Do the national sportswriters have an East Coast/LA bias?

[bluestateguy]

While we are all rightfully spending much time discussing the MSM's corporate biases, another issue has gone un-discussed. That issue is the inherent bias of the sports MSM toward East Coast and LA sports teams. As a native of the SF Bay Area, it has always grated my nerves. For years I watched as the national sportswriters, in their plush offices in LA, NYC and Bristol, CT took a fairly dismissive view toward winning (non LA) West Coast and Midwest teams, such as the Oakland A's of the late 80's and early 90's, the 49ers of the 80's, the Minnesota Twins of the late 80's and early 90's and the Seattle Mariners in 2001 (they won 116 games). The national sportswriters seemed to treat these teams as an afterthought, only covering them as much as they had to. Or I remember the NBA finals in 1994 between the Knicks and the Rockets. The East Coast centric broadcasters were openly disdainful of the Rockets--who won--and interrupted the series to cover the LA freeway chase of OJ Simpson.

I remember in the 1980's the MLB game of the week on NBC constantly featured either the Dodgers (how convenient for Vin Scully that was), the Yankees and the Red Sox

And for years the Lakers are placed up on the pedestal of national TV, over and over again, as if ABC or NBC were almost their own network. This continued into this year, which was rather mediocre for the Lakers.

When the GS Warriors beat the best team in the NBA last week in a stunning upset, the national sportswriters gave only token coverage.

And then there are the NY Yankees. The evil empire of baseball if there ever was one. These sportswriters seem to have the attitude that what is best for the Yankees is best for baseball. If the Yankees are struggling, then that is bad for baseball. I remember the constant hand-wringing from the sports media in the late 80's/early 90's when the Yankees sucked. If the Yankees are losing in anything, the conversation must be directed toward what the Yankees can do to turn it around. Why are the Yankees losing? What bad decisions did the Yankees make? Never mind the prowess of the other team: the Diamondbacks didn't win, the Yankees lost. When Jason Giambi and A-Rod moved to the Yankees, the national sportswriters acted as if major coup had taken place.

To a lesser extent we hear this kind of crap with regard to the Red Sox. We heard about the Red Sox "curse" for years, but only occasionally heard about the White Sox World Series drought until such time as the topic had to be brought up in the 2005 World Series.

[bluestateguy]

1. kick

:kick:

[mark414]

2. my Brewers have the best record in MLB

and all those damn sports analysts can talk about is "will Steinbrenner fire Torre???"

who cares? the yankees suck...focus on the baseball

[SeattleGirl]

3. Not only yes, but hell yes.

I get sick of it.

[gr8dane_daddy]

4. Fuck Yes!

In the 2005-2006 college football season, USC was deemed the greatest team EVER in the history of college football...especially by those blowhards at ESPN. That was until my Longhorns beat them in the Rose Bowl for the National Title. Yes, the bias was quite obvious...stopped watching ESPN that year!

[Awsi Dooger]

6. How was that a major upset?

Give me a break. The spread on that game was -6.5 at game time. That's nothing. The money line (odds to win straight up) was 11/4. So that meant USC should win more than twice as often as Texas does, but less than three times in four. The way the game was played that looked exactly correct. USC had a 12 point lead with a few minutes remaining.

I don't see any major bias. Golden State won a first round playoff series. That's a nice feat but eight teams do it every year. The team they beat wasn't exactly the caliber of the great Lakers or Celtics or Bulls teams. No one is awed of the Dallas Mavericks. If they keep winning they'll get plenty of national press.

[cobalt1999]

11. ESPN is firmly in the Big Ten's pocket

A couple of over-rated teams hyped into playing "the game of the century", were actually nothing but paper tigers. They like USC because they play a couple of Big Ten teams and ND too.

[ForrestGump]

5. You mean like just about every other electronic and print media coverage?

And TV shows and films?

Yeah. :-)

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. Dunno

I listen to ball games, including pre- and post-game shows. I check standings and stats at mlb.com. That's it. What national "analysts" say — or local ones, for that matter — doesn't interest me at all.

And I think this'd be a lot better country if sports talk radio were nuked.

[murielm99]

8. In my house,

we always say that they only pay attention to the teams 'on the edges.'

Whenever there is a good Midwestern team, they know nothing about them. They may know something about individual players, but only if they have previously played for a team on one of the coasts.

It is not worth it to become outraged over their stupidity. Just laugh at them.

[WildEyedLiberal]

9. Yes

I particularly remember 2004, when the coverage of the ALCS vs the NLCS was about 10000000 to 1 because OMGZ it was the Red Sox vs the Yankees and CAN THEY BEAT THE CURSE??????? Yes, it was a good series, but Cards-Stros went 7 games too, and it got next to no coverage.

The subsequent two World Series, won by Midwestern teams, got a fraction of the coverage as the Sox did in 2004.

And this year, the Yankees have a sub 500 record and they're still getting more headlines than any other team.... except the RED SOX (OMGZ DICE-K OMG OMG OMG).

Yeah, I get tired of it. I think Oeditpus Rex has it right: find your local station (TV or radio, doesn't matter) and listen to actual coverage centered around your team, check the box scores in the paper the next day and forget about the ESPN blathering heads.

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. Yes. Consider Detroit. Pistons in Playoffs (6-0 I might add) Red Wings

take playoffs from Sharks at the Shark tank, and the Tigers are roaring again after a WS trip... Is this talked about anywhere but here in Detroit? I think not. Plus there is absolutely no National coverage on the best team in baseball by a long shot (the Brewers).

[MissMillie]

12. I'm cheering for the RedWings

The last cup I remember them winning, they lost a few players the following week. I hope they can erase that from their memories and bring the cup back home.

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. It would be nice. I would like to see them do it, especially since

Stevie Y. retired last year; To prove to themselves that they're still a good team, even though he was a major loss.

Funny story, In 1998, when they were in the Stanley Cup Championship series, the last game coincided with my last childbirth class (for babyG). MrG left at the break to check out the game at a local bar. Imagine a (very) pregnant woman, searching the bars downtown for her errant husband. (he had my permission...the class was lame). :hi:

[dembotoz]

15. you get used to it

But it doen't really bother me anymore.

Well all right--some things bother me.

Like how come it is always the same damn teams on national tv.

I know ratings ratings ratings, but it is kind of fun when the "favored teams" fall apart, and the talking head don't know what to say...

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. Oh wow... I lived on Keith Lane in Grafton, back in the early 70's

when it was a brand new neighborhood. :D

Born and raised in WI. :hi:

[mark414]

19. i am riding a wave of euphoria right now

but i keep trying to tell myself to keep my head because i mean, the brewers can't do this for a whole season can they?

i'm so used to losing that i'm scared when they're winning...but happy, so, so happy.

[kwassa]

14. If news doesn't happen in New York or Washington, does it really exist?

The LA Times did a series years ago showing how national news organizations basically picked up stories that happened close to their respective headquarters, when stories of equivalent value that happened elsewhere were not.

News myopia.

[bigwillq]

16. Yes of course

But it's ok because I am a Yankees and NY Giants fan.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. ...

:P