Saturday flashback: ESPN first telecast of LeBron in high school

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Since you’re going to be seeing plenty of LeBron James (the networks hope) in the upcoming weeks, I thought it would be fun to dig up the first time he was exposed on the national stage.

The hype was so great for James that ESPN televised one of his high school games on Dec. 12, 2002.

This clip features the open and some early action from the game. ESPN brought in all its big guns: Dick Vitale, Bill Walton and Jay Bilas. Dan Shulman handled the play-by-play.

Vitale: “If he’s half as good as I’ve heard about him, he’s going to be one special athlete.”

Bilas: “He’s the best high school player I’ve ever seen.”

Turned out James lived up to the hype.

 

 

Unlikely pairing: Feherty interviews Clinton for Golf Channel show

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“One of my great dreams in life is to do an interview with Feherty. He’s one of the funniest men alive.” – Former President Bill Clinton

Apparently, the former president has lowered his dreams quite a bit since leaving office. I’m pretty sure Gary McCord wouldn’t rank hanging out with David Feherty among his top lifetime dreams.

Oh, we kid because we love, David.

Still, it has to be pretty heady stuff for a lad from Northern Ireland to be talking to a former U.S. president. Here’s a sneak preview and the release from the Golf Channel. I’m hoping to have more with Feherty on Monday.

*****

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 10, 2012) – Golf Channel’s hit primetime series, Feherty, has landed former U.S President Bill Clinton to lead a stellar lineup of top personalities across sports, entertainment and politics to round out its second season.  Series host David Feherty sits with the former president and avid golfer for a candid conversation, Monday at 10 p.m. ET.  The next wave of guests announced today by the network also includes business magnate Donald Trump; golfers John Daly, Graeme McDowell and Fuzzy Zoeller; and golf commentators Peter Alliss and Roger Maltbie.

Political establishment meets political incorrectness as former President Bill Clinton sits down for a frank and fresh discussion with Golf’s Channel’s irreverent Feherty.

“You obviously don’t have as many advisors as you had when you were in office.  My first question is, ‘What the hell would possess you to do this (interview)?’”  Feherty when greeting Clinton on the set

They cover a host of topics that range from the difficulty of keeping focus inside the beltway to the almost equally hard challenge of keeping your ball inside the fairway, as Clinton talks about the formative moments of his childhood, the pressures of the presidency and his lifelong love of golf.

Clinton about his role as president:  “I loved it.  I loved every day of it.  It’s a good thing we had a two term limit, I’d have made them vote me out or take me out in a pine box.”

Feherty:  “Well, there’s a lot of people wishing you were still there.”

Clinton (laughing):  “And some wishing they’d taken me out in that pine box.”

Highlights from the political end of the conversation include frames of reference Clinton used to make life and death decisions as commander-in-chief, the insatiable need for some people to elevate themselves by destroying the reputations of their rivals, and the impact that race relations and the civil rights movement had on him as a young man and how those led to his role in helping to bring peace to Feherty’s native Northern Ireland.

Golf highlights include the role that golf has played in Clinton’s health and in developing friendships with the likes of George H.W. Bush.  He revisits a surreal round of golf on the Irish links course of Ballybunion during which the president had to navigate a cemetery, found out that most of the caddies at the course had bet against him and tried to figure out why the local town had built a statue in his honor.

“So, I thought to myself, I’m going to desecrate an Irish cemetery and it will be my enduring image in Ireland.  Not my work for peace.”  Bill Clinton on teeing off on a windy day in front of 12,000 residents of Ballybunion

 

The Beat: Missed opportunity for NBA; Bayless loves Thunder; KCAL farewell to Lakers

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Making the rounds on the NBA, Skip Bayless, Lakers and KCAL, and Jason La Canfora.

The NBA nearly had a big weekend with three game 7s. Instead, it has only one with Lakers-Denver after Chicago and Atlanta blew opportunities to take their series home for the grand finale.

