Carmelo Anthony Media Coverage Is Good For NBA Despite David Stern's Comments
NBA Commissioner David Stern voiced his frustrations over constant media speculation about Carmelo Anthony’s contract situation and possible landing destinations for Anthony.
Stern spoke about whether the constant speculation about Carmelo could become a negative for the league during an interview with NBA fanhouse at All-Star Weekend.
"Yes, I think that,'' Stern said. “Honestly, it can't be helpful getting to the place where the sport is so popular now and the ruminations about it in the media so over the top, in a good way, I suppose, that if a player doesn't sign a new contract, the speculation begins.
Commissioner Stern singled out media speculation about the expiring contract of Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard as an instance where the media takes away from on the court accomplishments by constantly speculating about a player’s future.
"In fact, it's now gone to the next level. Poor Dwight Howard (of Orlando). He's out there playing his head off and the media is, 'Oh, where's he going next?' What is that all about? It's ridiculous.''
Commissioner Stern’s comments hold up well in theory and ideally it would be admirable to see this constant media attention focused solely on on the court play rather than rumor and aforementioned speculation.
It has become no secret that media coverage of college and professional sports has become a 24/7 industry in every sense of the word. In fact when describing the art of breaking a story I would imagine that many editors give their writers the same advice that Reese Bobby gave his son Ricky in Talladega Nights by saying that “if you’re not first your last.”
It would be all too convenient to depict an ever prying media as the villainous machine that is tearing away at the purity of the NBA.
With that being said I have a hard time believing that if Commissioner Stern had the option that he would part ways with all the media headlines and buzz that are generated as a result of rumor, speculation or hunch.
The NBA relies heavily on the star power of their elite performers and top talents and often uses their allure to sustain interest throughout an 82 game regular season that is over seven months long.
Yes, the media could focus their efforts more on game recaps and individual on the court performances and leave the off the court stories and potential leads alone. Honestly though, that would not be nearly as fun for the league or fans as the current system is.
The buzz that surrounds marquee players such as Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony is one of the main factors that allows the NBA to be a league that stays in the crosshairs of the media and consequently stays in the public eye for as often as it does.
Maybe sometimes the media’s infatuation for chasing stories and rumor is over the top, but the alternative is a much more bland and lifeless season that lacks a lot of the drama that we see in NBA coverage today.
Mr. Stern may be agitated with the media’s love affair for covering the “other side of the NBA”, but ultimately the alternative is not all it’s cracked up to be.
There is no end in sight to constant media coverage regarding expiring contracts, possible trades and NBA drama. This is the age we live in though and there is no stopping this ever-growing machine. Accept it for what it is, but don’t try to act as though the NBA isn’t dependant on the constant barrage of coverage that the media churns out through stories such as the Carmelo Anthony saga.
