JJWalker
01-24-2010, 01:18 PM
I am not sure anyone is interested in this anymore, but I saw this article on ESPN's website. It is long, but interesting.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=ohlmeyer_don&id=4844048
ESPN's Alamo Bowl treatment of Mike Leach controversy more biased than balanced
By Don Ohlmeyer
ESPN Ombudsman
Heard the old adage that there are two sides to every story? It turns out that there are often three -- your side, the other side and the truth. That is the nature of controversy, as recently exhibited in ESPN's coverage of the suspension and eventual firing of Mike Leach as football coach at Texas Tech.
One viewpoint: A talented, quirky coach "punished, humiliated and demeaned a player" for sustaining a concussion by confining him in a dark room near the practice field -- and the coach was, in turn, fired for insubordination.
Another perspective: A player with attitude problems and a meddling parent was disciplined by his coach, who subsequently was fired because a university with buyer's remorse saw an opportunity to extricate itself from an expensive contract.
The first scenario was amply covered during ESPN's broadcast of the Jan. 3 meeting between Texas Tech and Michigan State in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Elements of the second were glossed over. And complicating the entire dust-up for the network was the fact the player happened to be the son of an ESPN analyst.
The controversy surrounding Leach, Texas Tech, ESPN analyst Craig James and his son Adam -- a sophomore wideout for the Red Raiders -- generated more traffic in the ombudsman mailbag than any other issue in the past year.
A sampling: "The commentary regarding the Mike Leach situation is so biased" "We put the broadcast on mute after your announcer said 'Adam James was punished for having a concussion'" "This was not ESPN's journalistic best" "The announcers need to concentrate on broadcasting the game" "The James[es] had a lot more to do with this situation than ESPN is telling us" "Give the Leach situation a rest" "Will ESPN ever acknowledge their conflict of interest?"
According to ESPN, the Leach story overall generated more complaints to the network than any other topic in the past year (nearly 1,700 calls or e-mails, although it's unclear how many of those might have been driven by organized online campaigns). For the ombudsman mailbag, the increase was sixfold over any other previous issue (nearly 3,000). Many of the comments were directed at ESPN's overall coverage of the Leach controversy, not just the telecast, and one network executive noted that the total number of complaints was minor in proportion to an audience of nearly 8 million for the Alamo Bowl broadcast.
Although that's accurate, the number of complaints is immaterial. The ombudsman's task -- and the point ESPN should be concerned about -- is to examine whether the network served its audience with a solid, professional broadcast of the game.
I watched the Alamo Bowl live for pure pleasure, and had my own initial reaction as a viewer. After reading your e-mails, spending hours talking to various ESPN decision-makers, rescreening the game four times, analyzing transcripts, reading court affidavits and newspaper articles from across the country -- then spending countless hours trying to digest it all -- I drew some conclusions.
Some disclosure: I have no dog in this fight. I have no relationship with Leach, the James family or anyone at Texas Tech. I have no relationship with ESPN's Rece Davis, Heather Cox or Bob Davie. I've spoken with network play-by-play announcer Mike Patrick a few times and have always respected his work. I would never condone abusing a player, and offer no opinion as to whether Leach should have been fired. This column is not meant to review the entire body of ESPN's weeklong coverage of the Leach controversy -- there's no way for me to have consumed it all. What's at issue here, simply, is whether ESPN offered a balanced presentation of a complex story in its coverage of the Alamo Bowl.
The background
In September, ESPN assigned Patrick and Craig James to call the Alamo Bowl. The network's first problem arose Dec. 6 when the Michigan State-Texas Tech pairing was announced. This would mean that James would be covering a game involving his son. ESPN decided to let the assignment stand. Citing past games involving analysts such as Jeff Van Gundy, Bill Walton, Bob Griese and Lou Holtz, Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for studio and remote production, said, "It's not uncommon in our business for family members to work games involving a relative."