Losing Chicago, the No. 1 seed, was a big blow for the networks and the NBA. Even without Derrick Rose, the Bulls have more drawing power than Philadelphia. Also, I don’t see the 76ers giving Boston much of a series. The 76ers might be the worst team ever to win a playoff series. Yes, I’m bitter in Chicago.

Go Heat: Let’s see, which team will the networks and the NBA be rooting for in the Miami-Indiana series? I expect commissioner David Stern to show up in a Heat jersey.

More Skip: Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman has an interview with native son Skip Bayless. The First Take star insists he loves the Thunder even though his hometown thinks otherwise:

I want to make it very clear that contrary to unpopular opinion in the state  of Oklahoma,  I am a huge Thunder fan. I’m obviously a native Oklahoman born and bred, and  when I die, I’ll be Sooner dead. I still love the state as much as I love my  mother who lives in Oklahoma City.

I root for the Thunder, and yet from the distance I offer constructive  criticism. I don’t trust the Westbrook-Durant dynamic in crucial playoff games. Russell  Westbrook seems like a fine kid but he is a two guard masquerading as a  point guard. I don’t think he wants to do it, and I think in their heart of  hearts, they don’t want him to be their point guard, and it just happened and he  has to try to be. And yet in pivotal situations, I don’t trust his instincts  because his instincts are mainly to shoot it.

Good-bye: Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County-Star writes that after 35 years, the Lakers will be leaving KCAL. Next year, they begin their deal with the new Time-Warner sports outlet in LA.

Carlisle writes:

It’s still sad to see the Lakers leave broadcast TV altogether by dumping KCAL,  and leaving its original cable TV home, a network that came into being primarily  to show the Lakers.

Carlisle also writes how Fox Sports West is handling the break-up. Not well:

While KCAL has remained rather civil about its breakup, Fox’s relationship  with the Lakers has been on the rocks most of the season. Earlier this season,  Fox did what heretofore would have been unthinkable: It showed two Angels games  on FS West and farmed the Lakers out to Prime Ticket (the channel originally  known as Fox Sports West 2 and was later given the name of FSW’s  predecessor).

The Lakers had always taken precedence over any other team when Fox had  conflicts. But now, since the Angels have a contract with FS West and the Lakers  no longer do, Fox had few qualms about sending Kobe Bryant and his friends off  to another network.

Not only that, but have you noticed how the little watermark logo in the  upper-right corner of the screen that used to say “FS Lakers” has been replaced  with the more generic “FS West”?

It’s like an estranged father saying “I have no son! You are dead to me!”

Decision: CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus tells Michael Hiestand why the network decided to hire Jason La Canfora as its insider, dumping Charley Casserly in the process. Hiestand writes:

“Charley was terrific,” says CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. “But when I watched Jason, I was amazed at the information he developed. I was looking to be more aggressive seven days a week.” La Canfora also will work on the CBS Sports Network cable channel and cbssports.com. CBSSN, says McManus, “will relatively shortly be doing greatly expanded NFL programming” — with a Sunday pregame show “a possibility.” As for La Canfora’s role on CBS’ pregame show, “we haven’t decided yet. We’re not locked into anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mushnick defends controversial passage; NSJ columnist says it was wrong

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Phil Mushnick still hasn’t addressed the harsh reaction to his controversial column in a follow-up column in the New York Post. But he did defend himself in an interview with Eric Deggans of the National Sports Journalism Center.

In case you forgot, here is Mushnick’s passage that caused the uproar:

As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their  marketing shots — what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team  colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new “urban” home — why not have  him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?

Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s? The  cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—-hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with  hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the  way!

Mushnick has taken considerable flak for referring to the N-Word and stereotyping Jay-Z and his fans. Previously, his only response was in a couple of confrontational emails to his critics.

In Deggans’ column, Mushnick was more restrained, but no less apolgetic for using the controversial reference. He said:

I’ve been condemning it’s return, it’s mainstreaming…I was raised in a household that never heard the word. It was clearly a matter of pointed sarcasm. But the most difficult thing to defend in our business is condemnation as an anti-black racist.

