ESPN NBA Bias

Mintacular

The recent week of coverage on Sportscenter and multiple articles on its homepage cemented my suspicion that ESPN is more a mouthpiece for its parent company DISNEY/ABC than a fair and balanced sports news source.

The NBA Finals aired on DISNEY-owned ABC and DISNEY-owned ESPN shamelessly promoted it. Conflict of interest? (Also consider ESPN anchors Wilbon and Stewart Scott were ABC analysts during the NBA Finals...)

Take for example the coverage Kobe and the NBA Finals received over the Stanley Cup Finals. Yes, I realize hockey is not as popular as the NBA but I think their skewed coverage towards the NBA Finals goes beyond that. I mean the Pens Stanley Cup victory ranks up in the ages as one of the best "feel good" stories with multiple plot lines yet if I remember correctly the day after their victory I think MLB even got a few stories before the Pens' win.

The NBA Finals--one of the worst series I have ever seen--received top stories ad nauseum despite the lack of drama in that series. Game 6 felt and sounded more like a ballet recital than a basketball game. Only Kobe (think that lame jump/fist pump at the end) cared about the ouctome by the time that game ended but that hasn't stopped ESPN from producing "fake drama" storylines about Kobe winning one w/o Shaq, etc...

In short, ESPN continues to move away from solid sports journalism and towards mass marketing/shameless promotion for its parent company DISNEY/ABC and the overblown coverage of the '09 NBA Finals is proof of that... Agree/Disagree?

TomGshotput

ESPN is biased for what will bring in ratings

The majority of media outlets have had that same bias since the begining of communications

bman90278

Like Tom said in his reply, ESPN's job is to get ratings.



<< <i>The NBA Finals--one of the worst series I have ever seen--received top stories ad nauseum despite the lack of drama in that series. Game 6 felt and sounded more like a ballet recital than a basketball game. >>


Really? Wow! The series could have gone the other way. The Magic almost won game 2 other games and I'm sure that would have totally changed the result of game 5. The Magic gave the Lakers all they could handle and the games were close except for game 5.



<< <i>Take for example the coverage Kobe and the NBA Finals received over the Stanley Cup Finals. Yes, I realize hockey is not as popular as the NBA but I think their skewed coverage towards the NBA Finals goes beyond that. I mean the Pens Stanley Cup victory ranks up in the ages as one of the best "feel good" stories with multiple plot lines yet if I remember correctly the day after their victory I think MLB even got a few stories before the Pens' win. >>


I'm sorry, but Hockey's ratings don't even come close to the NBA so why should ESPN give the NHL the same build up. I understand someone loving Hockey, but be realistic.



<< <i>Only Kobe (think that lame jump/fist pump at the end) cared about the ouctome by the time that game ended but that hasn't stopped ESPN from producing "fake drama" storylines about Kobe winning one w/o Shaq, etc.. >>



Really? Kobe can't be happy? The entire media and press has killed Kobe over the years about Shaq, Shaq, Shaq and how he couldn't do it without Shaq. He deserves this championship and the celebrations. Plus Kobe gets beat up all the team by the media and the press. For example, when M.J. or Lebron takes control of a game and gets sick #'s, they get great press. Whenever Kobe does the same thing, he gets bad press.


Respectfully,
Brian

Mintacular

I acknowledged the NBA finals should merit more coverage than the NHL simply for the fact that the NBA is more popular in the US than hockey. That said, it still got way too much ink IMO.

One of the main reasons that the NHL lacks ratings is that the mainstream sports press ignore it--and in ESPNs case--they do so because they have a financial interest to shove the NBA down our throats and has no reason to promote hockey, which is aired on Versus and ABC's competitor NBC. Your popularity cannot grow if the the biggest sports media outlet refuses to cover your sport adequately.

As for the Shaq Kobe "feud" storyline, etc., that was a story ginned up by ESPN in the first place to spike interest in the Lakers, etc. Nothing there. Fake drama.

Kobe can be happy but he has been far from a victim of media coverage. The media has been kissing his rear end for quite some time now, and nary a story about his Denver sexual assault in recent years because the NBA and ESPN are in lockstep to promote the league/sell advertising. For the 100's of stories that I've seen about Kobe and his greatness not one revisted that situation because he is a media darling and they have been desperately trying to scrub clean their (deserved) tarnished image.

I think David Stein has a red phone direct line to ESPN's Bill Simmons/Stewart Scott/Mike Wilbon when NBA coverage is lacking or too negative...

halosfan

Wow ... so they agressively marketed programming across their multiple media outlets. Why wouldn't they do that?

nam812

If only there was a Sports Talk Forum for misplaced threads like this one.

bman90278

<< <i>If only there was a Sports Talk Forum for misplaced threads like this one. >>



Very true!

Mintacular

I didn't see you bother to remind this poster of that forum: Thread Title: Sosa meet A-rod, Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiroid, Tejadao.