These decisions have usually been rationalized within the industry as unique opportunities to humanize the game or a chance to look beyond the veil. Might the real reason be self-indulgence? Although it might be heartwarming 20 years later for father and son to reminisce about a shared moment, what's in it for the audience? Would a father really divulge key strategic knowledge gained only by access to his son? Would he point out a strength or weakness in the son's ability only a father would notice? Would he spill the beans about a teammate or coach based on private information? Highly doubtful.
In a work of fiction the audience is asked to suspend its disbelief. In a live sportscast, the audience shouldn't be asked to suspend its expectation of objectivity. Transparent or not, intentional or not, it seems psychologically impossible for a father in that situation to be totally unbiased. It sounds like a clever conceit, but it's not honest to the fans, especially those rooting for the opposing team.
Another rationalization is the potential for a ratings boost. Would a larger audience be attracted because a father was providing analysis of his son's performance? Only if the announcer had a very large family.
After the Leach controversy boiled over with his suspension the last week in December, ESPN took James off the telecast -- but not Patrick. ESPN's rationale was that Patrick is a professional and his season-long work with James did not represent a conflict. Patrick's professionalism notwithstanding, ESPN's decision put him in an untenable position. In media, perception is reality, and it was clear the relationship between the two commentators could -- perhaps should -- raise questions for the audience. Word choices, phrases, even inflections are subjective. Everything Patrick said could be filtered through the subtext of "Would he have said that if he hadn't been James' partner throughout the past season?"
The circumstances surrounding Leach dictated that Patrick would have to discuss a controversy that had sparked heated emotions among many in the audience. And he fueled the flames late in the first quarter when, after ESPN showed graphics with statements from the university on the firing and a snippet of a Leach interview on why he believed he was dismissed, Patrick said of the reserve receiver, "There is Adam James, who is the young man who was actually punished for having a concussion."
That comment articulated ESPN's point of view for the audience: What happened? A player was punished. Who was the victim? Adam James. Who was the perpetrator? Mike Leach. What was the motivation? The player suffered a concussion. That thesis coincided with Texas Tech's position, not to mention that proffered by Craig James. Clearly, there were various versions of what happened between coach and player, but Patrick's statement offered no nuance. Opinion was stated as fact. James was "actually punished for having a concussion."
The central figures
A basic flaw in ESPN's presentation was the premise that Adam James was an innocent bystander. One ESPN decision-maker reflected this point of view when he told me that questioning Adam's actions and character would have been the equivalent of allowing a lawyer to defend a rapist by saying the victim dressed provocatively. Another flaw was the portrayal of Craig James, in the main, as someone who "courageously" reported Leach's misdeeds to school officials.
Were ESPN's choices well-intentioned but naive? Or were they influenced by James' role with the network? It's difficult to ascribe motive; that requires gazing into hearts, minds and souls. Editing and news judgments are always subjective and, in many ways, are art, not science. But it's clear that what's left out of a broadcast is as important as what's included.
Throughout the game, in the booth and from the studio, ESPN referred to affidavits released by Texas Tech on Jan. 2 to seemingly contradict statements Leach had made previously. Quoting other portions of those same documents, however, might have provided the audience with a different interpretation of what precipitated Leach's dispatching of James to that infamous dark place (variously referred to as a shed, an electrical closet and an interview room.)
The choices ESPN made in presenting the story gave the clear implication that Leach had maniacally sequestered James simply for having sustained a head injury. If there were anything in the coach's background alleging abuse of a player (a la Arizona State's Frank Kush or Ohio State's Woody Hayes), ESPN should have reported it. If not, the logical question became why James, and why now? Actions don't happen in a vacuum. There was a backstory, at least according to Leach. The broadcast team was aware of it and basically ignored it. An explanation was available from the same sources that ESPN quoted so liberally elsewhere.
The broadcast's only comment that gave insight into the younger James' actions was an incomplete reference by field reporter Heather Cox that noted "Before Mike Leach was fired, [assistant coach Lincoln] Riley wrote a critical letter to the administration which included negative comments regarding Adam James' character. He told me the letter was intended to simply shed light on the situation."