Later, there is this passage:

Mushnick blames coverage on the Internet and in rival publications such as the New York Daily News for much of the criticism he’s received.

“People took this second hand,” he said. “How do I control what people get second hand and third hand and run with it? Nobody who reads me regularly thinks I’m a racist. This is more about the Internet than me.”

Deggans thinks Mushnick was wrong to use the reference, even in sarcasm. He writes:

Still, I think there’s a big difference between quoting someone else’s use of such a jarring racial epithet and a columnist using the word himself, especially in a sarcastic line stuck inside a column largely focused on other topics.

Much as the columnist says he hates the term and wants to constantly point out the Nets’ association with a man who he feels is mainstreaming the word, Mushnick does a bit of that himself by tossing off the word so casually.

Later Deggans concludes with an excellent point:

Defiant as Mushnick remains, I left our conversation hoping he might have learned that lesson at least.

Because, what good is it to deliver a lesson about the danger of mainstreaming one of the worst racial epithets in America, if your language angers everyone so much they never get the message?

Totally agree with Deegans. Mushnick had good intentions, but his message got lost.

 

 

 

 

 

Fox’s Shanks: Survival Sunday better in US than UK

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I know what my old pal Mike Mulligan will be doing Sunday. The morning drive co-host for WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago is a huge soccer fan. He will be parked on his couch, working his remote overtime in watching Survival Sunday.

For the first time ever, all 10 games from the Premier League’s final day will be shown live in the U.S. Even a non-soccer fan like me will check it out because of the sheer volume of games.

That’s the whole idea of this exercise; to lure non-fans fans like me.

Here is yesterday’s post with all the details.

Fox will air nine of the games on its various platforms. Here are the excerpts from the Survival Sunday and UEFA Champions League Final on FOX preview press call featuring FOX Sports Media Group Co-President and Co-COO Eric Shanks, FOX Soccer Executive Vice President & General Manager David Nathanson.  FOX Soccer Lead Studio Host Rob Stone and American National Soccer Hall of Famer & FOX Soccer Analyst Eric Wynalda previewed the matchups and coverage across FSMG’s outlets.

Nathanson on the strategy behind programming Survival Sunday: “We take more risk, not just with the Barclays Premier League, but with the UEFA Champions League and a number of our other soccer rights, and as we’ve seen the audience grow across FOX Soccer and the other FOX Sports Media Group platforms, it justifies taking on more risk and trying new things. We’ve done a lot this year with the delayed and live games in conjunction with the NFL on FOX. ‘Survival Sunday’ is an extension of that. Beyond that, it is the right thing to do for viewers. In the past, people who are a follower of a particular team, and not necessarily the most popular team, are waiting to see where they end up at the end of the season and particularly those that risk relegation. They are some of the most dramatic and interesting stories that are told the entire year. The ability to showcase that across our properties is really unique, and we all couldn’t be more excited to be a part of that.”

Shanks on how viewers will be updated from the games being played simultaneously on Survival Sunday: “As soon as a goal is scored, scores will drop down from the FOX Box and about every ten minutes we will run through all of the scores to keep you up to date on every channel.”

Nathanson added: “This is a first for us and a first for the Premier League in any territory. The goal is to show each game live, and everyone will have the same pregame show that will lead directly into each individual game which will not be carried on any delay. For the first time we’re going to be able to show highlights in-game. If you tune into Manchester United vs. Sunderland on FX, you’re going to be able to see every single goal that matters. That coverage will be complimented on www.foxsoccer.com/survivalsunday  where we will showcase how each team is progressing in near real time, as they vie for the Champions League, the Europa League, relegation or for the league title.”

Shanks on the magnitude behind the production of Survival Sunday across FSMG properties: “This is a new high point for European soccer here in the U.S. and the Premier League specifically. This is a better experience of Survival Sunday for fans than even what they’re getting in the UK. I still don’t believe that you can watch all of these matches, all at once, in the UK. We may have a flood of tourists coming into the U.S. just to have access to all of these games this weekend.”

