Is ESPN INSIDER Worth the $$?

[SwiZz]

Any of you guys Insider's?

I'm thinking about it...its about $40 for a year, plus you get magazines as well...

the insider articles look really good and i can never read them....which is frustrating....and i hear it might help with NBA Fantasy League's....

what do u guys think? there's a 30 day free trial...but yea do you think its worth $40?

[Carnage]

I don't know for sure, but I'd say no.

I've payed for ESPN fantasy hockey the last few years(this is the final year, they're not getting any more $$$ from me).

At least in the case of FHL they have terrible service. They really suck at FHL. Not sure why I've been paying when Yahoo is so much better, and free. Though I've heard FHL is the red headed step child of the ESPN fantasy leagues.

That's just my bias.

[Headhunter]

Insider's included magazines do not deliver to Canada for free (may not deliver at all).

At least in the case of FHL they have terrible service. They really suck at FHL. Not sure why I've been paying when Yahoo is so much better, and free.
Not sure what sports it applies to, but I think ESPN's fantasy games are going free.

[actyper]

I've been flocking towards cnnsi because all of espn's interesting articles are now going insider.

[Carnage]

Not sure what sports it applies to, but I think ESPN's fantasy games are going free.

Where'd you hear that?

Though it'd be nice if all their fantasy games went free, I don't think that's all that likely.

[Ryan]

I have an Insider account. They don't ship the ESPN magazine, but you can read it online with an Insider account.

I subscribed during the NBA draft and it was really good.

It all depends on how many sports you follow. If it's just one, then it probably isn't worth getting, but since I follow baseball, basketball, and hockey, there is enough content through out the year.

[gordholio]

I don't think it's worth it. $40 is quite a bit to be paying for this.

[SwiZz]

I have an Insider account. They don't ship the ESPN magazine, but you can read it online with an Insider account.

I subscribed during the NBA draft and it was really good.

It all depends on how many sports you follow. If it's just one, then it probably isn't worth getting, but since I follow baseball, basketball, and hockey, there is enough content through out the year.

yea tahts what i was wondering.......i only really follow basketball........dont have the time in me to follow in detail other sports...

i really hate missing out on the articles and what not just because they're insider...

[Headhunter]

Where'd you hear that?
It was on ESPN's page a few months back, maybe it was a limited time promo...

[dmatthew]

Some of the insider articles are insightful but really it's all just rehashed information from around the league (except maybe analysis by Chad Ford, John Hollinger, etc)

check out:

Inside Hoops (http://www.insidehoops.com)
Pro Sports Daily (http://www.prosportsdaily.com)

For articles on the NBA. Pro Sports daily is a website that redirects you to links for each specific team. If you need to register for the website just use Bug Me Not (http://www.bugmenot.com) and voila - free article

lol

[Headhunter]

Some of the insider articles are insightful but really it's all just rehashed information from around the league (except maybe analysis by Chad Ford, John Hollinger, etc)
Those exclusive are the worthwhile pieces; the pieces on Darko Milicic before the 2003 draft were particularly interesting.

[SwiZz]

do they have a way to know if youre copying and posting the material elsewhere?

like what's currently stopping current Insiders from copying articles and posting them to forums, etc....

I'm sure they have some kinda system...

[Headhunter]

do they have a way to know if youre copying and posting the material elsewhere?

like what's currently stopping current Insiders from copying articles and posting them to forums, etc....
Well, what's to stop people from doing that for IGN Insider, Salon, or anything else? I'm sure they occasionally check around and threaten boards/sites with lawsuits, but there's no permanently enforcable way to do it. What're they going to do, publish material with 1024 bit encryption that requires a special hardware viewer? ;)

Like most things, it's simply more convenient to pay the nominal fee (well, maybe more than nominal) to get access to the material on your own terms. No scurrying around messageboards for isolated pieces, no borrowing of accounts; real access without the wasted time and effort.

Of course that kind of mentality doesn't really exist outside of North America/Europe...

[Hymac]

I subscribe and do think it's worth the $$.

[SwiZz]

k i just signed up...its 39.99 USD.....for 12 months.....

I dind't get the one extra month free, because I did it through the phone, you only get the 30-day trial subscription if u do it through the net...

regrading the magazines, they can't ship it to Canada.......but if u pay i think something like 50 something USD they'll ship it to your place (in Canada). but i said screw that, and they said well u can still get it for $39.99 USD without the magazine (which is what I wanted) and they said I can provide them with a US mailing address that my magazines will go to....

if you dont provide them with one, they just send it to like a Naval Base or something like that....so i provided them a mailing address to a friend down there....

and yea havn't explored everythign yet, but will do later in the day. just thought i'd pass on the details.

[Anessa]

IMO, I think it should be cheaper if they want their 18-25 demographic to remain interested.