Dishonour Roll: TSN - The "Sports" Network

You can't rightfully call yourself "The Sports Network" anymore.

Why?

Just like MuchMusic is no longer "The Nation's Music Station" because of the no-longer-surprising lack of music videos that are actually shown, TSN is no longer just a home for sports.

Poker is not a sport.

The championship ping pong that was on yesterday morning is borderline.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is certainly not sports.

Of course, what cements my frustrations even more is the networks decision to pay absolutely zero attention whatsoever to the sport I am most passionate about - Mixed Martial Arts.

While some will certainly think this attack on TSN is that of a biased and hurt MMA fan - and that is of course partially true - it is also a valid point of contention from a long-time TSN viewer who doesn't understand current programming decisions.

I mean really, how can you devote an hour of your midday broadcast to showing Ping Pong?

Has there been a massive groundswell of support and outcries from a frustrated public who have demanded more network of a miniature version of tennis that I don't know about?

And don't even get me started on the ridiculousness of all the poker that runs on The Sports Network, though for what it's worth, all the sports networks are equally at fault on this one.

How do I get to watch repeat after repeat of the 2008 World Series of Poker, but barely a shred of MMA programming can work it's way into the rotation?

TSN occasionally carries the WEC, with episodes of WrekCage popping up from time-to-time and broadcasts of major cards from Versus appearing shortly after their completion.

Personally, I'd love to see what kind of numbers those WEC shows do on TSN, because something tells me that they do a lot better than spelling bees, ping pong, 467 poker tournaments that all look the same and the other dead-weight programming TSN carries.

I won't even get started on the TSN website MMA page, what with it's finger far removed from the pulse and everything.

You would think that a major network like TSN would pay attention to the trends of sports and keep an eye on the competition.

While Sportsnet and The Score have ramped up their MMA coverage in accordance with the sport's progression into the mainstream and upper echelon of the industry, TSN has done next to nothing.

Hard to call yourself "Canada's Sports Leader" when you're behind the rest of the pack on the fastest growing sport in the world.