Stone on whether or not Bayern Munich is a heavy favorite because they are playing at home: “Without a doubt Bayern Munich is the favorite. They would have been the favorite even if it was held at a neutral site. With the form that Bayern Munich is in, and the offensive capability that they have, and with the suspensions that are hitting a majority of the Chelsea starting players, it is beyond fair to say that Bayern Munich are the favorite.”

Wynalda on the Champions League matchup: “They are both very good teams, but there is one more game that weighs into this, and that is the German Cup, which Bayern Munich has against Borussia Dortmund. We really have to wait on our opinions of what the Final is going to look like until after that one is over. On paper right now, with the suspensions that both teams have, it’s going to be a very offensive game. Regardless, it’s going to be a great game and either way there are going to be a lot of goals in this one.”

Stone on the growth of soccer in US and the EPL’s role: “It’s tradition passed down through the generations. It’s like baseball here in the States. Your dad, your grandfather, your grandmother, your mother grew up a Cardinals fan, a Yankees fan or a Tampa Bay Rays and they pass it down. You get that in England. It’s starting to happen now in the States, you’re seeing more and more kids wanting jerseys. Not being handed the jersey by dad saying, ‘wear this Messi jersey.’ It’s a kid saying, ‘dad, go get me this Messi jersey.’  You’re starting to see the culture and the generations change in embracing the sport more and more in the States. What the Premiership does and the tradition and drama they provide, is all part of the force that drives the growth of soccer.”

Wynalda on the future of American soccer player Clint Dempsey: “I would love nothing more than to see Clint Dempsey play in the Champions League. With the season that he has had, not only does he deserve the opportunity to play in a greater platform, but he deserves a lot of money. He should break every record there had ever been for an American player as far as his market value because he is an amazing commodity right now and we’re lucky to also have him playing for the U.S. National Team. By far, hands down, this is the best season any American has ever had.”

Stone on Dempsey’s success: “Rarely have we seen an American field player play on a high-profile team. To see “Dempsey” on the back of an Arsenal jersey or a Liverpool jersey is big news in my eyes and big news in the States. Goals are sexy, goals are what sell and he’s scoring goals. That is where you base your judgment. It’s hard to say is has not been the greatest season an American player in Europe has ever had.”

Jordan looks forward to Ryder Cup; Rolfing show focuses on Chicago

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Michael Jordan doesn’t do much in the way of sit down interviews these days. Especially if the questions are about the Charlotte Bobcats.

However, there are two reasons why Mark Rolfing got a chat with him; he is good friends with the basketball legend and the subject was the Ryder Cup.

An interview with Jordan will be featured on the latest edition of Rolfing’s Global Golf Adventure, which airs Saturday on NBC at 1 p.m. ET. The show focuses on the Ryder Cup coming to Chicago in September.

The Ryder Cup is Jordan’s favorite sporting event. He never misses it. And with the Ryder Cup in Chicago, where he remains a sporting God, and at Medinah Country Club, where he is a member, you can bet he will receive plenty of love from NBC’s cameras.

Said Jordan during the interview with Rolfing:

“I think it’’s a great, great sports town for all sports, not just basketball.  For football, the Bears have been strong for years, you have the competition, the rivalry between the Cubs and the White Sox, and you know obviously the Bulls have made its impact, even the hockey team has been just as strong. The fans are so passionate there in Chicago and I think they’’re truly going to enjoy the Ryder Cup. If they have never been, they are going to see an unbelievable event. And for me, it’’s truly a highlight.

The show also features interviews with “Mr. Cub”, Ernie Banks, and Dustin Johnson.

The beat: Beadle leaving ESPN? Kornheiser keeping radio gig; La Canfora joins NFL Today

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Updated:

I knew something must be going on this afternoon because my keyboard suddenly started to heat up. Sure enough, I checked my Twitter and saw that Michelle Beadle appears to leaving ESPN.

SportsbyBrooks had the following Tweets:

SbB has learned Michelle Beadle will depart ESPN for NBC Sports with the plan for her to land eventually at Access Hollywood as co-host.

