ESPN's East Coast bias

[BCWWF]

Its really pissing me off lately. Today it is somewhat justified, being the Yankees and Red Sox, but is it really worth like three seperate stories on Sports Center? It is like a regional network, the tiniest details get full stories. Baseball Tonight, you can basically expect game highlights from every game and then some sort of story about the AL East.

I'm not neccessarily going to say this should be on Sports Center, but I think the upcoming Angels-Twins series is just as important. Angels running away with the AL West, Twins holding onto the Wildcard, first game with Bret Boone. You don't hear anything about that, but you get two stories about Curt Schilling coming out of the bullpen, a whole team of analysts talking about it for the #th day. It just gets a little much.

There are so many things going on in baseball right now, Houston's resurgance, the A's coming out party, the Braves rookies, but no we need to have Harold Reynolds predict Schillings ability from the pen.

In the other thread, I was saying that I liked the home run derby this year because it was the really good players who don't play in Boston or New York. You have Abreu, Lee, Bay, etc. We never get to see those guys because the national sports network is too caught up in Johnny Damon having long hair and a beard. Thats the reason nobody likes the All-Star game, we already see the Red Sox and the Cardinals every other day on ESPN.

Don't get me wrong, by my example I am not saying that I think the Twins should be on Sports Center. It was just a good example of a very similar game that is getting 0 coverage when this one is getting five stories. ESPN shamelessly self promotes themselves, its fair to have a story on the game you are playing that night, but they really do go overboard.

JESUS CHRIST, as I am writing this here is another Yankees story. Some minor league center fielder. Come on. Now they are talking about the Sox bullpen. Then, on the "Coming Up" we have "Curt's Legacy in Boston".

This is like the shittiest time of the year, we basically have baseball, Tour de France, and golf. So what we end up with on a 1-hour Sports Center is 15 minutes of Michelle Wie, 5 minutes of Lance, 20 minutes on the AL East, and 5 minutes for the rest. (This is an exageration, for the most part, but Einstien, it adds up to 45, I know, you know, shut up)


So basically, ESPN is really annoying lately. Branch out! The Angels are the best team in the AL right now but I wouldn't know it watching ESPN right now.

[BCWWF]

Thanks ESPN, I missed that whole Schilling pitching with a bloody sock thing. Thanks for making a new montage about it. Who won the World Series that year anyway?

[Boomer]

SHILLING IS GONNA BE A CLOSER?!?!?!

[BCWWF]

5 Burning Questions: How about we talk about Schilling's new role?

[Yashamaga]

He's gonna close for the next 6 weeks supposedly

[BCWWF]

ESPN2 has a feature on Schilling as well

[BCWWF]

And with that, Yashamaga returns

[BCWWF]

Well maybe now people can stop sucking the Yankees balls, down 4-0 in the first. They still aren't good FYI.

[Loose Cannon]

Baseball really only has 2 teams

[Lotus]

It's not just ESPN. Every channel that covers sports always has an East-Coast bias. The only time they talk about the West Coast is if its about the Lakers, and the only bay-area related stories you get on national TV (even though we have 6 professional sports teams in the Big 4, and 8 if you count MLS and Arena Football) are all about Barry Bonds and the steroid controversy. We have to face it that everyone wants to suck New York's dick.

[Lotus]

And yeah, it might be justified that the Bay Area teams don't get much national coverage because they are all pretty mediocre, but I don't remember the last time ESPN was spending 10 minutes of their show talking about a 3-game losing streak from any team not named the Yankees or Red Sox.

[The Miz]

According to Sportscenter the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Oakland A's are not major league teams

[The Miz]

And yeah, it might be justified that the Bay Area teams don't get much national coverage because they are all pretty mediocre,
What are the Yankees?

[The Miz]

Also, BBTN is fucking horrible. It was awesome from like 98-01 or so but the guys on there now just blow. Bowa and Phillips are just morons, Kruk is completely full of shit, Gammons has his moments but his little rumors are wrong 90% of the time, and Brantley is boring. Reynolds I don't mind. They need to get some new guys and cover the games better

[CNM]

Karl Ravech is an asshole as well. I can barely tolerate BBTN.

[YOUR Hero]

It's the same here in Canada, complete east coast bias. Toronto, Toronto, Toronto. Be it baseball (which uis ok since that's all we've got left NOW up here) Hockey, Football, you name it. Hockey of course being the big one in terms of bias.

[Crimson]

Thank you BCWWF , I had this same thinking over the weekend jus before the allstar game. They were already talking about the Redsox/Yankees then. They play each other 100 times a year and they play it up like the fuckin world series everytime, it's gotten old.Like when Damon didn't agree with Schilling goin to the pen they made it out like this big ass story, when there wasn't really a story there..jus a man voicing his opinion.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

haha sucks for you guys

[BCWWF]

Going on what Crimson was saying, thats exactly what gets to me. There are issues with every team, but if it happens on the Yanks or Sox then it will get sensational, national coverage. If Garrett Anderson got pissed about Mike Scoscia's play calling it wouldn't be an issue, but if Johnny Damon questions Terry Francona pulling Bronson Arroyo an inning early, it would require at least one feature story on Sports Center and a panel of analysts (not including PTI, ATH, and others).

