Is ESPN Insider worth it?

Green & Gold Heart · 04-06-2005, 03:18 PM

It's $40 a year or $7 a month to read this exclusive stuff. I been avoiding it for a long time but it seems more and more stuff is going Insider now and I can't read most of the things I would normally want to read unless I pay up.

Anybody have this, and if so, is it really worth it?

lgkeeper · 04-06-2005, 03:29 PM

I love it.

The also gave Insider members a free subscription to ESPN the Mag about a year or so ago - not sure if that offer still runs.

Absolutely worth it.

Jeremy Weimer · 04-06-2005, 03:30 PM

It depends on how fast you want info and what all sports you care about. Chances are you can get the same information from other sources by waiting a day or two. If you want the news/opinions of writers right away then it would probably be worth it to you.

I personally have access to the Insider stuff, but I don't pay for it.

Green & Gold Heart · 04-06-2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy Weimer

It depends on how fast you want info and what all sports you care about. Chances are you can get the same information from other sources by waiting a day or two. If you want the news/opinions of writers right away then it would probably be worth it to you.

I personally have access to the Insider stuff, but I don't pay for it.

I've tried finding a non-paying route, but no luck.

I mainly want it for opinions/analysis than info, so it's not like I'll be able to wait a day.

As for what sports I'd be reading about, my caring range is about 90% baseball.

Jeremy Weimer · 04-06-2005, 03:41 PM

Well in your situation it would probably be beneficial to sign up for it then, if you have the money to waste that is. Which I'm assuming you do since you're considering it. If you don't find it to be worth the money you can always cancel it after the first month. I'm lucky enough to have a friend that's willing to share his account with me. That's how I'm able to use the Insider stuff without paying.

LoDo · 04-06-2005, 03:45 PM

Insider is basically taking over ESPN. All of the archives are now Insider articles (which angers me because I am a big Bill Simmons fan and now all of his old stuff requres an Insider pass

). But that being said, absolutely worth the money, if for no other reason than the "secret" articles by Gammons and Neyer that non-Insiders can't read.

AngelinOF · 04-06-2005, 04:13 PM

If you are looking strictly for baseball then I would probably go elsewhere, Baseball Prospectus would probably be a good start. But if you interested in other sports also its probably going to be the only one to cover them. ESPN just annoys me because a majority of their articles appear to be about the Yankees & Braves, and they also seem to have a habit of just making up stuff to fill up a page.

Green & Gold Heart · 04-06-2005, 04:22 PM

Well I think I'm going to go for it. I've been reading their stuff for a long time and been used to Neyer and now I can't read him, along with Gammons and Olney and some of the others. I think it's crap that they make you pay for it, but I give up being annoyed with it.

Hammer755 · 04-06-2005, 04:25 PM

I can't imagine anything that ESPN offers worth paying money for. With information as readily available as it is today, I would think you can find pretty much anything they have to offer (except Neyer, perhaps) done better somewhere else. I have a free subscription to ESPN the Mag, and it's not worth the time and effort it takes to deposit it from the mailbox into my garbage can.

Gammons & Olney = SOC

spleen1015 · 04-06-2005, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammer755

I can't imagine anything that ESPN offers worth paying money for. With information as readily available as it is today, I would think you can find pretty much anything they have to offer (except Neyer, perhaps) done better somewhere else. I have a free subscription to ESPN the Mag, and it's not worth the time and effort it takes to deposit it from the mailbox into my garbage can.

Gammons & Olney = SOC

What don't you like about the Mag? I like it better than SI.

Hammer755 · 04-06-2005, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spleen1015

What don't you like about the Mag? I like it better than SI.

Pretty much everything. The layout is terrible, the articles are awful. I just can't read it.

jeheinz72 · 04-06-2005, 04:43 PM

I recommend it too GGH. 40 bucks for insider and the mag is a good deal. The mag is good can reading material. I like Insider for Neyer (to see how he'll twist the stats this week) and a few others. Plus it is great in the offseason or trade deadline for "Hot Stove reports" where they'll put a blurb about a player and all the teams he's rumored to go to.

PittPanther · 04-06-2005, 04:45 PM

Not a fan. The local fishwrap gives me the same juice when I need a drink.

Skipaway · 04-06-2005, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spleen1015

What don't you like about the Mag? I like it better than SI.

And that says a lot about SI.

