Samuel L. Jackson was among the many viewers who shared a gripe regarding ESPN’s airing of Sunday’s national title game.
The highly anticipated matchup featuring Iowa and South Carolina saw many tune in to ESPN and ABC, with the former hosting an alternate cast in which WNBA stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi called the game while offering professional insight as well as completely unrelated takes. It was not to everyone’s taste, however.
The Gamecocks, who went undefeated all season, put in another strong performance that ensured Caitlin Clark would be leaving college without a championship as they won 87-75.
The legendary actor was not a fan of said cast and took to Twitter/X to vent his frustrations.
“Who TF @ESPN thought this podcast commentary is a good idea??!! I never knew I needed an ABC feed before!!!” he tweeted.
“With you 100 on that -had to switch to ABC to save my sanity” one user wrote in agreement.
Who TF @ESPN thought this podcast commentary is a good idea??!! I never knew I needed an ABC feed before!!!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) April 7, 2024
“With you 100 on that -had to switch to ABC to save my sanity” one user wrote in agreement.
“I was just looking for this post!!! I love them both, but I want to hear commentary relative to what’s happening on my screen, not that clown show. I feel sorry for those who only have one b’cast to tune into. Do better,” another wrote.
“Blame the Mannings they did it so well that now they think they can throw anyone on an alternate feed,” one pointed out.
Check out some more reactions here:
I know, right. I said the same thing, awful idea. Nothing against them, but people are trying to watch the game. Once I realized it was on ABC, I turned the channel. 💯🏀
— Alexandria-4x VaXXed, are you? (@HockeyMomDiva) April 7, 2024
I switched it to ABC after 5 minutes. Couldn't take it. It was full screen on ABC!
— C.Y. (@SeeWhy76) April 7, 2024
Especially when they not even talking about the game lol nobody wanna hear interviews with our basketball game😂 @espn
— Raw Dezzy (@rawdezzydez) April 8, 2024
DT is the worst idea for tv
— JoeMess (@THEEJoeMess) April 7, 2024
ESPN’s alternative broadcast of the National Title Game evidently didn’t appeal to everyone. While the traditional feed on ABC offered an entertaining viewing experience, fans had the option to switch things up with ESPN’s alt-cast for a different perspective.
Clearly, the alt-cast isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it provided a refreshing change for those seeking an alternative to the standard broadcast.
The future approach of ESPN regarding such alternative broadcasts will be intriguing to observe. However, the success of initiatives like the ManningCast indicates that it’s a strategy worth exploring further, even if it means facing criticism or being labeled with the dreaded “M” word.
