SC6: What Went Wrong

Not too long ago, SC6, the 6 P.M. hour of SportsCenter for ESPN had its last broadcast. When it debuted last year, it was looking to cater to a younger generation of people and a different set as well. It was hosted by Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, two that have worked on other things for the network. However, it never clicked and endured controversy. Last month, Hill finished and left SportsCenter. Smith has since followed suit. So, what went wrong?

When you have a sports network, you are looking for highlights of games, scores of certain teams, the whole package. In an era now where it seems every big name athlete is speaking politically, ESPN tried to cash in on it. It went beyond sports. However, that did not convince viewers. I don't get why they had to retool. Just regular SportsCenter was fine. I didn't have any issue watching Lindsay Czarniak and whoever else they had if I had it on the channel on that hour before it became SC6.

Of course, we always hear people criticize presidents. With Donald Trump as the new president, that didn't sit well with Hill. She created controversy with racist comments about him and criticism towards Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones over the National Anthem protests. She would be suspended for a few weeks. That's good enough to convince audiences to give up on SC6. Hill has been known to create certain racial controversies and the network had enough of her.

I don't know what else you can really say. ESPN did not like how it was going. Smith has been vocal about them getting rid of certain parts of SC6. While he is within his rights to not be pleased, he has to realize the issue. Controversy and change is not always a good thing. The point of a sports network is to watch what went on in different sports leagues during the day or night before. They are not watching to hear when whiny brat LeBron James has to say politically, or how some NFL player got offended so easily over something stupid. With viewers cutting the cord on cable, it came at the wrong time and the hosts ruined it themselves.

ESPN has a long way to go to get back to being the way that they used to be.