And:

Before Beadle transitions to NBCUniversal-distributed Access Hollywood, she’ll cover Olympics, appear on Today Show, among other duties.

But wait a minute. Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead just delivered this Tweet:

Text from Michelle Beadle: “not accurate.” my interpretation: she’s probably leaving Espn, for something at NBC, as SBB claims

It hardly would be a surprise if Beadle left SportsNation and ESPN. She reportedly has aspired to duties beyond sports.

She seems like a nice person, and I wish her the best. But I’m jumping off this speculation train about her future. Wake me when something happens.

Tony staying: Tony Kornheiser is keeping his radio job in Washington. The Washington Post reports that despite some hints he might wave bye-bye, Mr. Tony will continue at ESPN 980.

From the Post:

“I need to talk about the immediate and long-term status of this show,” he said during his second hour. “The long-term prospects for this show have brightened recently. This show should be on the air for another two years, at least, so I think that’s very good….

“I thought we should make that clear, because I was pessimistic for a while that the show would end and that we’d have to find another place to do the show. The show won’t end….The show will continue, so I should say that.”

Kornheiser, though, did tell his listeners he will take an extended summer vacation from the show.

NFL Today change: Big move for Jason La Canfora. He will replace Charley Casserly as CBS’ NFL insider on its “The NFL Today” pregame show. La Canfora also will begin writing for CBSSports.com in July. Prior to joining CBS, La Canfora had been at NFL Network.

 

 

 

 

Ultimate in stupid: CBC announcer brings up 9/11 in hockey open

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Ladies and gentleman, it’s only May, but we have a winner for the stupidest statement made by a sports announcer in 2012.

CBC’s Ron MacLean actually evoked the image of 9/11 during his open to Wednesday’s New York Rangers-Washington Capitals game.

Yahoo’s PuckDaddy has the complete text. It feels even worse when you read it:

From the capital of the U.S. of A., it’s New York and Washington. The economic and political engines of America, united in the birth of the country, they’re also linked in tragedy. They were the twin targets of the coordinated attacks on 9/11. It’s crazy to compare what the emergency responders did during that time, but a spirit has to start somewhere. And as you enjoy this series between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals — Game 6 comin’ up, 3-2 New York — you can’t help but be struck by the players and the way they’ve played these games.

They are like police officers. They are like firefighters. You can’t fight fire with ego. Brad [Richards] knows that. The pain these men have faced. The price they keep on paying. The hearts they keep on lifting. It’s been through and through, five games in. You see the commitment, they’re ready to go again this evening in Game 6 at Verizon Center in Washington.

We all know about the firefighters. Our worst day is their every day. Been a joy to watch.

All I can say is, NO, NO, a thousand times NO! No announcer ever should bring up 9/11 in the context of a game.

Really, nothing more needs to be said.

 

 

 

 

 

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Junior Seau on SI cover; examines his suicide

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Junior Seau is featured on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated. Sporting a big smile, he seemed so full of life in the picture.

The issue examines his tragic death. From the release:

Senior writer Jim Trotter (@SI_JimTrotter), who covered Seau and the Chargers as a beat reporter in the 1900s, spoke with close friends and former teammates about who Seau was on and off the field. Seau grew up in the Oceanside section of San Diego, played professionally for the Chargers for 13 seasons and lived in San Diego until his death. His loyalty for the community was evident in his foundation, which since 1992 has dispersed nearly $4 million to aid disadvantaged kids and young adults in San Diego County, through programs such as Gangbusters (page 38).

Said former Rams and Bears lineback Pisa Tinoisamoa, “That saved my life. It had people around me and help set me straight…. June [Seau] was behind that. I saw him on my birthday last July, and he came in playing his ukulele and singing Happy Birthday. I didn’t get to tell him personally what he meant to me, but he knew. He saw the success I had, and he was proud of me. Whenever I saw him, he would talk about how good I was. He was always positive. That’s why everyone loved him. They felt they were friends with June. He had that status about him, but to us he was just a man of the people.”

