As Mike Greenberg signed off of SportsCenter yesterday, he declared Tony Romo's busted pinkie "the biggest story in all of sports."
The biggest story? Really Mike?
ESPN made it seem like Romo is out for three years, not three or four weeks.
It was the same type deal when Tom Brady's knee got blown up. ESPN made it seem like the world had ended and everybody was supposed to be glued to their televisions because Brady got hurt.
Now, it's not breaking news that ESPN has a bias towards the big-time teams. Case in point, last night's Monday Night Football pregame show was dedicated to Romo's pinkie when you had the Super Bowl Champs playing the Cleveland Browns.
If it was up to them, the NFL would consist of just a few teams: Patriots, Jets, and the NFC East. This isn't a shock considering where they are located, but come on people, cool it with the the freakin' bias.
It's the same with baseball: Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, and Cubs.
With ESPN, and more notably ESPN Radio, you have only a certain amount of things to talk about. I tuned in to ESPN about three times yesterday, every stinkin' time it was about Romo and the Cowboys.
I then turned on ESPN Radio and Jason Smith, who does the late night show, was still talking about Romo going to Cabo with Jessica Simpson. I mean on, drop it already with the Cabo talk!
It's not just limited to the NFL, though. Remember when the New York Yankees were falling out of the playoff race? They were one game from being eliminated and ESPN was covering them like they had the best record in the league.
Does that make much sense? Not to me.
When the Tampa Bay Rays were still in first place in August, the Baseball Tonight crew was still saying they would fall out of the race and the Yankees would get in.
I understand that not everybody wants to hear about the teams that are at the bottom of each division. Although, can you imagine what the coverage would be like if the Cowboys or Patriots lost most of their remaining games?
And right as I am writing this, Adam Jones has just been suspended. Be ready to be drowned in even more coverage about the Cowboys.
Ed Werder will be stationed outside Cowboys headquarters for months. He might as well pitch a tent because we all know he is going to be there for weeks to come.
16 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Rory Davis 8 months ago
Daniel-
Great article..only two minor grammar tweaks..I agree with everything you had to say. I hate ESPNs East Coat bias...And this pacmac jones thing is going to be the top story for like 2 weeks...AHHHHHH
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
It really is. It's been the top story on every program they have since the news broke. I'm seriously so sick of it. I used to love ESPN so much and now the only thing I watch on a regular basis is PTI.
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JC Marundan 8 months ago
i agree with you 100 percent. i was watching nfl live today and all espn was talking about is the Dallas Cowboys. I mean like am a Redskins fan. I would love for them to go on some other topics other than the same old thing. Besides that everytime the Dallas Cowboys loses they spend all their tv time finding out reasons on how Dallas lost. Im mean like give credit on the the team that beat them.
BTW am with you Daniel. Big fan of the PTI.
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
Because they only do sports, they only talk about the same things on every show. It's the same way on their radio shows, if not worse.
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Samuel Lam 8 months ago
Because Sam Lam has to speak.
I watch ESPN often just because I need my instant sports fix. But yes, I just don't care anymore. The Yanks, Sox, Cowboys and all the other garbage I have to deal with everyday is just terrible. Their reporting on Brady was terrible. It's like when Anna Nicole died... was all that coverage necessary?
But then again, the East Coast dominates the West Coast. When i went to the East Coast this past summer, it's like the West Coast doesn't exist. Every sport outlet was focused solely on the East Coast.
But you know what? I don't care anymore. I'm just going to drown it out. It's ESPN's show and they can do whatever they want. Should it be done? Of course not. But the $$$ is with the East Coast and their favorite teams
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
Valid. It's true that the money and ratings being brought in when things are focused on the Boys or the Pats are higher.
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Rob Maccariello 8 months ago
Because Kellen Winslow's "undisclosed" injury is neither compelling, nor important in the grand scheme of things. Because the Lions, Eagles, 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Chiefs, and Raiders won't make the playoffs. Because people have never heard of Tavaris Jackson.
Welcome to America, pal. Celebritus Stalk-a-lot-us is a disease that plagues half the people who live here. It's why there are entire 30 minute shows and scores of magazines that just tell us what somebody famous did that month. I don't care where Britney Spears gets her eyebrows waxed, just as much as I don't care what shade of pink Tom Brady's scarf is as he leaves Gisele's apartment.
I want the news. The news is... in the toughest division in football, a team favored to win the Super Bowl lost its Pro Bowl quarterback for a short period of time. The borderline fellatious treatment of the situation can get annoying after a while, but that's a product of the sensationalist journalist world we live in.
I wrote an article on how the Cowboys have more to worry about besides Romo ob Bleacher Report... and you can't even find it on any of these pages because they have been inundated with "OHMYGOSH, ROMO= HURT!!! 1 one"
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
It's everyday though. They treated Romo getting hurt like he was lost for the season. ESPN has become more tabloid than actual reporting. Brett Favre saga anyone?
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Art Madonia Jr. 8 months ago
Well said my friend. That guy needs to get a grip.
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Rob Maccariello 8 months ago
*on Bleacher Report...
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Art Madonia Jr. 8 months ago
My geography must be way off here. But i did not know that Dallas was in the east. I am in PA that must be Far-West. Who cares, they are gonna report on what will get ratings. People care about the Yankees, Cowboys , and Patriots. And yes Tom Brady was a big story.
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
I don't care about them
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Samuel Lam 8 months ago
they aren't, but they are marketed as America's team still. And also, they play in the NFC East, which pretty much makes them a team of concern for the East Coast
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
Art,
I never Brady WASN'T a big story. Obviously the league MVP going down for the season is a big story. But the way they covered the Romo story was just the same as Brady.
And yes, Sam. Totally agree with you. Because they are advertised as "America's Team," ESPN thinks every single person who tunes in cares about them.
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edwin ramirez 8 months ago
the fact that the cowboys are a big story every time something happens, is no surprise. you have to understand that the elite teams ARE going to get more press. the boys are on a super bowl or bust run, not so much the patriots but, they are always a favorite to win it all. also the yanks, red sox, and any other team in a big market that are supposed to make a run at the title. get used to it. even the ridiculous drama that just so happens to take place within a professional organisation. espn is just as guilty for over exposing sports as cnn or msnbc are for embelishing news in the real world. no one really says anything about that. so... we pick and choose our battles and we move on. the boys are interesting from the owner to the corner on the field. thats why hbo did hard knocks featuring the ball club. everyone wants to know even if they dont. to be honest with you... my favorite story that no one is really talking about is: joe torre and his greatness as a manager. im a yanks fan and rooted for the dodgers all year. in my opinion, the yankees organization made the biggest boneheaded move of all prior to the season. torre would have most definatley have gotten new york in. but thats a story no one wants to hear....
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Danny Penza 8 months ago
You say everybody wants to know even if they don't. Honestly, I don't. Why? Because ESPN has killed it. If they covered something other than Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, Patriots, then maybe I would be interested.
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