God forbid a major sports issue be accidentally discussed in this forum, especially since these topics NEVER make their way over here.

bman90278

<< <i>
Kobe can be happy but he has been far from a victim of media coverage. The media has been kissing his rear end for quite some time now, and nary a story about his Denver sexual assault in recent years because the NBA and ESPN are in lockstep to promote the league/sell advertising. For the 100's of stories that I've seen about Kobe and his greatness not one revisted that situation because he is a media darling and they have been desperately trying to scrub clean their (deserved) tarnished image.
>>



Kobe put himself in a very bad situation in Denver, but Kobe was not tried and he was not proven guilty. I'm not saying Kobe was innocent. That's not my place to do so. Why would ESPN even want to run any coverage on Kobe's Denver situation? What are you crazy? Do you want to drag someone through the mud when nothing was proven? Give me a break.

Kobe a media darling??? LMAO He was even beat up here in LA for many years.

Why don't you talk about Dwight Howard and all of the Superman stories that were ran or all of the Lebron features....That's called marketing. You don't like it, then don't watch it.

Respectfully,
Brian

bman90278

Double post...sorry

nam812

<< <i>.........God forbid a major sports issue be accidentally discussed in this forum, especially since these topics NEVER make their way over here. >>



They aren't supposed to be discussed in this forum because then other dimwits will do it too, and threads that are actually on topic will get pushed to the bottom. It's the main reason the Sports Talk Forum was created. Please tell me you understand that.

samspop

Wrong forum, or not, I am going to have to agree with Mintacular on this. Not that I blame ESPN for promoting what makes them money, but there was an unbalanced coverage of the NBA and NHL finals. I have to agree also that the NHL finals was sooooo much better as far as a true viewing experience than what the NBA finals turned out to be. As an East Coast sports fan, it seems as if the sports media outlets look at the Lakers as a "League of One" and that, if they are on TV, or if there is a story, they are the headlines...much like the "League of One" Yankees...But, it all goes back to bottom line dollars.

Ok, with that said, this will probably be the only time I ever agree with Mintacular.

dfr52

<< <i>Wrong forum, or not, I am going to have to agree with Mintacular on this. Not that I blame ESPN for promoting what makes them money, but there was an unbalanced coverage of the NBA and NHL finals. I have to agree also that the NHL finals was sooooo much better as far as a true viewing experience than what the NBA finals turned out to be. As an East Coast sports fan, it seems as if the sports media outlets look at the Lakers as a "League of One" and that, if they are on TV, or if there is a story, they are the headlines...much like the "League of One" Yankees...But, it all goes back to bottom line dollars.

Ok, with that said, this will probably be the only time I ever agree with Mintacular. >>



I'm with you, the company is going to do what makes them money. It seems like the NBA Finals had the larger draw so they provided more coverage. The fans wanted more and at the same time ESPN got to promote the NBA Finals.

Mintacular

I understand there is a another forum that better fits this topic but every once in a while I think it's ok to "bend the rules" and post over here...

As for the Kobe "Denver" situation I generally agree that should not have been a major topic but I didn't even smell a whiff about that story during the 2008-09 Sportscenter "Kobe Hero-Worshipping" season--apparently that story would've sullied that storyline.

Also, ESPN has no problem digging into players' past like Bonds' Burress Moss Pacman, etc. but when their own NBA is at risk the story gets buried.

So yes, there is a double standard, and if you can't see the obvious nexus between NBA ABC DISNEY ESPN and Sportscenter BIAS then you are blinded by LA light wrapped up like a douche another boner in the night...

nightcrawler

I agree with everyone.

nightcrawler

Sounds to me like Disney's just doing busines the way they feel it should be done.

mtcards

IMO, until the NBA starts enforcing rules like....travelling, calling offensive fouls on big men bangers and putting an emphasis on shooting baskets rather than free throws, the NBA will continue to blow, like it has since the retirement of Bird, Magic, Barkley, etc. It is absolutley painful to watch any game anymore because it is nothing more than a free throw shooting contest and a slam dunk fest wrapped into one. Stick with college, it is REAL basketball

TomGshotput

<< <i>I acknowledged the NBA finals should merit more coverage than the NHL simply for the fact that the NBA is more popular in the US than hockey. That said, it still got way too much ink IMO. >>



Then stop watching ESPN and start watching media outlets that focus more attention on the NHL. If enough customers do that ESPN will change the way they do business. If few people do so, they will resist change

It is true that more customers follow NBA simply because ESPN and other media give it more exposure. When ESPN puts on billiards a lot of people watch simply because for no other reason than they are conditioned to turing the TV to that station. That doesn't mean it isn't a two way street. That just makes it even more important for you to give your business to other places

Interestingly, I have the exact opposite view that you have: ESPN gives too much air time to hockey based on customer preferance, but they do so simply as a sense of journalistic integrity

Alfonz24

I am sorry this happened to you.

Mintacular

Yep, the 3 minute hockey segment at the end of sports center during the regular season is WAY too much coverage. I do limit my ESPN watching but there really aren't many good alternatives.

For the record, I still haven't forgiven ESPN for the TITLETOWN disaster and BRACKETOLOGY when friggin' Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods were somehow competing against each other or whatever that crap was...

Back to my original point, did you read those terrible Rick Reilly and Simmons LA Lakers columns currently clogging up space on their homepage?

NickM

Turn on a sports talk radio show. Now wait for a hockey caller.

Nick