I'm not someone who complains often regarding how large corporations handle their business. Why? Because they are always going to do what's in their own best interests and, in general, they won't make bad financial decisions. They do their research, they put in the time and they deliver a strong product that has a very low chance of failure.
But here is one instance where I think ESPN, the self-proclaimed "World-wide leader in sports" is making a big mistake. No, I'm not talking about firing Screamin' Stephen A. Smith from their telecasts - what I am referencing is their generous daily serving of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant down the collective throats of the American public.
Listen, I'm not an idiot - I realize that the NBA is a star's league and that recognizable faces in this sport, more than others, sell tickets, merchandise and an overall solid product. It's because of this that I've lived with LeBron and Kobe leading off "SportsCenter" for the better part of the regular season and why I fully expected them to follow suit in the post-season. But to my surprise, they (ESPN) took their respective game up another notch - something I didn't think was humanly possible. From their website to their television programs to their magazine to their broadcasted games, we don't just get Kobe and/or LeBron as the lead-off story, we get Kobe and/or LeBron as the entire show. To put it into perspective, the Orlando Magic, just a few nights ago, won game-3 of their series to take a 2-1 lead. Yet, I'd say a good 4/5ths of SportsCenter's coverage of the game was focused on Cleveland and LeBron; "How can Cleveland come back?" "What did the Cavs do wrong?" "Can LeBron save them from this deficit?" Nothing about how well the Magic played; nothing about a great team effort.
Ever heard of the expression "Everything in moderation"? Yeah, ESPN hasn't. With their constant, incessant, seemingly endless barrage of all things Kobe/LeBron, the informed NBA fan has been overloaded to the point where they feel the need to write to ESPN, speak out against what they're doing and, yes, even blog about it (*looks at self in mirror*). To say that ESPN, the NBA and all other media forms want a Lakers/Cavaliers NBA Finals is to say that the sky is blue and that the pope is Catholic.
But is this over-indulgence, this excessive marketing campaign really in the best interest of the league and of the media outlets hyping it to no end? This blogger says a resounding "NO!". What it does is pander to the lowest-common-denominator in terms of NBA fans - the casual fans who know of teams but don't follow; who know only of the cream-of-the-crop-type-players and couldn't differentiate a Rashard Lewis from a Michael Ruffin. This is ESPN's target audience. So, instead of doing everything in their power to enlighten the casual fan as to who Dwight Howard is, who Carmelo Anthony is, and more importantly who the Magic and Nuggets are as teams and not individuals, what ESPN does is force-feed two of the most recognizable players in American sports (Kobe/LeBron) down our throats, planning on a Lakers/Cavaliers NBA Finals.
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Uh-oh, look what's coming to bite ESPN (et al) in their collective butts - a potential Magic/Nuggets Finals. How's that for irony?
Instead of branding the NBA as a team-sport, or at the very least, introducing the casual fan to more than two players and two teams, there may be a storm a'brewing. With the Nuggets playing arguably the best basketball in franchise history, tying the series at two games a-piece, and the Magic looking for a 3-1 lead tonight (Tuesday, May 26th), the NBA's worst nightmare may very well come to fruition. And if it does, get ready for a massive clean-up attempt by the media outlets (ESPN specifically) the likes of which you've never seen. Get ready for one of the, if not the least-watched NBA Finals of all-time. But most importantly, get ready to watch me play the world's smallest violin outside ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT, because they earned every sweet note.
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