Archive for the ‘ESPN’ Category

Monday Morning Media Culpa

Posted by Dustin Parkes under CBC, Chad Scott, Desmond Howard, Don Cherry, ESPN, Hockey Day In Canada, Hockey Night In Canada, Media Culpa, Phil Mickelson, Yahoo! Sports on Feb 11, 2013

mcleanptboOn Saturday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation celebrated Hockey Day In Canada with more than a dozen hours of coverage dedicated to the sport, including the broadcast of National Hockey League games involving all seven Canadian teams throughout the day. Since 2000, a hockey-mad community from somewhere in the country hosts a remote broadcast of Hockey Night In Canada that lasts the entire day. In addition to the games, the CBC features several personal interest stories that reinforce the sport’s place in the nation’s culture.

This year’s host city was Peterborough, Ontario, where frozen parts of the Trent-Severn Waterway and the old Memorial Centre arena provided on-site locations for Ron MacLean, assorted panels of “experts” and Don Cherry to preach nationalism in the guise of advice to keep one’s stick on the ice while in front of the net. It’s a cynic’s field day, but before we turn a critical eye to the viewer grab and the glossed over motivations of the broadcast, it should be mentioned that the coverage represents some of Canada’s best sports television.

Read the rest of this entry »

19 Comments

Monday Morning Media Culpa

Posted by Dustin Parkes under Caleb Moore, CBC, CBS, Don Cherry, ESPN, Media Culpa, National Football League, Winter X-Games on Feb 04, 2013

The Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of sports broadcasts. Everything about the spectacle is enormous, and spectators have come to expect that enormity along with everything that goes with it. Less than three per cent of Americans claim to be fans of the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers, and yet more than ten times that percentage of the United States watched last night’s game. It’s a sporting event that goes beyond the classification of a mere distraction and enters into the realm of cultural significance.

A successful broadcast of such a happening is a fake wizard that doesn’t get noticed. An unsuccessful exhibition of the spectacle will keep Toto barking for hours. Unfortunately for CBS, it didn’t take a yappy dog for tens of millions of viewers  to be made painfully aware of the machinations of the television broadcast throughout the network’s six hours of coverage.

Read the rest of this entry »

12 Comments

Today In Patronizing Headlines

Posted by Dustin Parkes under ESPN, Media Culpa on Jan 31, 2013

ESPN’s Streak For The Cash is a next-level sports gaming contest that allows users to pick the winners of as many games as they can in a row. This month, Traci L. from Lewis Center, Ohio, won $100,000 for picking 27 straight games. However, a far more shocking development than accurately selecting so many consecutive outcomes seems to be the fact that Traci L. is a woman.

Judging from the text of ESPN’s announcement, a female winner is a rarity, which might lead some to safely assume that fewer females than males have enough time on their hands to enter such frivolous contests. Unfortunately, blasting a “Female Takes January Stash Again!” headline might also infer an unfair measure of astonishment that a woman would be capable of competing with men at predicting the results of sports match ups. Sacre bleu!

While this might not be as condescending as writing A Girl’s Guide To Watching Sports, stating the gender of the winner as though it’s a surprising development without reference to what makes it surprising leaves room for the announcement to come across as patronizing.

Thanks to Darren Kritzer for the tip.

Update: ESPN has changed the headline.

5 Comments

Just Stop Godding Up Athletes, Already

Posted by Dustin Parkes under Deadspin, ESPN, Ivan Maisel, Manti Te’o, Media Culpa, NCAA Football, Notre Dame on Jan 25, 2013

The writer who likens a ballplayer to Hercules or Grendel’s mother is displaying the ultimate contempt — the ballplayer no longer exists as a person or a performer, but as an object, a piece of matter to be used, in this case, for the furtherance of the sportswriter’s career by pandering to the emotional titillation of the reader/fan.

— Robert Lipsyte

Last week, when sports journalism seemed to be entering its most sobering hour with the revelation that the much-celebrated Manti Te’o story – which involved the glorious overcoming of great obstacles – was at least in part falsely manufactured, it was expected that the rehabilitation period for sports writers drunk with myth-making capabilities might last a full 28 days.

While imagining that lasting principles are to be quickly gleaned from a single event is likely naive, there seemed to be an upswelling of understanding that feature stories milking aspects of an athlete’s personal life and packaging it to nurse the most childish of intellects might not be in the best interest of sports journalists seeking a reputation for professionalism.

Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

The Manti Te’o Timeline

Posted by Dustin Parkes under Deadspin, ESPN, Katie Couric, Lennay Kekua, Manti Te’o, NCAA Football, Notre Dame, Sports Illustrated on Jan 23, 2013

Part of the appeal of the investigative report on Manti Te’o and the non-existence of Lennay Kekua that Deadspin published on January 16th was its lack of a conclusion. Yes, the wonderful research by Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey left little doubt that a hoax had been perpetrated, most certainly on us, and possibly on Manti Te’o.  However, there was a sense of open sourcing to the story. Like a software developer more concerned with creating something useful than actually making money from the creation, Deadspin left possibilities open for readers to discover on their own. The website quoted someone who was “80 percent sure,” and left hints as to how those using social media might find more information through online searches.

In contrast, it’s been widely judged that ESPN, who was made aware of something fishy to do with Te’o's dead girlfriend a day before Deadspin, fumbled the story by attempting to land an interview with Te’o prior to publishing anything, and generally taking too long to track a story that took place largely through social media and online technology. However, even if they had been timelier with a report on Te’o and Kekua, I doubt that the story would have had the same appeal. I doubt that the story would’ve left room for ownership by anyone else other than ESPN.

Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments

Monday Morning Media Culpa

Posted by Dustin Parkes under Brent Musburger, Brian Burke, CBS, ESPN, FOX, Katherine Webb, Lance Armstrong, Media Culpa, National Football League, National Hockey League, Sports Illustrated, Steve Simmons, The Sunday Times on Jan 14, 2013


If we are to be judged, it’s likely best that we’re judged by the decisions that we make. However, some people’s decisions, and the process by which they make them, are a little more accessible than others. So, it makes sense that the decisions that these unfortunate people make receive a greater amount of scrutiny than what is typical.

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired General Manager Brian Burke this past week, and while the termination likely has to do with factors beyond the decisions that the head of the team made during his tenure in charge, such matters were only hinted at during a press conference on Saturday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre. There was a moment during the question and answer period though where it appeared as though Burke’s manicured and restrained response to his dismissal might break down. It came on a question from Paul Hendrick of Leafs TV. He asked, “How disappointing is it that you’re not going to be able to stay here and finish the job.”

Burke started with a stock answer, “Well, I think. I think you can make the case …” He paused. Looked away. Looked back at the reporter. “I think I can make the case that ….” Pause. He looked down. Silence. It promised to be a President Bartlett moment, but then, gathered and collected, he resumed, “I think that’s a case that I’ll let the media make.”

There was little doubt that in this moment, Burke’s honesty was being kept in check by either a sense of honor or desire to find another job. Both motivators would play a role in causing one to carefully consider one’s actions. He decided on the restrained approach. Moments later, Burke’s path along the high road took a slight detour.

Read the rest of this entry »

28 Comments
Newer Entries »