Robert Lipsyte had a few thoughts about ESPN as his 18 month tenure as the ombusdman came to an end. You should go read them because I think he sums up the problem nicely. Can ESPN continue to be a big money broadcast partner with various leagues and also endeavor to have journalistic standards when it comes to covering those leagues.
Many of us do not think it can, which is why we need more independent media coverage of sports and the issues surrounding sports. Can we honestly expect ESPN, with all the money they have tied into college athletics, to give us detailed looks into the corruption that seems to run rampant within the NCAA and it’s institutions? Can we expect Chris Fowler and the Gameday crew to take away from “getting people amped up to watch college football” to talk about the dangers of concussions among college athletes? That’s not going to happen, but it needs to happen somewhere.
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