sorry we tanked, your new phone may now be used as a paperweight or a very stylish tree ornament

ESPN bought into the industry fever that touted content as the holy grail of cell phone service, assuming its crazy and loyal sports fans would pay anything to get closer to ESPN and its sports properties.

Spending $150 million or more on the effort, ESPN pulled in a fraction of subscribers it needed, some 30,000 versus the 3 million or so of its intended goal. That's a spectacular failure.

Now, the industry line is that the ESPN service was doomed to failure and everyone predicted it! Business analysts say that Mobile ESPN could really only expect a core audience of gamblers and fantasy league players to buy the service.

Now, instead of selling its own product, its own branded mobile phone, ESPN will license its content to existing wireless companies, offering consumers pieces or the entire suite of Mobile ESPN content.

But here is my crazy thought: perhaps mobile phone users want FREE video.