I've finally had enough.
I can't stand back and watch these meaningless, empty stories circulate around the sports world anymore.
For almost all of today the big story on ESPN has not been about the incredible, five-set Wimbledon Final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. No, it's been about the "news" that Alex Rodriguez is getting a divorce.
Really?
A-Rod hit his 536th career home run yesterday, which ties him with Mickey Mantle on the all-time list. Who cares if he is getting a divorce? It's not like they found out he's on steroids, or anything related to the sport.
His wife is leaving him. Big deal.
This type of stuff is happening more and more, and it's just getting sickening. The people that are in charge at SportsCenter need to just stick to sports reporting.
Could anyone here imagine if people in the media were this bad when Mickey Mantle played? Mantle was an alcoholic, cheated on his wife religiously, and very often came to the ballpark sick from drinking the night before.
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The reporters now would eat him alive.
How about Babe Ruth? Widely considered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest baseball player of all-time. He was drunk all of the time, ate horribly, cheated on his wife, yet treated like a Roman God.
Let's go to basketball with Wilt Chamberlain. He was with multiple women every night, but, when people talk about him, it's always about the 100-point game or his astronomical rebounding numbers.
When word spread about his "20,000 women under the sea" in his book, that is when the media started ripping into him, because it was just getting into the era of reporting about the private lives of players and not their playing career.
Then they tried to get Michael Jordan because he had a gambling problem. Is it really a big deal? He's human, he's flawed; leave him alone. The same thing happened to Charles Barkley, and he's not even a player anymore.
I know the world is different now than it was back then, but what players do in their private lives is no one's business but that of the man involved. If they are supposed to be role models, then don't report the negative stuff.
Most of the gutless robots that work at SportsCenter think the reason the Giants went to the NFC Championship game is because Tony Romo and Jason Witten went to Mexico during their week off.
No, the reason the Giants won that game is because their defensive line messed the Cowboys up.
They have to spend seven or eight segments talking about it for 5-to-10 minutes at a time. Oftentimes I try to avoid watching ESPN as much as I can when something like this is circulating around the media.
Reporting it just to get it out to the general public is one thing, but they can't just stop there. It's everything when it should be practically nothing.
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about 1 month ago
Hallejuah...someone wrote what I've been thinking for years. THANK YOU.
from about 1 month ago
I will say this, some shows still do a pretty good job of covering the good stuff...This morning Mike and Mike did a great job of covering the tennis match, and they had only 4 hours, haha. They did cover the A-Rod stuff to though. I'm guessing by your pic you watch First Take or Cold Pizza, whatever Jay Crawford does, I would listen to M&M, its infinetely better.
from about 1 month ago
The choice for the picture is to put the poster boy of lame reporting on the front. I know Jay Crawford has a boss and has to report what his boss tells him to, I just wish the big whigs cared more about sport and not scandal.
about 1 month ago
amen my brotha! preach on!
about 1 month ago
I agree with you 100%.
However, in the tabloid/paparazzi era we live in today, scandals of all nature are what sell and draw in a wider range of audience. Whether they be about Britney Spears or Arod. It's unfortunate, but it's just how things are nowadays.
That's why sites like PerezHilton.com get millions of hits a day and why paparazzi outlets like TMZ have a show daily on FOX. Eventually, the scandal driven stories were going to leak into the sports media outlets and that is where we are. It sucks but it is what it is.
about 1 month ago
I can only imagine how difficult to live in a fishbowl that gives people access to every little thing you do, what concerts or games you attend..who your wife visited over a weekend for support...i really don't care or need an update. Personally..ignorance is bliss!
Great post!!!!
