Lincoln Financial Sports, formerly Jefferson-Pilot Sports, has long been a plague to the enjoyment of SEC & ACC games for fans. Last year, the ACC rights for football and basketball were split between a Raycom/Lincoln Financial partnership which has seen improvements in the ACC broadcasts to the point that the ACC Tournament this past year was available in HD to the ACC states for the first time. Mind you, ESPN-HD has the ACC Tourney outside the ACC states in HD....but not old JP Sports. Hopefully with Raycom taking over (Raycom sells ESPN their ACC basketball rights and even produces games for ESPN in the ACC) we will see more improvements for not only the ACC, but also the SEC. The official press release announcing this deal is linked here.

 

ClayNation: Spelling your name correctly may get you a Raycom job

Nov. 19, 2007

By Clay Travis

SPiN Columnist

 

The Yankees at Lincoln Financial finally bailed on producing SEC and ACC telecasts. From the moment Lincoln Financial bought Jefferson-Pilot you knew this was going to happen. All it took was one year of ineptitude. And by ineptitude I mean LF/JP's regular broadcasts of SEC games.

 

I can just picture current Lincoln Financial CEO Dennis R. Glass scrolling through the listing of the $251 billion in assets under management by the company, and pausing when he saw the listing for the SEC broadcasts and remembering what the worst single advertisement for his company looked like.

 

I can picture him requesting a tape of one of the television broadcasts to refresh his memory -- and walking around his flat-screen television from every angle while he tried to comprehend how in the world his company could ever have ended up in the business of producing the worst college sports telecast in modern human history.

 

But now, like the Dave-headed stepchild of the sports broadcasting industry, Lincoln Financial/Jefferson Pilot Sports is changing hands once more -- to the tune of $583 million and to a new, and unsurprisingly Southern owner, Raycom Media, Inc.

 

Of course, this price includes three television stations in Charleston, S.C., Richmond, Va. and Charlotte, N.C., which goes a long way toward explaining how the LF/JP telecasts have a positive value. According to published reports, the LF sports syndication arm of the company generated $22 million in revenue last year. However, this revenue stream was hard to square with the approximately $4.38 billion in lost business equity via swearing, consternation and general disgust the telecasts produced among viewers.

 

This is believed to be the largest differential produced between revenue and lost goodwill since Volkswagen was affiliated with the Third Reich.

 

Upon last year's selling of the broadcast network we learned from LF/JP's marketing director that the sports crew was going to remain "in tact." By which the marketing director meant "intact." But so far there have been no expressions of consistency regarding the current sale. So SEC fans across the country can cross their fingers and pray that the three-headed Dave monster which has ruined many a fall mornings may have finally met its demise. Unfortunately we do not yet know this is the case. I understand everyone at Golden Flake potato chips is really nervous.

 

Fortunately, however, I've been able to get the 11-question Raycom test that will be given to all Lincoln Financial Sports/JP employees to determine whether they remain with the company. I'd like to publicly thank my source for the great personal risk he faced to smuggle out this questionnaire. Now, for the first time, we can all see what rigorous standards the LF/JP announcing team is held to. Take the test with me to determine if you have what it takes to call a fifth-tier SEC game:

 

1. It's third and 3, you should describe this play as:

 

A. Third and 3

B. Fourth and 3

C. Third and 13

D. Fifth and 15

 

 

2. The score is Florida 17, Ole Miss 0. The appropriate way to describe this score is:

 

A. "There's an upset in the making."

B. Showing Ed Orgeron on the sideline and saying, "Boy, Ed Orgeron looks mad."

C. Publicly announcing that you have the intelligence of a toothpick fish.

D. Showing Urban Meyer on the sideline and saying, "Boy, Urban Meyer looks happy."

 

 

3. No matter that that joke is not funny in the least, anytime your broadcast partner makes a joke you should:

A. Laugh uncontrollably until we are forced to turn off your mic

B. Extend the discomfort among viewers by adding on to the joke

C. Give a fist pound to your partner and say, "Who let the Daves out, woof, woof."

D. Going to the sideline reporter and repeating your joke again

E. All of the above

 

 

4. UGA is:

 

A. A misspelled version of uh-uh

B. A dog

C. The sound you utter when asked to spell any word containing more than two syllables

D. Of, or relating to, a short toga

 

 

5. True or false, barometric pressure has to do with Bear Bryant?

 

6. There is a disputed play call that is reviewed by officials. The options are:

 

A. Confirm the call on the field or reverse the play call

B. Confirm the call on the field and reverse the play call

C. Say incontrovertible evidence just to prove you can pronounce it

D. Don't worry about this call because you will inevitably be on commercial break

 

 

7. A turnover is:

 

A. When the defense takes the ball from the offense via interception, fumble recovery, or loss of downs

B. A pastry dessert often made with apples or peaches

C. It depends on whether the infield fly rule is in play or not

D. None of these

 

 

8. An example of a paradox is:

 

A. An Emmy-winning LF/JP broadcast

B. Jumbo shrimp

C. When two lines run beside each other and never cross

D. When two boats are docked side-by-side on different platforms

 

 

9. Which of these numbers are greater?

 

A. 14

B. .14

C. -14

D. Sideline reporter Dave Baker's number of blank stares into the camera

 

 

10. 1945 is an important year in LF/JP history for what reason:

 

A. World War II ended freeing up SEC broadcast rights

B. The television cameras that you know and love, which had previously followed Patton through Europe, were purchased

C. Morse Code came off copyright allowing LF/JP to update scores ? and learn the outcome of the battle of Gettysburg

D. JEB Stuart was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern

 

11. Clay Travis is:

 

A. That annoying kid who writes words about pink dolphins on the information superhighway

B. The most hated man at the LF/JP broadcast headquarters not named Dave Rowe

C. Capable of using the word 'intact' correctly in a sentence

D. All of the above

 

Answer key: 1. A 2. A 3. E 4. B 5. False 6. A 7. A or B 8. A 9. D 10. B 11. D

 

If you answered ...

 

1-3 correctly: Congratulations, you are qualified to be an on-air broadcaster for JP/LF/Raycom. Send us your resume. As a special bonus you'll no longer be required to sell insurance. Or spell your own name correctly.

 

4-10: Pursuant to Atkins v. Virginia it's quite clear to us that you have an IQ high enough to permit your execution by any state. As such you are overqualified. Please apply again after your lobotomy.

Lincoln Financial college football broadcasts are pretty much the most unbearable thing on television.

One of my least favorite things in the world is Jefferson Pilot or whatever the hell they call it now, broadcasting the first Duke/Carolina night game every year.

 

Worst. Telecast. Ever.

 

Picture sucks, graphics suck, production values suck, commentators suck, etc.

Try watching one of their telecasts with an HD TV.

 

Picture looks like a water color painting.

Try watching one of their telecasts with an HD TV.

 

Picture looks like a water color painting.

Yep, I can concur with this.

 

Awful.

 

I hate that the ACC viewing area has to be subject to that sh*t, especially for important games.

Could The Southeastern Conference be getting their own network?

 

This article hints that Raycom will propose launching The SEC Network as part of their new bid for SEC rights. Another mention of the situation by the SEC's commish.

Could The Southeastern Conference be getting their own network?

 

This article hints that Raycom will propose launching The SEC Network as part of their new big for SEC rights. Another mention of the situation by the SEC's commish.

 

Best network ever.

There will be no need for any other channels if the SEC Network exists.

There will be no need for any other channels if the SEC Network exists.

You mean not even for Duke? :o