Erin Andrews Leaves ESPN; I'll Continue To Watch ESPN

I have nothing against Erin Andrews, she's great at her job, but I question how valuable her job is. Does her presence on a broadcast increase viewers? I doubt it. I've never known anyone to watch a game just because she's interviewing a coach on his way to the locker room. I don't think I'm going to be tuning into any games on any other network just because she's there. And this isn't just about Andrews or attractive female sideline reporters in general. I'll include TNT's Craig Sager and his wacky suits and Ahmad Rashad sucking up to Michael Jordan in the 90s.

I'll watch whatever games are the most interesting games regardless of the announce team. If the announcers are good, then great. If not, then we all have something to bitch about on twitter. Everyone hated Craig James but how many people actively didn't watch Thursday night games just because he was there? ESPN didn't even think it necessary to fire him, and if he hadn't gotten into politics, might still be at ESPN.

But, hey, good for Erin. Cash that check! I'd certainly take the money too. I admit it was fun to see her walking the sidelines of Razorback Stadium (but again, my attendance at a game actually hurts TV ratings). Unfortunately, it sounds like her new role will not be with a network without an SEC contract, so, hopefully, she'll grace the screen of a game that I'll be watching anyway.

What do you think? Will you actively hunt her games out and watch games you otherwise wouldn't?

Doc Harper is a regular contributor to ArkansasSports360.com and ArkansasExpats.com. You can email him at heydocharper@gmail.com and follow his thoughts and observations on Twitter @doc_harper.