what it airs by what we decide to be legitimate and fair. They don't owe us anything. They choose what to air based on how much money they can make. Its simple. If they don't want to pay that much attention to track and field, I'm sure they have a good reason. Someone out there finds that interesting, and ESPN is capitalizing off of it.

You're partially right. No one is watching and they know it. Advertising is cheap and they can make a little money during of hours. There will never be a Friday Night Cup Stacking Championships.

But, alas, it is all about money. It's the reason NACSAR is popular- it is cheap to cover. The announcers don't have to be competent to satisfy the viewers.

It takes a very large audience to justify the cost of a marathon, not a lot for a poker game.

I feel like I've traveled back in time 20 years. Remember when the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network used to air badmitten, bowling, and australian rules football and they had no contracts to air any of the major sports? All we need now is Chris Behrman and Charlie Steiner to host SportsCenter... remember the old, old studio? Remember when Steiner was laughing hysterically at Carl Lewis singing the national anthem? "Francis Scott Off-key"? Ah, the good ol' days.

I think they are onto something-I've been in bars when ESPN was televising the hotdog eating contest and the rock-scissors-paper contest and people were glued to the screen.

Most people are addicted to the flickering blue tit. Given the choice of turning it off, or watching crap, crap always wins.

I enjoy watching a competition (even cup stacking) 100 X more than I would watching whois more NOW. What the hell kind of sport is that? who is more now - I couldn't believe ESPN was wasting time on that when there are real sports being contested.

i'm speechless:

http://www.worldsportstackingassociation.org/

Cup Stacking is ridiculus. I worked at a summer camp where kids were talking about sports they played. Several of them stated they have traveled around in stacking competitions. Just away for parents to inflate a kids EGO!

I back the lumberjack games more than strong man.

Believe it or not several years ago during the week following most major conference track meets, I saw two hours of Magic The Gathering tournaments.

Have none of you heard of cup stacking?

I'm pretty shocked that it's on ESPN but it's actually a pretty popular 'sport' for kids these days. It's out of this world how fast the good people are. Talk about quick hands.

chrisrun83 wrote:

So I thought I'd seen it all when it came to ESPN filling their daytime hours with worthless programming, somehow classified as "sports." Lumberjack games were bad enough. But right now on ESPN is the world cup-stacking championships. I kid you not, they have some organization and championship for kids stacking freaking plastic solo cups.

Are you kidding... ESPN 8 - the Ocho... I just can't get enough if it! ~ Lance Armstrong

That video is nuts. WOW

Giddy wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q395-F6hAcg&mode=related&search=

I think that this answers all the doubters out there. This cup stacking is the real deal. A ton more interesting than T&F.