Diana
about 1 month ago
great article... if you want sports reporting than look at ESPN news network its pretty straight to the point... but they do this to increase the ratings
about 1 month ago
Great article! I couldn't agree more, screw A-Rod's divorce and leave it for the Enquirer! I happened to watch that Federer Nadal match, and it was the sickest, greatest tennis match I've ever saw! ESPN is turning like Tom Brady said, "into a sports version of MTV."
about 1 month ago
Man, I totally agree. Big shocker that he's getting divorced. Honestly -- who gives a damn, though? Sports casts are becoming more and more like TMZ.
about 1 month ago
It will never happen. Sports died when Disney bought ESPN. The fact that Sportscenter still occasionally airs highlights continues to amaze me.
about 1 month ago
I'm with you 100%, but for the part about Wilt's amorous conquests. Man if that isn't sport I don't know what is! The endurance it must've taken....
about 1 month ago
Thank you! I blasted ESPN in some emails, and was going to write the same type article til I sat this beaut! pick o day! To think Walt Disney promtes this garbage, I am pulling stocks out of em to invest in shale drilling...we'll all be rich as hell!
about 1 month ago
Someone should tell ESPN its about quality not quantity. ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, ESPNNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Ocho, ESPN in Espanol, ESPN360, ESPN the Magazine, ESPN.com, ESPN on the cell phone, ESPN the shoe, ESPYs.
Every Sport Plus News. no more.
about 1 month ago
...but you really didnt have to follow suit and bash all those athletes. theyre not paid to be saints, and have more pit falls available then most. Did you know that the NY Daily News pays detectives to actually follow A-Rod, and now Clemens too? Scumbag moves by sports media who wish to become tabloids to make money off of gossip....half these boobs never even played, or were always the last picked! amazing. Good write
from about 1 month ago
I wasn't trying to bash those athletes, I was just pointing out that some of the "legends" that we've grown up idolizing aren't as squeeky clean as we once understood. The fact is, every era of athletes is going to have guys getting into trouble in many different ways. I just don't think its the job of sportswriters and the general sports media to cover it like it's really that important to the common fan. Let the slimeballs that cover all the other crap involving celebrities do it, stick to writing sports and don't just follow the mold. Thanks for the picks and all the feedback though, it's greatly appreciated.
about 1 month ago
Marcus, as a media junkie myself, I know exactly where your frustration is coming from. Along with the scandals that never seem to be reported is the constant updates on Brett Favre. Never ending columns, talk, replays, inside sources, etc. ESPN really made a name for itself when they did the same over-coverage of the Terrell Owens suicide attempt that turned out to be a hoax.
Anyway, thank you for writing a truly great column that everyone on this website can relate to and has seen first hand.
about 1 month ago
How else will any of us lowly sport's fans be able to compare ourselves to the great men (or women) of the sports worl except to compare our sins and shortcomings? This is what makes their sports record breaking performances so great. There is some level where we are able to identify with them, just not on a level of excellence, but in our shortcomings.
about 1 month ago
absolutely....its espn....i never would have thought i would hate an all sportsnetwork coverage of sports.....espnnews is only channel worth watching
about 1 month ago
I don't mind if they touch on the scandal for a few minutes, but when it becomes all a show talks about the majority of the time...then it sucks. I think the bigger story is A-Rod's image. I mean if the allegations are true, he'll be known as a cheater (with his wife). Okay, so it's certainly not at the level of steroids or performance enhancers, but the man will be taking a PR hit if this Madonna stuff is true. Let's not forget, two little girls are in the middle of a potentially messing divorce. That's who's really gonna be suffering.
about 1 month ago
Awesome article, I wish I could make it my pick of the millennium.
The best thing I ever saw on ESPN was a feature about the history of the play action pass, and it was incredibly interesting, except it was on at noon on a weekday, I just happened to be home. I wish they would show more stuff like that and back off the Pacman, Imus, T.O. garbage.
about 1 month ago
While I agree that every sports show from Sportscenter all the way to down to my local "Sportsnite" on FSN South constantly barrages their audience with senseless, mindless, and empty stories...it is the world we live in.
We live in a world where there are TV channels dedicated to anything and everything sports 24/7. We only have ourselves to blame as our society literally and figuratively "eats our own youth". People are getting paid 6 or 7 figure salaries to dig for these kinds of stories and they will never dissipate. As long as there are people on the earth, they will want to know what is going on with the rich and famous (sometimes infamous) affluent people in our society. It's human nature.
