Sunday, December 14, 2008

Hating on T.O. like it's their job (and it is!)

The problem with 24 hour news networks is that, often, there's simply not 24 hours worth of news to report. ESPN is no exception, and they prove it by doggedly "reporting" on the latest thing Terrell Owens has said, or how many situps he's done shirtless in his driveway or something. Heck, they even run what T.O. has said on the ESPN Bottom Line just in case you missed it on sportscenter or during an update. They freakin' love this guy.

With all this exhaustive coverage, you'd think they'd treat their cash cow with a little more decency since he provides so much "news" that attracts their viewers. But no, they tear the guy to shreads every time. What irks me the most is that they lambast him for his constant desire for attention and egocentric antics, then what do they do? They put him in center stage for every little thing he does! Not to say that T.O. hasn't been a cancer for every team he's been on, but sometimes I wonder that if he didn't have a microphone, would anybody hear him? I'd say that ESPN should ignore T.O. and his ilk, except by giving him so much attention they're simply investing for the future in sporting news. As long as there are players like T.O., ESPN won't be feeling the recession that badly.

I single out ESPN, but it's not to say their the only offenders in major mass media. I simply think they're the most egregious and frequent offenders. Meanwhile, they relegate relevant news and highlights like, say, the status of Tiger Woods's knee or (God forbit) anything that casts professional athletes in a positive light to The Ocho.

I suppose it doesn't lend any credence to my arguments, however, that I'm glued to ESPN 24/7. I can complain til the cows come home, but at the end of the day I'm still watching Sportscenter like everybody else. Still sucking at teet of ESPN. I can't help it, I love sports! Thanks goodness for ESPN-U. No matter what T.O. does, I'll still give him some love since I see how important he is to the success of my favorite broadcasting network.