ESPN Zone with Neil Campbell

"ESPN Zone with Neil Campbell" is Episode 125 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "ESPN Zone with Neil Campbell" was released on October 12, 2017.

## Synopsis

Comedian and writer Neil Campbell (*Comedy Bang! Bang!*, *Brooklyn 99*) joins the 'boys as **Jockdoughberfest 2017** continues with a trip to ESPN Zone. Thoughts on the network itself and antics during live games are discussed before revealing the final verdict. Then, a timely mid-autumn segment of International House Of Hot Takes.

## Nick's intro

"*This is a manufacturing town and the inhabitants are distinguished by their enterprise and industry.*"

So wrote John Warner Barber, an American engraver who spent his life penning numerous local histories about the town of Bristol, Connecticut.

First founded in the colonial days as an agricultural village called New Cambridge, Bristol was incorporated under its current name back in 1785. And for nearly two centuries, it was best known as Bell City and Mum City because of its chief industries - designing doorbells and growing chrysanthemums.

Then on September 7, 1979, a new cable channel launched that was headquartered in Bristol, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, better known by its four-letter acronym. The channel, created by TV-sports veteran Bill Rasmussen, would transform not just the sleepy hamlet into a media epicenter, but transform sports into an unrelenting 24/7 American obsession.

Rasmussen's brainchild had early success by acquiring the television rights to previously low-profile events: the NCAA basketball tournament (now known as March Madness) and the NFL draft. In 1984, the channel was purchased by broadcast network ABC, which raised its profile and access to content, and by the '90s, it was practically a lifestyle brand for its overwhelmingly male audience; the anchors of its hit recap show *Sportscenter* becoming minor celebrities with their own signature catchphrases.

In 1996, the big fish ABC was swallowed by an even bigger fish, Disney, who acquired the sports channel in the process. Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, a craven opportunist who greenlit countless execrable straight-to-video sequels to animated classics as cheap cash-ins, saw the brand as a natural fit for its own bar and grill.

At the end of 1998, the sports network's first sports bar opened in Baltimore, and by the mid-2000s, locations would dot major cities across the U.S.

But the end of the Oughts saw sports viewership become increasingly fragmented. Cable channel subscriptions declined amidst the availability of internet video, as well as social media up-to-the-second reporting of breaking news and highlights. And as the network's ratings have flagged in recent years, including its once unsinkable flagship, *Sportscenter*, so too did the fate of its restaurant chain, as dining rooms began closing one by one. By 2013, only a single location near Disneyland remained, making this a chain only in our memories.

So does this athletic-themed eatery deserve its fate, slowly fading into irrelevance like its parent company?

Or is it primed for that classic sports trope, the underdog making a comeback?

This week on *Doughboys*, we continue **Jockdoughberfest 2017**, a month of sports-themed restaurants, with our second draft pick, ESPN Zone.

## Gatorade Jug rating

    As with the first episode of **Jockdoughberfest 2017**, the ratings are out of 5 Gatorade jugs, not forks.

* House-smoked Ribs
 Mike Mitchell
* The ESPY
* Buttermilk-fried Chicken Sandwich
 Neil Campbell
* ESPN Zone burger
 shared
	+ - with Buffalo-style Sauce
* Zone Nachos with Barbecue Brisket

Nick says he got The ESPY, but the ingredients he read for it actually are the OC Cocktail (according to an ESPN Zone online menu).

With these scores, ESPN Zone makes the Broken Plate Club.

## International House Of Hot Takes 🌏

In this segment, The Doughboys try some foods from a foreign land to see how well they like it.

For this episode, Yusong brings in some mooncake, which is a Chinese pastry usually made for the Mid-Autumn Festival. They had a variety pack, but I'm not sure the brand. The flavors included were Red Bean, Lotus, Pineapple, and Red Date.

They decide whether to welcome China into the UN or punish them with sanctions?

They all enjoyed the mooncakes and want China to join the U.N.

 Mike Mitchell
 Neil Campbell

## Quotes

**Mitch**: Probably. That loser.

**Nick**: Those are also Mitch's nicknames.

## Related Episodes

* 125. **ESPN Zone**
* 126. Medieval Times
* 127. The Great Shrimp Off
* 100. Nugget Power Hour
* 125. **ESPN Zone**
* DD. The Slice Is Right: Fat Chance Kitchen Semifinals
* DD. The Twilight Calzone
* DD. The Mitchy Clause
* DD. Gorko's Planet Clergmas Spectacular
* 412. Sombrero
* 426. Salt & Straw

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

Ultimate Bloody MaryOC Cocktail and Iced TeaBoneless Chicken WingsZone Nachos with Barbecue BrisketButtermilk-fried Chicken SandwichESPN Zone BurgerHouse-Smoked RibsDoughboysZone