Riley was James' position coach and knew him well. What were those negative comments Cox was referring to? On Dec. 29, ESPN ran the following on The Bottom Line: "Riley wrote: 'Two practices before Adam James claimed he had a concussion, Coach Leach and I were forced to discipline him for poor effort from the previous practice and poor effort during the early drills of that day He complained to me that we were not doing our jobs as coaches and that his effort was just fine, all of which is very typical of him to say.'"
ESPN.com also reported that Riley had characterized James as "unusually lazy and entitled" and someone who makes "excuses or blames people for things that go wrong in his life." Did this have any possible impact on how Leach treated James? One ESPN official told me he was surprised, at the time, that Cox had not included more detail in her report regarding Riley's letter. That's fine, but the live telecast still had hours to go. Why didn't ESPN have Cox revisit and expand her report?
During the game, ESPN reported what Leach said to Texas Tech trainer Steve Pincock when the coach told the trainer to take James to a dark place. The quotes from Pincock's affidavit seemingly were used to discredit an explanation Leach gave in a 37-minute interview with Rece Davis on New Year's Eve. The network noted in a graphic that Leach had used expletive-laden language when issuing his orders, but failed to offer perspective as to what prompted that explosive reaction.
In Pincock's affidavit, but unused on air, was a description of what allegedly led to Leach's actions: "James arrived for practice wearing street clothes, his cap on backwards, and sunglasses and began walking around the field in a very nonchalant way. He was not wearing the standard jersey and cleats or workout gear expected of all players during practice, including injured players. When head coach Mike Leach saw James on the field, he called me over to him and asked what James was doing I told him that James had suffered a concussion [yesterday] and was walking the field which was standard for players with a concussion. Leach was upset and concerned about James' appearance and attitude. Leach said he did not want him loafing while the players were working. Leach told me to place James in a dark place "
Why did the network opt not to include that background in the broadcast? The motivation for Leach's actions might not matter with respect to his firing, but it does regarding the audience's perception of his actions and his character.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=ohlmeyer_don&id=4844048
ESPN's Alamo Bowl treatment of Mike Leach controversy more biased than balanced
By Don Ohlmeyer
ESPN Ombudsman
Heard the old adage that there are two sides to every story? It turns out that there are often three -- your side, the other side and the truth. That is the nature of controversy, as recently exhibited in ESPN's coverage of the suspension and eventual firing of Mike Leach as football coach at Texas Tech.
One viewpoint: A talented, quirky coach "punished, humiliated and demeaned a player" for sustaining a concussion by confining him in a dark room near the practice field -- and the coach was, in turn, fired for insubordination.
Another perspective: A player with attitude problems and a meddling parent was disciplined by his coach, who subsequently was fired because a university with buyer's remorse saw an opportunity to extricate itself from an expensive contract.
The first scenario was amply covered during ESPN's broadcast of the Jan. 3 meeting between Texas Tech and Michigan State in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Elements of the second were glossed over. And complicating the entire dust-up for the network was the fact the player happened to be the son of an ESPN analyst.
The controversy surrounding Leach, Texas Tech, ESPN analyst Craig James and his son Adam -- a sophomore wideout for the Red Raiders -- generated more traffic in the ombudsman mailbag than any other issue in the past year.
A sampling: "The commentary regarding the Mike Leach situation is so biased" "We put the broadcast on mute after your announcer said 'Adam James was punished for having a concussion'" "This was not ESPN's journalistic best" "The announcers need to concentrate on broadcasting the game" "The James[es] had a lot more to do with this situation than ESPN is telling us" "Give the Leach situation a rest" "Will ESPN ever acknowledge their conflict of interest?"
