ESPN calls itself the worldwide leader in sports, and others use that term with either admiration or derision depending on who is making the comment. No matter what you think about the four-letter network, it is clear they have an agenda, much like the cable news networks.
There is plenty that ESPN does well; their 30 in 30 film series has produced some outstanding television sports documentaries. However, there is plenty to shake ones head about when viewing the family of networks that is ESPN.
They sometimes look to make the news instead of reporting it.
The reason behind this column is that ESPN’s current NBA power rankings, done by analyst John Hollinger, show the Miami Heat as the league’s second best team, behind only the undefeated New Orleans Hornets. The Heat (6-4) ranks ahead of the Boston Celtics, who have beaten them twice so far this season. They are also ranked higher than the defending champion Lakers (8-2) and the San Antonio Spurs (8-1).
In the interest of fairness, another columnist, Marc Stein, has the Heat ranked 7th, citing the team’s wins are against opponents with a cumulative 16-32 record.
Hollinger is a good NBA scribe, but you have to ask if there is a hidden agenda behind putting Miami this high on the list. Remember, the network has devoted a great deal of talent, including former Plain Dealer writer Brian Windhorst, to following the team calling the coverage “Heat Check”.
Another website, Basketball Prospectus.com, has Miami ranked third behind New Orleans and Boston.
This isn’t the first time ESPN has tried to push an agenda on the people who watch their sports coverage. Think about the inordinate amount of coverage given soccer on the network. Is there a groundswell for the sport that we aren’t noticing? The World Cup coverage was all over the airwaves, and they have even started putting the scores on its crawl on ESPN2.
Another cause for the “Worldwide Leader” is Boise State. The on air people seem to constantly talk about how Boise State deserves to be in the BCS National Championship game, despite the fact that right now TCU is ranked third, and probably has played a better schedule.
There is no question here that if Boise State played in the Big 12, Big Ten, or the Southeastern Conference they would not be undefeated or in the talk for a national championship. We’ll save the need for a playoff in college football because there is no doubt it is needed, but why the tub-thumping for Boise and not TCU?
We haven’t even mentioned the continued love affair the network has with Brett Favre and LeBron James. You get the feeling that the executives in Bristol are already developing a reality show for Favre about his adjustment to retirement when he leaves the NFL, just so they can continue to have a connection with the Vikings’ quarterback.
Everyone now agrees it was a bad decision by the network to put “The Decision” on its airwaves in July. They did so to enhance their relationship with James, who they let host their ESPY Awards a few years ago.
Even though they are a broadcasting monolith, it seems like they are afraid to cross some of the superstars of sports. Like they need these stars to attract viewers. That should have been a non-factor years ago.
ESPN was once a great new network. They covered all teams, in some cases, better than local markets did. Now, they’ve morphed into emphasizing the big markets, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. Just like the people who covered sports before them.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 