Seau led by example. He was the first to the practice facility in the morning and provided helpful advice for his teammates. Seau ignored pain and insisted that if you could walk, you could play.

Former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson said, “I feel awful that Junior didn’t feel he was close enough to anybody that he could say, ‘Look, something isn’t right.’ He didn’t feel there was anybody, and we all need someone we can go to and say, ‘There’s something going on with me.’ That’s the sad thing, but that’s who Junior was. He didn’t want us to know he was hurting on the field, so off the field he certainly wasn’t going to say anything.”

Senior writer Peter King reflects on a time when he watched Seau play a game in 2000 with a severely pulled hamstring. Because Seau’s pain threshold was high, King held Seau to a higher standard, something King would think twice about doing again.

Also in this week’s SI:

THE RUSSIAN QUESTION – MICHAEL FARBER

The 2012 NHL playoffs have been filled with intensity and excitement, but many of the biggest story lines have been about the missteps of players from the former Soviet bloc. The Predators’ Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn missed a team curfew and were suspended for Game 3 and scratched for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Alexander Ovechkin, a two-time Hart Trophy winner, has seen significantly less ice time in the playoffs. Ilya Bryzgalov, who signed a nine-year, $51 million contract with Philadelphia in the off-season, has been inconsistent for the Flyers (page 56).

There have been a few bright spots, but mainly, it’s been an uneasy postseason for Russian players. Some believe it could have an impact on the Edmonton Oilers, who have the first pick in this year’s NHL draft, and will likely choose Nail Yakupov. Terry Jones, a columnist for the Edmonton Star, tweeted last week, “The way the Russians are going in Stanley Cup playoffs, Oilers better give a real, real, real, real good hard think about Nail Yakupov, huh?”

WHERE DOES GREATNESS COME FROM? – CHRIS BALLARD (@SI_ChrisBallard)

You might assume that Kobe Bryant inherited his talent for basketball and his burning need for success from his father, former NBA and Italian league player Joe (Jellybean) Bryant. But Joe and Kobe are strikingly different, and while the son got some gifts from his father, he got his fire from an unexpected source, his mom.  When Kobe was 14 years old he tried to dunk on his mom in a backyard game, and she leveled him with a forearm. Kobe said, “She would drop you. Oh, yeah, she was rough. My mom’s the feisty one. She has that killer in her.”

Joe Bryant has been married to the same woman for 38 years, and has close relationships with his children and grandchildren. He travels around the world, immersing himself in new experiences, and is generally loved by the players he coaches. After playing for 10 pro teams in three countries over 18 years, he has coached in the WNBA, the ABA, Japan, Mexico, Italy and now in Bangkok. Joe may never be great, but he is happy. Kobe Bryant may never be happy, and perhaps that’s what makes him great (page 60).

 

Exec: Why Fox Sports goes all in on soccer for ‘Survivor Sunday’

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Maybe there’s something to do this soccer thing.

OK, I don’t think football (American, that is) will be looking over its shoulder just yet. However, soccer is starting to gain some serious momentum in the U.S. beyond the World Cup.

The latest indicator is Fox Sports Media’s decision to air 9 games of the Premier League’s “Survivor Sunday” on its outlets Sunday; a 10th will air on ESPN/Match Trax. That’s more games than viewers will see in the UK.

From the release.

Led by FX, FSMG networks SPEED, FSN,FUEL TV, FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes, along with digital platforms FOXSoccer.com and FOX Soccer 2Go, are carrying all nine matches live at 10:00 AM ET.

(More details below)

Naturally, the big draw will be Manchester United, which will play Sunderland on FX.

This massive soccer fest comes on the heels of ESPN attracting more than 1 million viewers for a Monday afternoon game featuring Manchester United. Fox also scored nicely with a Manchester United game on Super Bowl Sunday.

Advertisers have jumped on board for Sunday. Fox will have Pizza Hut as the presenting sponsor, and it sold out its top tier advertisers with Anheuser Busch, Volkswagen, Gatorade, Heineken, Nestle and Gillette.