According to ESPN, the Leach story overall generated more complaints to the network than any other topic in the past year (nearly 1,700 calls or e-mails, although it's unclear how many of those might have been driven by organized online campaigns). For the ombudsman mailbag, the increase was sixfold over any other previous issue (nearly 3,000). Many of the comments were directed at ESPN's overall coverage of the Leach controversy, not just the telecast, and one network executive noted that the total number of complaints was minor in proportion to an audience of nearly 8 million for the Alamo Bowl broadcast.
Although that's accurate, the number of complaints is immaterial. The ombudsman's task -- and the point ESPN should be concerned about -- is to examine whether the network served its audience with a solid, professional broadcast of the game.
I watched the Alamo Bowl live for pure pleasure, and had my own initial reaction as a viewer. After reading your e-mails, spending hours talking to various ESPN decision-makers, rescreening the game four times, analyzing transcripts, reading court affidavits and newspaper articles from across the country -- then spending countless hours trying to digest it all -- I drew some conclusions.
Some disclosure: I have no dog in this fight. I have no relationship with Leach, the James family or anyone at Texas Tech. I have no relationship with ESPN's Rece Davis, Heather Cox or Bob Davie. I've spoken with network play-by-play announcer Mike Patrick a few times and have always respected his work. I would never condone abusing a player, and offer no opinion as to whether Leach should have been fired. This column is not meant to review the entire body of ESPN's weeklong coverage of the Leach controversy -- there's no way for me to have consumed it all. What's at issue here, simply, is whether ESPN offered a balanced presentation of a complex story in its coverage of the Alamo Bowl.
The background
In September, ESPN assigned Patrick and Craig James to call the Alamo Bowl. The network's first problem arose Dec. 6 when the Michigan State-Texas Tech pairing was announced. This would mean that James would be covering a game involving his son. ESPN decided to let the assignment stand. Citing past games involving analysts such as Jeff Van Gundy, Bill Walton, Bob Griese and Lou Holtz, Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for studio and remote production, said, "It's not uncommon in our business for family members to work games involving a relative."
These decisions have usually been rationalized within the industry as unique opportunities to humanize the game or a chance to look beyond the veil. Might the real reason be self-indulgence? Although it might be heartwarming 20 years later for father and son to reminisce about a shared moment, what's in it for the audience? Would a father really divulge key strategic knowledge gained only by access to his son? Would he point out a strength or weakness in the son's ability only a father would notice? Would he spill the beans about a teammate or coach based on private information? Highly doubtful.
In a work of fiction the audience is asked to suspend its disbelief. In a live sportscast, the audience shouldn't be asked to suspend its expectation of objectivity. Transparent or not, intentional or not, it seems psychologically impossible for a father in that situation to be totally unbiased. It sounds like a clever conceit, but it's not honest to the fans, especially those rooting for the opposing team.
Another rationalization is the potential for a ratings boost. Would a larger audience be attracted because a father was providing analysis of his son's performance? Only if the announcer had a very large family.
After the Leach controversy boiled over with his suspension the last week in December, ESPN took James off the telecast -- but not Patrick. ESPN's rationale was that Patrick is a professional and his season-long work with James did not represent a conflict. Patrick's professionalism notwithstanding, ESPN's decision put him in an untenable position. In media, perception is reality, and it was clear the relationship between the two commentators could -- perhaps should -- raise questions for the audience. Word choices, phrases, even inflections are subjective. Everything Patrick said could be filtered through the subtext of "Would he have said that if he hadn't been James' partner throughout the past season?"
The circumstances surrounding Leach dictated that Patrick would have to discuss a controversy that had sparked heated emotions among many in the audience. And he fueled the flames late in the first quarter when, after ESPN showed graphics with statements from the university on the firing and a snippet of a Leach interview on why he believed he was dismissed, Patrick said of the reserve receiver, "There is Adam James, who is the young man who was actually punished for having a concussion."
That comment articulated ESPN's point of view for the audience: What happened? A player was punished. Who was the victim? Adam James. Who was the perpetrator? Mike Leach. What was the motivation? The player suffered a concussion. That thesis coincided with Texas Tech's position, not to mention that proffered by Craig James. Clearly, there were various versions of what happened between coach and player, but Patrick's statement offered no nuance. Opinion was stated as fact. James was "actually punished for having a concussion."
