Covering Chaos: What to do When all Hell Breaks Loose
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Let me be the first person to say that ESPN did a horrendous job in its coverage of last night’s ridiculous finish to the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons basketball game. Blame is being handed out in various directions to all parties involved, but no one seems to be pointing any fingers at the 24-hour sports network in its third year covering the National Basketball Association with its sister network ABC.
If there was ever a reason for people not to watch the NBA, then this is it. What is it that separates the NBA from college basketball? Furthermore, what separates the NBA from other professional sports leagues? The answer is the way it is shown on television. Should anyone be all that surprised when this happens in a league that is all about invading personal space? How else could anyone possibly rationalize the use of “Floor Cam,” which shows nothing but the spandex shorts that the players wear under their uniforms? This is the league whose poster boy is an accused rapist, whose players are the most notorious for infidelity, promiscuity, drug use, alcohol abuse and domestic violence.