The much talked about "Lebron-Kobe" match-up that all the networks who cover the NBA is not going to happen, and now they have to sell the public on those noble old Celtics and what a great player Dwight Howard is. Meanwhile, the 3 hockey players most Americans may have heard of, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Miller are gone from the playoffs. A potentially great match-up in the between the 2 best teams in the west will go mostly unnoticed, particularly since you folks back east won't see the games come on until after 10. Pity. These teams feature some of the games most exciting players that you've never heard of.
This happens time and again. The TV networks give us a steady diet of a few teams or players, then find themselves at a loss when their anointed favorites don't make the championship series. As far as baseball goes, ESPN has been all Yankees-Red Sox for several years. Then they are left holding the bag when Tampa plays the Phillies in the World Series. I find it quite amusing to watch them scramble. I am sure NBC dreads a Montreal-San Jose final (I think those of us who watch hockey on Versus are hardcore enough to know how good the Sharks are). And keep the sharp objects away from the network execs if the Suns manage to eliminate the Lakers. (by the way, if you aren't rooting for the Suns and their classy point guard Steve Nash after they came out against AZ's immigration law, you have no soul!).
Hard to feel bad for the guys who suffer from such narrow coverage. Sportscenter has all kinds of time each night to cover sports, but will spend half an hour on where Lebron is going to play next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the sports world gets ignored, and when San Diego plays Minnesota in the World Series this year, you're not going to have any clue who those guys are!
1 comment:
You are proposing that the networks behave in an illogical manner and counter to everything you teach your economics students if you suggest they should be spreading the wealth of TV exposure. The Twins are great and Mauer & Morneau are 2 of the best in the game, but please - no Padres. That said, I think I remember that when ESPN first started Sunday Night Baseball the premise was one game each season in each park (and the Rangers were usually the backup in case of a rain delay cause its too hot to play baseball in the day in Texas). If my memory is correct, that was a great concept and one they've gotten far away from - but then no one watched the Reds at the Pirates - too bad.
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