Upset by Andrews Vid, Ladies? Stop Watching Sports

DC legend pioneered use of game highlights

(NEWSER) - George Michael, whose syndicated Sports Machine show helped introduce viewers to the magic of game highlights years before ESPN made it obsolete, died today in Washington. He was 70 and suffering from leukemia. At WRC in Washington from 1980 to 2008, Michael became a legend during the heyday of the local sports anchor, but it was in national syndication that he really made his mark, the Washington Post reports. More»

Network knew what it was getting in scandal-plagued analyst

(NEWSER) - ESPN knew exactly what it was getting in Steve Phillips, and it has to know that it's time to cut him loose. When the network hired him, "ESPN, already having gained a well-earned reputation as the Sodom and Gomorrah of sports television, must have informed Phillips of the World Wide Leader's overriding commitment to cleaning up its image," writes Bob Raissman. The extramarital shenanigans that came to light this week aren't helping that goal. More»

(NEWSER) - Reporter Erin Andrews put the summer’s naked-video scandal behind her tonight, returning to the sidelines for ESPN’s first college football telecast of the season. David Whitley was observing her every move during the South Carolina-North Carolina State tilt for AOL’s Fanhouse blog, and notes, “She appears comfortable with a microphone despite the six-week layoff.” More»

(AP) - ESPN reporter Erin Andrews tells Oprah Winfrey that having secretly videotaped nude footage of her distributed on the Internet was a "nightmare." In an interview taped last week and scheduled to air Sept. 11 on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Andrews also tells Winfrey she "opened up the computer (and) could feel my heart pounding." More»

Paper, angry at being banned by network, plays the blame game

(NEWSER) - ESPN may have banned New York Post staffers from its airwaves after the paper printed images from the Erin Andrews nude video, but the Post shot back today, blaming ESPN itself for the video coming to light. It had gone basically unnoticed since February, but that changed when ESPN demanded its removal for a website. From there it was quick work for Andrews to be identified—and her lawyer to confirm it. More»