ESPN Magazine Subscription

Why MTV? It's full of flash, little substance, and is a mere shadow of what it used to be.

ESPN the TV network is still a pillar of the sports broadcasting community. They're the best at what they do: cover sports on television. And while the personalities featured are actually decent writers, the magazine itself caters to teenagers who are more fixated on the panache of the stars than the stories of the sports world.

Half-filled with advertisements, stuffed full of articles extolling the virtues of staying up late playing Nintendo games when their team's on the road, showing kids how well Athlete X is doing after fathering 3 children at age 23 and leaving his wife behind (but he still sends money)... This magazine reads more like a series of soap opera stories than a serious journalistic endeavor. And that's a pity, because there's some good writing lost in the fold. Dan Patrick, as much of an ass as he is on SportsCenter, has some interesting things to say about the sporting world. Chris Mortensen is a great writer, and is very knowledgeable about the NFL...if you can find his articles between all the Nike and Tommy Hilfagger ads. (I know, I spelled it that way on purpose)

All of this for the low low price of ... MORE expensive than SI? If ever you paid for a name, this is it. At over a dollar per letter, ESPN isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Cut the ads by half, write about something compelling and interesting, not what Ken Griffey Jr.'s favorite video games are. SI is guilty of these kind of "fluff" articles, too, but not nearly to the extent of MTVESPN the magazine.