Erik W. · 04-06-2005, 04:53 PM

I miss the Sporting News, before they became crap. You know, back before they started using gloss paper instead of newsprint. Now I'd rank them ESPN, SI, then SN... which is just freakin' sad and says a lot about the state of the mass market sports magazine industry right now.

Hammer755 · 04-06-2005, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeheinz72

I recommend it too GGH. 40 bucks for insider and the mag is a good deal. The mag is good can reading material. I like Insider for Neyer (to see how he'll twist the stats this week) and a few others. Plus it is great in the offseason or trade deadline for "Hot Stove reports" where they'll put a blurb about a player and all the teams he's rumored to go to.

But you can get most of that stuff from anywhere for free.

And yeah, SI is no great shakes either. Sporting News is infinitely better than SI & ESPN, and even it is not as good as it used to be.

04-06-2005, 03:18 PM	#1
Green & Gold Heart Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,242	Is ESPN Insider worth it? It's $40 a year or $7 a month to read this exclusive stuff. I been avoiding it for a long time but it seems more and more stuff is going Insider now and I can't read most of the things I would normally want to read unless I pay up. Anybody have this, and if so, is it really worth it?

04-06-2005, 04:25 PM	#9
Hammer755 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 2,348	I can't imagine anything that ESPN offers worth paying money for. With information as readily available as it is today, I would think you can find pretty much anything they have to offer (except Neyer, perhaps) done better somewhere else. I have a free subscription to ESPN the Mag, and it's not worth the time and effort it takes to deposit it from the mailbox into my garbage can. Gammons & Olney = SOC Last edited by Hammer755; 04-06-2005 at 04:26 PM.

04-06-2005, 04:43 PM	#12
jeheinz72 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 2,163	I recommend it too GGH. 40 bucks for insider and the mag is a good deal. The mag is good can reading material. I like Insider for Neyer (to see how he'll twist the stats this week) and a few others. Plus it is great in the offseason or trade deadline for "Hot Stove reports" where they'll put a blurb about a player and all the teams he's rumored to go to. __________________ Join The Dugout!

04-06-2005, 04:45 PM	#13
PittPanther All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 1,235	Not a fan. The local fishwrap gives me the same juice when I need a drink. __________________ Commitment Teamwork Pride Hail to Pitt!

04-06-2005, 03:29 PM	#2
lgkeeper All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: My front porch lookin' in Posts: 1,136	I love it. The also gave Insider members a free subscription to ESPN the Mag about a year or so ago - not sure if that offer still runs. Absolutely worth it.

04-06-2005, 03:30 PM	#3
Jeremy Weimer Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,411	It depends on how fast you want info and what all sports you care about. Chances are you can get the same information from other sources by waiting a day or two. If you want the news/opinions of writers right away then it would probably be worth it to you. I personally have access to the Insider stuff, but I don't pay for it.

04-06-2005, 03:41 PM	#5
Jeremy Weimer Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,411	Well in your situation it would probably be beneficial to sign up for it then, if you have the money to waste that is. Which I'm assuming you do since you're considering it. If you don't find it to be worth the money you can always cancel it after the first month. I'm lucky enough to have a friend that's willing to share his account with me. That's how I'm able to use the Insider stuff without paying.

04-06-2005, 03:45 PM	#6
LoDo Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 68	Insider is basically taking over ESPN. All of the archives are now Insider articles (which angers me because I am a big Bill Simmons fan and now all of his old stuff requres an Insider pass ). But that being said, absolutely worth the money, if for no other reason than the "secret" articles by Gammons and Neyer that non-Insiders can't read.

04-06-2005, 04:13 PM	#7
AngelinOF All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,353	If you are looking strictly for baseball then I would probably go elsewhere, Baseball Prospectus would probably be a good start. But if you interested in other sports also its probably going to be the only one to cover them. ESPN just annoys me because a majority of their articles appear to be about the Yankees & Braves, and they also seem to have a habit of just making up stuff to fill up a page.

04-06-2005, 04:22 PM	#8
Green & Gold Heart Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,242	Well I think I'm going to go for it. I've been reading their stuff for a long time and been used to Neyer and now I can't read him, along with Gammons and Olney and some of the others. I think it's crap that they make you pay for it, but I give up being annoyed with it.

04-06-2005, 04:53 PM	#15
Erik W. Global Moderator Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Rivière-du-Loup, Qc Posts: 4,615	I miss the Sporting News, before they became crap. You know, back before they started using gloss paper instead of newsprint. Now I'd rank them ESPN, SI, then SN... which is just freakin' sad and says a lot about the state of the mass market sports magazine industry right now.