With all of that said, I really don't feel sorry for these athletes having their personal lives being broadcast around the world. They knew the life they signed up for. In my opinion, if you agree to the money and the good times..you have to agree to take the bad times and negative publicity.
about 1 month ago
Preach it, brutha! I'm sick of it too. The power of the Web is taking its toll. Everybody wants to get the scoop first so the story will generate a lot of page views.
Back in the old days, we all read about this stuff in the newspapers. On the back page. Where it belongs. Unfortunately, advertisers don't care about content on web sites...just page views.
about 1 month ago
I'm with you 100% and have been saying the same thing. If I wanted to read about A-Rod's love life, I would go buy a Cosmo, turn on TMZ, or check out the tabloids.
about 1 month ago
Amen to that brother!
about 1 month ago
ZOMGGGG!
BREAKING NEWS: Lebron James just ordered Domino's Pizza.
Vegetarian or Meat Lover's? We'll tell you, after the break.
about 1 month ago
"Gutless Robots"... that's a little strong eh? Unless you are talking about Pedro Gomez of course...
"Barry, Barry, can I have a word with you?"
On a serious note, I think that what happens nowadays is that the average customer of sports such as you or myself, we see the colossal amounts of money these guys are getting paid, so we expect them to be absolutely robotic people, like Lebron James, who the NBA tries to sell as a global icon.
Because of this, the press knows that we, the customer, will act shocked when news breaks of athletes going through off field troubles, and they try to capture as much of that as they can because they use that junk as a selling point.
from about 1 month ago
Maybe that was a little strong, but not too far off. One time I'd like to see one of the guys on these shows take a stand and just ask why are we even talking about this? It's not relevant to any major sport, let's talk about something else. Many of them nowadays are too scared to say anything outside the box when they are talking about sports that their reports aren't that great anymore anyway. I'm still going to watch these shows because as much as I disagree with some of their "big stories" I still like a good majority of it. I just wish they didn't sell out like this to get ratings.
about 1 month ago
You all make good points but at the same time these are professional athletes so whatever they do, on or off the field, will be reported.
Did you not want to hear why Michael Vick wasn't playing football this year and in jail? Are you saying just leave it a mystery to the public?
You said if they are suppose to be role models then why report negative stuff. Are you being serious, you would rather us live in ignorance than know the truth. Should a 10 year old kid look up to a man who is an adulter, or rapiest, or a wife beater?
from about 1 month ago
Any big star in the sports world has to be looked at as perfect off the field. It's not fair to them, regardless of the money they make. What they do when they are being interviewed, on camera, etc. is one thing. My main beef is that these "reporters" get an anonymous tip about someone and that becomes the focus of the day. Most of these reports start out with "My sources tell me". Well how credible are everyones sources? I just want to be able to turn on a sports news show and hear just that, sports news. I don't turn SportCenter on in the morning to hear about A-Rod's marital issues, Charles Barkley's gambling problem, or Tony Romo's vacation plans with a friend and their girlfriends. There are shows for that, just not sports shows.
If I had a 10 year old kid I can't say I'd be happy if his role model was a guy that came off clean but had those type of problems. It's like with any celebrity/athlete, you respect what they do when they are playing or acting, not what they do in their private life at night clubs or with their marriages. These kids are looking up to them because they like what they can do on the field and thus try to imitate them when they are learning the sport. Did all those kids turn away from MJ when he was being ripped for his gambling trips to Atlantic City? No, they still cheered him on when he was on the court doing his thing.
about 1 month ago
I agree 100% with this. But ESPN is trying to get ratings, and A-Rod is at the very least a "person of interest" to many sports fans and what happens in his life is something some people care about. I do think Nadal-Federer got plenty of airplay too, but the A-Rod thing should get a lot less attention.
about 1 month ago
ESPN-- The *Entertainment* and Sports Network. I guess the "entertainment" part dominates today. There was a time when ESPN actually showed sports, you know those little games and competitions that people participate it. Now, it's all talking heads with crystal balls and minimal actual sports action. Time for a new sports network that will actually show games and give solid journalistic analysis, not give a stage for Sean Salisbury and Merrill Hoge.
about 1 month ago
I hope these scandals don't interfere with ESPN's search for Titletown.
from about 1 month ago
Don't even joke about that, haha.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah i really care about Titletown.
