I loved Nickelodeon when I was kid. That was, of course, until I discovered ESPN. And now, nearly fifteen years later, I'm a full-blown addict.
Like most sports fanatics, I rely on ESPN for about 90% of my news and information. When it comes to sports, no one does it better. Where else can we get non-stop, round-the-clock coverage of the sports that matter most to us?
From hilarious yet professional on-air personalities, to great behind-the-scenes people, very few cable networks have mastered broadcast journalism like ESPN.
And it doesn't end there. They have a diverse lineup of gifted writers and their investigative reports rival those of CNN.
But despite my praises, I also have my reservations.
Is it me, or does "Breaking News" -- that is often anything but -- lead off every SportsCenter? Contradicting rumors are constantly hogging on-air time. And every development of every rumor is tediously scrutinized. I don't know about you, but I'm turned off by exaggerated non-stories.
It's as if ESPN is constantly reaching for something to talk about. Don't false reports from "a source close to the situation" hurt ESPN's credibility?
I cringe every time I read the words "undisclosed", "anonymous" or "allegedly" on ESPN's Bottom Line. You don't need to have a degree in journalism to know that this is frowned upon throughout the industry.
People wonder why newspapers are falling and less formal multimedia outlets are rising. Traditional forms of media report cleanly, succinctly. They don't embellish. They don't create drama. They simply
report the news.
ESPN has monopolized sports journalism. Sure, they've done it fair and square. But when people only tune -- or log, for that matter -- into one network, that one network can say or do whatever they please. Who's going to stop them?
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