Fan Central Mailbag: ESPN’s commitment to veterans; Lil Wayne & Randy Moss; ScoreCenter app news
Welcome to another edition of the Fan Central Mailbag. Remember, if you have an ESPN-related question, follow us @ESPN_FanCentral and use #FanCentralMB to tweet your questions. You also can e-mail them to [email protected].
As we kick off this week’s mailbag, we want to address a question asked by some fans about why ESPN did not televise the in-stadium Veteran’s Day celebration at Lambeau Field before the Vikings-Packers Monday Night Football game last November.
As a general rule, ESPN does not always show the National Anthem on MNF or other event telecasts. As part of ESPN’s weeklong Salute to Veterans last November, however, we did begin the MNF telecast with a patriotic Veteran’s Day-themed opening video narrated by Marine Jake Wood, which was filmed at a military base in Wisconsin.
Just this week, the Kansas City Chiefs-Pittsburgh Steelers game on MNF was again part of ESPN’s annual companywide Salute to Veterans. This year, ESPN did cover the National Anthem as the Steelers saluted veterans before the game with a special ceremony and stadium-wide appreciation message (pictured above). In addition, during Monday Night Countdown, essayist Rick Reilly told the story of a father and son from Chicago who are going to all 32 NFL stadiums this season and taking wounded veterans along to each game.
How is Lil Wayne remotely qualified to interview players on an NFL pregame show? – Travis
It’s a fair question Travis.
For those who don’t know, the rapper interviewed the 49ers wide receiver on last week’s edition of Sunday NFL Countdown (Sundays, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN). Why? It’s simple. ESPN always seeks new and unique ways to tell a story, and does so with the understanding that some fans might not necessarily agree with every decision.
It should be noted, however, that Moss, who retired last year without much fanfare, did not want to do a “traditional” sit-down interview, but was intrigued when our very own Colleen Dominguez approached him about sitting down with Lil Wayne for the interview.
When will there be an ESPN ScoreCenter app for android tablets like ScoreCenter for iPad? – Scott
Scott, you and many other fans will be happy to hear that the ESPN ScoreCenter app is currently available on Android smartphones and tablets. Simply download the app by visiting Google Play on your device, click on the app icon and search for ESPN ScoreCenter.
By the way, a new version of the ESPN ScoreCenter app for Android tablets is in the works so be sure to look out for the latest version coming soon.
Will the Oregon-Stanford game be on ABC this Saturday? – Anthony
Yes, Anthony, fans across the country will be happy to know this Saturday’s ESPN’s college football schedule features two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the country. No. 2 Oregon will meet No. 13 Stanford at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. At the same time, No. 1 Kansas State will be taking on Baylor on ESPN/WatchESPN. Here’s the complete schedule for Week 12.
