Fuck off, Dan Shaughnessy! Take a hike, Roger Lodge! Jim Rome’s new CBS Sports chat show debuts next Tuesday and the former ESPN fixture tells USA Today’s Michael Hiestand, “the challenge now is that it’s such a battle to be seen and heard these days.” Well, yeah, especially when current and/or former sportwriters screaming at each other is considered a superior ratings draw.
“Guys are less and less inclined to say things. They’re more careful. The stakes are much higher,” he said. “The second something’s said, it’s viral. People want to protect their brand.”
That can be boring to watch. (ED. NOTE – NO FUCKING SHIT) So rather than having regular interviews like on his old ESPN2 show, Rome’s Los Angeles area-based ROME will sometimes bring on bloggers — “No need to throw out an interview just to suck up five minutes each day” — who’ll presumably have more to gain by trying to grab attention. (Funny if one somehow taunted Rome into, a la Jim Everett, flipping over a table.)