I normally don't mind it, because the Sox and Yanks are a great rivalry and a great story, but it really got rediculous today. The features on Schilling's playoff performances especially.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I didn't know Barry Bonds played on the East Coast. Or Shaun Alexander. Or Randy Moss. Or USC. Or Kobe.

[Joey Slugs]

here in chicago, we have the best team in baseball... and everytime i watch ESPN they lead off with a story about New York, Boston, or even the Cubs. WTF.

[loopydate]

To be fair, during basketball season, they're biased toward the West Coast. Story after story about the Lakers, while, say, Celtics highlights (unless they're playing the Lakers or Spurs) get stuffed in the SportsCenter Express.

They definitely favor the east during baseball season, though. I guess football, too.

[BCWWF]

I didn't know Barry Bonds played on the East Coast. Or Shaun Alexander. Or Randy Moss. Or USC. Or Kobe.
Good points Supreme, ESPN talks about five West coast people/team.

For everybody you just named, I can list somebody on the East coast with less or equal significance that is talked about equally as much, if not drastically more.

Barry Bonds < Johnny Damon

Johnny has hair, fuck Barry, he's no good. Tell us more about Johnny!

Shaun Alexander < Ricky Williams, Travis Henry, AND Clinton Portis

Alexander may have had a pretty good season last year...but Ricky Williams is coming back to a cellar team! Travis Henry might become an average starting quarterback again! And Clinton Portis, Clinton Portis!

Randy Moss < Terrell Owens

This one is just though, because Terell Owens is worlds ahead of Randy Moss, Marvin Harrisson, Hines Ward, Dieon Branch, Issac Bruce. They are nothing when it comes to T-O.

USC. Well, you may have one here. Congratulations, ESPN occasionally mentions USC. They are only two-time national champions in a league dominated by southern teams. Maybe Boston College will beat them this year, just like they should have been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourny.

Kobe < Isiah Thomas.

Yes, Kobe, one of the most talented players out there, in the prime of his career, gets less coverage then the general manager of a team that hasn't been good in years. Why pay attention to Kobe when we can analyze Isiah Thomas trading for Tim Thomas and Penny Hardaway?


You see, its not hard to name people ESPN talks about on the west coast...when they are newsworthy. Barry Bonds: Steroids, Top player in game injured, close to breaking home run record. Shaun Alexander: Top two running back in league, holding out. Randy Moss: Recently traded. USC: Well ESPN never mentions national champions, its shocking USC would ever come up. And Kobe: Rape case, Shaq trade.

The whole difference is that when there aren't stories. You never hear about Mike Scoscia having a confrontation with Scot Shields, but if you saw Terry Francona having sterns words with Keith Foulke in the bullpen, ESPN would have five guys covering the story. Shaun Alexander and LaDanian Tomlinson are the two best running back in the NFL, but I arguably hear more about Clinton Portis then either of them.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Its what people are more people are intrested in. I hear constantly about USC football this, USC football that. I didn't hear shit about Auburn until the end of the year. I think people read too much into the whole "east coast/west coast" shit, its just that teams, players, etc get overlooked. They show so much Red Sox Yankees shit for a reason - people eat it up all across America. No offense to the Angels, but outside of Cali not too many fans are know who they are playing tonight. I think everyone can tell me who the Red Sox are playing tonight without even having to think about it though.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

It's not like the bias is undeserved. Sports are mostly dominated by the East Coast.

Baseball: 10 out of the last 12 World Series champs have been East Coast teams
NFL: All 4 teams in the Conference Championships last year were on the East Coast plus every Super Bowl winner since 2000 is on the East Coast
College Basketball: last 5 mens champs are on the East Coast and Kentucky and Michigan State aren't exactly west either
NHL: Only 10 West Coast teams have ever even won the Stanley Cup and that's out of like 112 years

The only sports where the West Coast has a big influence (NBA and college football) are the sports that get the most West Coast coverage.

So in other words: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

"The Braves Rookies"

I thought Atlanta was in the Eastern Time Zone?

[Crimson]

But when they cover any other story besides Redsox/Yankees, they are actually news worthy, like Bonds and steroids, Lakers, whatever. And when it's about the Redsox/Yankees they cover what Randy Johnson has for dinner.
They cover meaningless boring shit on that rivalry is the point.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Thats just a Red Sox Yankees rivalry bias then, not an East coast thing.

[Gonzo]

Its not like ESPN is the only source for sports news. Who cares if they are biased? Just go get your fill from somewhere else.

[BCWWF]

But when they cover any other story besides Redsox/Yankees, they are actually news worthy, like Bonds and steroids, Lakers, whatever. And when it's about the Redsox/Yankees they cover what Randy Johnson has for dinner.
They cover meaningless boring shit on that rivalry is the point.
Thats exactly what I am saying. It's this more then anything else, especially during baseball season when nothing is happening in sports, they cover the most meaningless shit. Sure hype up tonights game on your station, but when its the middle of the season and not the first time the two teams have met, why go back and do ANOTHER story on Curt Schilling coloring his sock red. I don't know why Supreme is defending endless features on Johnny Damon and Curt Schillings rehap, considering Cincinnatti is one of the most overlooked markets out there. The only time we hear the Reds is when the Yankees are interested in buying their players.

[BCWWF]

Its not like ESPN is the only source for sports news. Who cares if they are biased? Just go get your fill from somewhere else.
Are you calling FSN a good sports channel?