As
FenwayNation readers well know, we are not big fans of the
News England Sports Network (NESN). In our view, NESN is one of the worst regional sports networks in America. As an example, NESN still does not offer viewers
SuperSloMo replays—which even the most jerk-water markets consider a
necessary staple of their broadcasts. Honestly, NESN has become a boring, smug, team-owned dinosaur. Not surprisingly,
ratings for the network's Red Sox telecasts are down 20%. There have been
lots of excuses given for this drop—games that run too long, demanding personal schedules, increased popularity of
NETFLIX and
Amazon Prime among them.
But, the Red Sox are in first place—and actual
attendance at Fenway Park is pretty much on track. So, maybe it's just a crappy product. None of this is to lay blame on the broadcast team—
Dave O'Brien,
Jerry Remy,
Dennis Eckersley and
Guerin Austin are all quality talents. They're just working under a management with a clunky, 1970s mindset.
John Henry needs to siphon off some foreign soccer money and upgrade NESN to a 21st-century regional sports network.