The central figures
A basic flaw in ESPN's presentation was the premise that Adam James was an innocent bystander. One ESPN decision-maker reflected this point of view when he told me that questioning Adam's actions and character would have been the equivalent of allowing a lawyer to defend a rapist by saying the victim dressed provocatively. Another flaw was the portrayal of Craig James, in the main, as someone who "courageously" reported Leach's misdeeds to school officials.
Were ESPN's choices well-intentioned but naive? Or were they influenced by James' role with the network? It's difficult to ascribe motive; that requires gazing into hearts, minds and souls. Editing and news judgments are always subjective and, in many ways, are art, not science. But it's clear that what's left out of a broadcast is as important as what's included.
Throughout the game, in the booth and from the studio, ESPN referred to affidavits released by Texas Tech on Jan. 2 to seemingly contradict statements Leach had made previously. Quoting other portions of those same documents, however, might have provided the audience with a different interpretation of what precipitated Leach's dispatching of James to that infamous dark place (variously referred to as a shed, an electrical closet and an interview room.)
The choices ESPN made in presenting the story gave the clear implication that Leach had maniacally sequestered James simply for having sustained a head injury. If there were anything in the coach's background alleging abuse of a player (a la Arizona State's Frank Kush or Ohio State's Woody Hayes), ESPN should have reported it. If not, the logical question became why James, and why now? Actions don't happen in a vacuum. There was a backstory, at least according to Leach. The broadcast team was aware of it and basically ignored it. An explanation was available from the same sources that ESPN quoted so liberally elsewhere.
The broadcast's only comment that gave insight into the younger James' actions was an incomplete reference by field reporter Heather Cox that noted "Before Mike Leach was fired, [assistant coach Lincoln] Riley wrote a critical letter to the administration which included negative comments regarding Adam James' character. He told me the letter was intended to simply shed light on the situation."
Riley was James' position coach and knew him well. What were those negative comments Cox was referring to? On Dec. 29, ESPN ran the following on The Bottom Line: "Riley wrote: 'Two practices before Adam James claimed he had a concussion, Coach Leach and I were forced to discipline him for poor effort from the previous practice and poor effort during the early drills of that day He complained to me that we were not doing our jobs as coaches and that his effort was just fine, all of which is very typical of him to say.'"
ESPN.com also reported that Riley had characterized James as "unusually lazy and entitled" and someone who makes "excuses or blames people for things that go wrong in his life." Did this have any possible impact on how Leach treated James? One ESPN official told me he was surprised, at the time, that Cox had not included more detail in her report regarding Riley's letter. That's fine, but the live telecast still had hours to go. Why didn't ESPN have Cox revisit and expand her report?
During the game, ESPN reported what Leach said to Texas Tech trainer Steve Pincock when the coach told the trainer to take James to a dark place. The quotes from Pincock's affidavit seemingly were used to discredit an explanation Leach gave in a 37-minute interview with Rece Davis on New Year's Eve. The network noted in a graphic that Leach had used expletive-laden language when issuing his orders, but failed to offer perspective as to what prompted that explosive reaction.
In Pincock's affidavit, but unused on air, was a description of what allegedly led to Leach's actions: "James arrived for practice wearing street clothes, his cap on backwards, and sunglasses and began walking around the field in a very nonchalant way. He was not wearing the standard jersey and cleats or workout gear expected of all players during practice, including injured players. When head coach Mike Leach saw James on the field, he called me over to him and asked what James was doing I told him that James had suffered a concussion [yesterday] and was walking the field which was standard for players with a concussion. Leach was upset and concerned about James' appearance and attitude. Leach said he did not want him loafing while the players were working. Leach told me to place James in a dark place "
Why did the network opt not to include that background in the broadcast? The motivation for Leach's actions might not matter with respect to his firing, but it does regarding the audience's perception of his actions and his character.