I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with sports radio. After all, I've heard some pretty interesting conversations about the culture, tactics and economics of the Game (even though I'd like to hear a lot more about the exorborant salaries and whether they should be that high and the larger cultural and economic impact of those salaries). I've even heard them make some good political analysis of the issues.
I did have a bad experience listening to one show, though. Someone wrote in a letter or e-mail to the show about the political stance of one of the commentators. The letter or e-mail writer thought the stance they took was contradictary. The commentator gave an intelligent analysis to defend their position, but before doing so, the commentator brow beated the letter and e-mail writer, calling them an idiot, stupid, etc. etc. I don't know. . .but that just rubs me the wrong way and kinda leads me to have a prejudice against talk shows and against what I've heard has become typical mainstream media, like Crossfire (anyone see Jon Stewart as guest on there) and other shows I've heard about.
So maybe my beef isn't so much with sports shows but with a certain slant and tactic in the media. Nonetheless, after talking with at least one person about this beef of mine, they told me that a lot of people DO get their opinions about politics from sports radio. Wha?!?!?! No wonder people don't have critical opinions and have misinformed opinions!
WEEI is (I think) considered one of the best Sports Radio stations in the country, but their morning show was almost nothing but politics all throughout the leadup to the election...maybe that would've bugged me less if I agreed with their politics...
This fan by the nickname "Dakota" tried to capitalize on that annoyance on a competing radio station, "1510 The Zone", it was a time-buy so I guess he paid for the time and took the sponsorship money himself...recently that got canned though, I think because of some libel/slander stuff.