OT: ESPN Insider

[Swaggs]

Anyone subscribe to this service and think it is worth it?

I have long held out paying for it, but with the NFL draft right around the corner, it seems like they have put nearly everything draft related into the Insider package.

Anyone recommend it?

[scooper]

There are free draft sites with just as much draft information. Start with nfldraftblitz.com click on Trieu's draft links. Have fun.

[rkmsuf]

Why would you pay for more information? How much information can you take? It's everywhere...I don't know about you but outside of finding out what Takeo Spikes' favorite color is I feel fairly informed via tv, internet, radio et all without paying for premium services...

[Vince]

I had it for a while last year, or maybe two years ago...and I don't think it's really worth it. It's nice, but not spectacular, and like scooper said, you can find most all of the same analysis elsewhere on the web. I'm not really a fan of paying for something that isn't spectacular if I can get it for free elsewhere. Unless they've really beefed it up since I stopped subscribing to it, I'd say pass.

[JeeberD]

It's strange. I signed up for Insider like four or five years ago. The credit card that I used has since been cancelled, but I continue to have access. I guess ESPN just loves me or something.

[GoldenEagle]

Originally posted by JeeberD
It's strange. I signed up for Insider like four or five years ago. The credit card that I used has since been cancelled, but I continue to have access. I guess ESPN just loves me or something.

And what do you think of it?

[JeeberD]

I enjoy the content, but I would have to agree with everyone else. If there are places to get the same stuff for free, then why pay?

[rkmsuf]

The fact that people actually buy this is either a testiment to the economy and disposible income in America or that people would watch and read about Cheez-It races if ESPN said they were important...

[Bee]

I LOVE the Cheez-It races on ESPN2!!!

[Doug5984]

Originally posted by JeeberD
It's strange. I signed up for Insider like four or five years ago. The credit card that I used has since been cancelled, but I continue to have access. I guess ESPN just loves me or something.

Same here, but when i got a fantasy team i got a free 1 month subscription, and have just gotten it ever since...that was a few years ago.

I personally don't even use it that much...i wouldn't pay for it.

[ice4277]

It seems like all they do is gather a bunch of info off of other sites and put it together into one place. With the exception of the expanded bracketology for NCAA basketball, and some of Mel Kiper's stuff, there wouldn't even be much point in it being there. I have a friend who subscribes and so I use his when I'm at his house; I would never pay for it myself.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I love it. Then again, I am in a different situation than most. Being a huge sports fan and an x-pat stranded in Brussels I find The Insider invaluable.

First, it saves me time tracking my favorite teams. I go to one page and have every article that is on almost any metro newspaper on my teams. I can track the sports coverage on a number of different teams which give me a good idea of what's going on league wide. Granted, nothing is there that I couldn't get for free, but I just don't have the time to check a kajillion different newspaper websites to see if they have anything important or interesting to say or anything to say about my beloved Detroit sports teams.

They also have "Pardon the Interuption" clips. I miss US TV and I find both guys entertaining. I have no way to watch the show regularly, so I like it.

I dig Mel Kiper's analysis. Like most here, I am a draft junkie. Though, I agree, you can get equal stuff at other free draft sites.

All in all, I love it. I pay for it and am happy I do. Then again, I don't have access to ESPN or any other regular US sports media outlets. I am on an island here...

[BigDPW]

I enjoy my subscription also... It helps me keep up with all of the sports info I want from one simple site... I also subscribed 2-3 years ago and now keep getting it for free I presume... I don't think I would have subscribed for 3 years but maybe I did...

I like the SiteLines b/c they get all of the info in every newspaper known to man about my favorite teams...

I also like the Mel Kiper stuff...

[Swaggs]

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like a no go on the Insider subscription.

Anyone else have any good draft links?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Here's a huge list of a kajillion draft sites:

http://www.ffbookmarks.com/nfldraft.htm

[Samdari]

I actually pay for it and enjoy it. I read it every day, as I enjoy some of the writers they have. There is essentially one writer for every major sport who writes a column every day. A lot of what they do is either linking to or summarizing and commenting on pieces written in major newspapers. I like it because I can go to one place and get all this, while it would take me a while to find it on my own. I pay $5 a month to have it compiled for me. That amount of money is no big deal to me, and I never bought into the idea that the internet HAS to be free to be worthwhile, so I pay it.