I had a chance to discuss the big soccer day with Eric Shanks, Fox Sports Media’s co-president and COO.

What was behind this decision?

Shanks: David Nathanson, who runs Fox Soccer, said if he could air every game of the Premier League, he would. We’ve always said, ‘David, great idea, not possible.’ He came to us with this idea. We said, ‘Great idea. Let’s make it work.’

This is like the Sunday Ticket for soccer. Not only is it great for soccer fans, but it is a great way to educate non-fans on why there is so much interest in this weekend. It isn’t just teams playing for the top spots. Team at the bottom get relegated (to a lower league). It’s like high-low poker. It’s a great concept. Some sports here should adopt it.

Why isn’t the main network carrying a game?

Shanks: It’s just not feasible because we would have to get clearance from our affiliates. Most of them have their own programming on a Sunday morning. We didn’t want to do this if we only had 80 percent clearance.

How important is volume here in airing all the games at one time?

Shanks: It’s kind of like the last day of the baseball season when you had three big games going on at one time. We’re going to have a ticker system on every channel, telling people where to go for the games. If it’s a tight game between Manchester United and Sunderland, people will know and can go to that game.

What does your decision to air these games say about soccer in the U.S.?

Shanks: It says the availability of the best soccer in the world through TV and Internet means more people will be able to see these games. The more people have access to these games, the more they are likely to watch.

Here’s everything you need to know from the release:

WHAT: Survival Sunday – the final day of England’s Barclays Premier League, where all 20 teams face off at the same time (9:30 AM ET). The bottom three teams are relegated from the BPL (clubs 18-20), while the top four sides ensure passage to the world’s most prestigious (and lucrative) club tournament – the UEFA Champions League. Teams finishing in fifth and sixth place can qualify for the 2012-2013 UEFA Europa League.

 

WHEN:  Sunday, May 13 – 9:30 AM ET (except SPEED, who will join at 10:00 AM ET).

 

MATCHUP                                                                                                      Network

Sunderland v Manchester UniteD                       FX & FOX Deportes

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United visits Sunderland needing a win to keep title hopes alive in the race against Manchester City.

 

Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers                                    SPEED

Chelsea’s midseason revival continues against recently doomed Blackburn. Rovers were relegated following Monday’s defeat to Wigan, and Chelsea needs to win in order to remain in the hunt for European qualification.

 

Swansea City v Liverpool                                             FUEL TV

Following FA Cup disappointment against Chelsea, English giant Liverpool and captain Steven Gerrard look to finish their season on a high note against upstart Swansea City.

 

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal                                        FSN

In a vital match for Arsenal, the Gunners aim to secure their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League by winning at West Bromwich Albion.

 

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham                                   FOX Soccer

Chasing an all-important UEFA Champions League position, Tottenham hosts Fulham and American superstar Clint Dempsey at North London’s White Hart Lane.

 

Stoke City v Bolton Wanderers                               FOX Soccer Plus

At one of the most intimidating venues in English soccer, Stoke City hosts a Bolton team desperately seeking to avoid relegation at the Britannia Stadium. Sitting in the relegation zone in eighteenth place, Bolton must win to avoid dropping into the English second division.

 

Everton v Newcastle United                                      FOXSoccer.com

In one of the most important clashes on Survival Sunday, Newcastle looks to secure its place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, while Everton needs to win for a shot at UEFA Europa League qualification.

 

Norwich City v Aston Villa                                          FOX Soccer 2GO

In its first season since gaining promotion to the Barclays Premier League, Norwich City has impressed and looks to go out on a high against Aston Villa at Carrow Road.

 

Wigan Athletic v Wolverhampton Wanderers             FOX Soccer 2GO

Safe from relegation after defeating Blackburn Rovers on Monday, a resurgent Wigan team celebrates its Barclays Premier League survival at home against last place Wolverhampton.

 

Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers           ESPN/MatchTrax

Manchester City seeks to capture its first Barclays Premier League title against a Queens Park Rangers team fighting to avoid relegation.