World Wide Leader in bias

Even though it is the largest and most influential sports media outlet, ESPN has been thrashed in the blogosphere continually for a while now. People complain about the World Wide Leader in Sports’ blatant East Coast bias and over-reliance on the “Let’s put two guys together and let them yell at each other about every topic” format. \nHowever, I never supported the criticisms (although I could see viewer’s frustrations) and chalked it up to the usual jaded blog posters using their anonymity to rail on whatever they want. But I’ve seen the light. \nESPN is completely out of control, a shell of its former self. \nFormer Wide World of Sports anchor and downright awesome storyteller Jim McKay, who recently passed away, would be ashamed of ESPN’s current state. No longer does the network care about telling compelling sports stories or even reporting on them. Instead, they’d rather use their expansive reach and resources to create or kill whatever stories they see fit.\nThis past winter they essentially refused to acknowledge the major controversy surrounding football star Reggie Bush and whether or not he received gifts while at USC. When a book was released about the story in January, most major newspapers, as well as Sports Illustrated, CBS Sportsline and Yahoo Sports all ran investigatory pieces on the subject. \nESPN? They buried it at the bottom of their NCAA football page and didn’t allow the blowhards on “Around the Horn” or “First Take” to touch it, probably because Bush is a supposed superstar the kids are supposed to like. Who cares about the truth when you can sell jerseys, right?\nIn other respects, it truly does seems like their East Coast bias has been thrown into overdrive over the past year or so. More specifically, any news that deals with the city of Boston’s sport teams always seems to end up as a major “breaking news” story. \nWhen Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz hurt his wrist – an injury that may last longer than a month, but isn’t even career threatening – the folks up in Bristol tackled the issue as if Ortiz had just keeled over dead at home plate. During their 11 p.m. “Sportscenter,” the anchors mostly ignored the other stories just so random doctors could talk about Ortiz’s condition over a continuous loop of the injury footage. \nAnd although their Boston Celtics worship has continued all season, ESPN turned on one of their own when they wouldn’t let the Spygate/New England Patriots story die. The day turncoat Matt Walsh talked to NFL commissioner Goodell, ESPN featured the meeting all day. Pats coach Bill Belichick must have really ticked off the WWL, and ESPN tried to bury him. Even golden boy Tom Brady said ESPN needed to chill out with their incessant coverage.\nObviously, it’s not going anywhere, but ESPN is in a big hole with lots of sports fans. They need to just do their jobs by reporting on what’s going on, whether it fits their agenda or not. Either that or put Erin Andrews on-air for six hours a day.