Almost as much as finding out who is more "now" between Tiger and King James.
I love ESPN is now TMZ.
from about 1 month ago
Ugh, the "Who's Now" debate was the worst. I thought ESPN had reached the pinnacle of lame, but I was wrong. They definitely outdid themselves with this Titletown crapola. But I'm sure everyone agrees that Lawrence, Kansas is Titletown. Yeah...right.
For whatever reason ESPN thinks that their old style of reporting - which involved notifying the public of stats, scores, and game highlights - doesn't work anymore, and it's time to turn it up a notch. Bad move. I don't need ESPN to tell me that Tiger is more "Now" than Lebron, and I certainly don't need to know that the Middle of Nowhere is crowned Titletown. It's pathetic, sad and boring.
about 1 month ago
I loved to hear about the "blockbuster" trade on nba draft night with Minnesota and Memphis. Let's see here, 2 unproven rookies, 1 good shooter, and 4 other guys that are just moving again. Not quite the level of some of the trades that took place during the NBA season or the trade Minnesota made during the 07 draft in my eyes.
about 1 month ago
Well thought-out piece. I would suggest that the story involving one of baseball's biggest names (if not the biggest) and Madonna (not that anyone has heard of her) is going to make news in and out of the sports world, and ESPN would be remiss not to discuss the news.
However your point of it being overplayed is something I agree with. I had to listen to talk of this all weekend, prior to the actual filing yesterday. It got boring, but everyone has an opinion about it.
The way I see it is it's a story, but not worthy of much time or discussion because we don't know what's going on (aside from A-Rod's history of having a hooker at his side in Montreal) and it's really none of our business, except that it is A-Rod.
If you substituted Barack Obama's name for A-Rod, would this be newsworthy?
All I can say is use a little bit of your time to write the producers at ESPN. Don't just bitch here, say something to the people in charge. Be concise and to the point.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact
about 1 month ago
Actually, I was surprised to see on SC this morning that they only mentioned it for about 3 seconds, by saying, "it is not our business to discuss A-Rod's personal problems, but here is what happened." And they just said what is going on, they didn't talk about it, they just mentioned it quickly. That is fine to me, because that is what media is supposed to do: let us know what is going on. Not tell us what to think. Great job to ESPN for not dragging on it, and going to the stuff we care about, namely sports highlights and recaps
about 1 month ago
great article. I grew a basketball junkie. Up until about 22 if I wasn't playing I was watching someone with the intent on learning from them. Its a game I have some passion for and even when it becomes game time- playoffs, finals, etc- these days all the media gives you is fluff and BS about the "mental game". I want to hear about basketball. I think the when sports stars celebrity started crossing over to other areas of popular culture (Micheal's shoes/movies, Anna hottest etc) it opened a new can of worms and has the sports media reporting to the general public who get pulled in by this stuff instead of sports fans who want to hear about the games. They aren't famous althetes anymore they are celbrities and are open to the same intrusive and over judgemental reporting as any pop stars. ESPN sucks but like you said they certainly are not alone. I have a friend who is the local HS sports editor for a major paper in our area and he even gets pushed to include and FIND as many "human interest" angles as possible.
about 1 month ago
I must respond to "Shit". Really thought out your handle didn't you? ESPN reports what the public wants to hear about? Is that what you want to hear about, the tabloid crap, huh, Shit? You, apparently are the entire "public". You've got a real innate talent for written expression, you know that? Maybe you should write a book. Better yet, try reading one first. There is nothing wrong with mentioning the problems and troubles sports personalities get themselves into, but to continually spend more time on it than the actual reporting of the "real" sports news is getting completely out of control, and you know it. Sportscenter, Mike and Mike, First Take, Around The Horn, PTI, they all went way overboard with that idiotic story about A-Rod and Madonna. The only one I heard say he didn't want to talk about it was Wilbon on PTI. Good for him and everyone else out there that agrees. Clean up your language a little bit and say something more worthwhile than that of a common thug next time.
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