Sports E.D.

The four letter word at the center of my world is not girl, beer, and most definitely no class. It is ESPN, and ESPN runs the sports world. It is impossible to be a sports fan and be informed through an agency other than ESPN. Whether you want to watch and event or be informed about a league, ESPN is the intermediary. They determine who announces the game, which will catch the lead in Sportscenter, what analyst will have an opinion and what that opinion will be. With four networks, a magazine, national and local radio, a flourishing website, immensely popular columnists, the broadcasting rights to MNF, MLB game of the week, the NBA three nights a week, 14 hours of in season college sports on Saturday and opinion shows such as PTI, Rome, and the Horn, there are more sports media outlets than can be consumed at any one time. ESPN is unquestionably at the center of the sports world.
A sports media monopoly such as ESPN can have a highly positive impact on the fanatic. With the multitude of outlets, the information is reported as soon as it breaks on the internet, radio, and every television channel. Not only is the information there, but the analysis is almost instantaneous as well. Consider the release of Terrell Owens by the Dallas Cowboys after 11 PM EST on a weeknight. Within 15 minutes of the release, Ed Werder, Michael Smith, and the entire NFL Live crew had all put in their two cents on the impact this would have on the Cowboys, the NFC East race, how T.O. would handle the situation, possible suitors, and where he would fit in best. This type of coverage would be unimaginable in 1979, when the fan in San Diego would find out about the release the following morning in the newspaper, with little to no analysis. For the information hungry fan, ESPN is the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. This is a good thing.
However, like with any other Monopoly, there are drawbacks. The gaping flaw in ESPN’s dominance over sports is the “ESPN Darling” (ED). The EDs are the stories, teams, and topics that ESPN beat into the ground with no sign of letting up. For instance, the coverage given to Owens was not even remotely matched for any other player news over the entire NFL off season. This includes the signing of arguably the best defensive player in the league, Albert Hayneswerth. This is, of course, because Owens is an ED. Need more proof? Terrell Owens may have or may not have had a thought and/or dream about committing suicide in the prime of his career. This is a 10 second story, yet there were press conferences, shows preempted, and a suicide watch on the 6th best receiver in the league. A little over the top? Absolutely. I remember watching the breaking news on Terrell’s personal battle with life waiting for there to actually be news to break. Unfortunately, there was not. I am still bitter about those 20 minutes I will never get back.
Other EDs? The NFC East. The fourth best division in the NFL, yet somehow it is a crime all four teams do not make the playoffs. It is also impossible, but there is still time to change that. Brett Favre? Fine quarterback. Two Super Bowls, one Ring. He strapped it up, regardless of health, for good and bad teams for nearly two decades. Favre was truly blessed with a rocket and a competitive spirit. A fine football player. However, since he has become an ED, the Legend of Brett Favre has transformed into something that no man can ever live up to. The saga over his retirement was completely unnecessary. There were two days over the 08 off season that Bret Favre was a news story: When he retired and when he was traded to the Jets. There was no reason for me to know about the texts he was sending the GM from Mississippi, or for me to watch him run stairs and throw passes at a high school. This is not newsworthy, let alone headline material for the worldwide leader. The only reason it is presented in such a fashion is because ESPN falls in love with certain stories and topics, and runs with them, telling the viewer it is important; and because it is on ESPN it is important. And yes, there actually are THIRTEEN other teams in the American League, and some of them may have signed a free agent or two this off season. I really don’t know, it isn’t on the web site. But I can tell you how Jeter feels about the Mirror Photos, that C.C. is an Oakland Raiders fan, and that the Mark Tex-whatever signing will put Jeter in an awkward position when he no longer has Short Stop range in 3 years but is still under contract. Yes, that is correct, 2012 position battles taking place in the War Room between Steve Phillips and John Kruk. The Greatest Rivalry in Sports? You bet. Nationally Televised 19 times, five minute montages that will undoubtedly include Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, the A-Roid Slap, and will most likely conclude with lightning bolts, thunder, and Petey “ole”ing Don Zimmer’s malicious and/or sexual advances.
The Boston/New York rivalry dates back to the beginning of baseball, the Highlanders and the Pilgrims were flagship franchises in the original American League; no one debates this. However, until ESPN made the rivalry more important than any other aspect in baseball, no one cared outside of Boston and New York. The Dodgers and the Giants hate each other just as much as Boston and New York, and the fans have felt just as passionately for just as long. The same can be said for the Cubs and the Cardinals, where a three game weekend series at the end of August can make or break careers. Imagine if Peter Gammons got his start with the St. Louis Post Dispatch instead of a Boston paper, the Cubs /Cards series would be the greatest rivalry in sports. The dynamics are undeniably similar; two major cities, intensely passionate about their teams that are more popular than any other team in the city. The one franchise going decades without a World Championship, decades of futility, while the other has a history of championships and a boat load of Hall of Famers. Both teams have historic stadiums, premier managers and elite players. The Cubbies and Cards are consistently in the playoff push as of late, and have marketable, extremely talented players. Nothing means more to the two cities than when the hated rival is in town, you can feel it in the air when walking towards the stadium at Busch. The Cubs are here, and we need to defend our home. This is baseball and this is a rivalry. However, only two cities know about it. The rest of the country is force fed Boston/New York not because the rivalry is better, or that the teams are better; but because ESPN has chosen the two teams as their baseball ED’s.
Does the NFC East get all the attention because it is the most popular division in football, or is it the most popular division in football because it gets all the attention? One thing is for certain, it is most definitely not the best division in football. The NFC South, as a division, had a better overall record. The AFC South, AFC East, and NFC East all had 38 wins. There is no reason to say the best teams in football are found in NFC East. The benching of McNabb was national news, but the quarterback toggling in Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas City, and Cleveland flew under the radar without daily Jaworski analysis. McNabb is clearly a talented quarterback, he lead his team to within one game of the Super Bowl; but why does his benching and his overall importance take precedent over all others when only Philly fans care? ESPN tells us to, and like good sports fans, we obey.
Opening Day is this Sunday, and we as a nation should do our very best to passionately cheer for the teams close to our hearts; even if that team plays in Tampa, Kansas City, or Oakland, and not the Northeast. Eventually that Dodgers/Giants rivalry, that for years pit one coworker against another in a cross town battle will be on the same plane in our minds as the Yanks and Sox. Eventually a Matt Ryan led Falcons will find themselves under the same microscope after a blowout loss in the Superdome that the Cowboys find themselves under weekly. There is just as much charisma and talent in the rest of the sporting world, and it’s about time we all found out.