Still Feel Like You Were Played?

by Andrew Smith on July 13th, 2010 at 6:44 am

Via Libertyorachampionship

ESPN was exposed as the bloated corporate whore of a sports news station it has become. It’s bad enough that the mainstream news media has devolved into a shill for ones they’re supposed to be keeping honest, but now the sports media? ESPN allowed for a full hour of their programming to be turned into an infomercial for LeBron James. Five minutes into the broadcast and I had the face of someone who swallowed their own vomit. Because I did throw up, around Stu Scott’s 12th reference to James as “the King” as ESPN broadcasters asked piercing questions like “Are you a nail biter?” and LeBron referred to himself in the third person. Even if LeBron said “New York”, I was going to need a shower. At least ESPN noted the criticism. Stu Scott, although his tongue must have sore from all the b*ll-licking he did the night before, called ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning show to defend the station (blaming society by saying “what isn’t over the top these days”) and then excoriate Cleveland and the Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert for their bashing of LeBron’s decision.

Harsh words, yes, but this is going to take a long time for fans to get over. And it seems that ESPN has been exposed and that wound may hurt more if you’re a pure sports fanatic.

  • bob go knicks

    I mean you guy kept a rumour about LBJ becoming a knick ,simmering for 2 whole years,all while defendinding Donnie Walsh ,for throwing away 2 seasons of pro basketball.And while blasting ESPN for televising this debacle out of one side of your mouth,have already started a “MELO TO KNICKS”rumor out of the other side.You are all in the same boat,not wanting to admit to it.So before you critisize espn for their stupidity,look closely in the MIRROR,you’ll probably see STUART SCOTT

  • Ftingue

    I disagree with the comment above, but i do want to get over all this crazyness.

  • brookdon

    Rumors on a blog site? No way!

  • Joe-V

    i completly disagree, this is entertainment… LBJ is the biggest star in all of sports right now, ESPN capitalizes like it should, becuase ESPN is a all sports network the only one we have. So please get over it, the fact is 10 million people watched so see if LBJ picked they’re team and he didn’t… So people need to get over it REALLY, this has brought so much attention to the NBA and made the players in the league more house-hold names then ever before.

  • bga

    I got a question, with the signing of Felton, the Russian, and Amar’e plus the trades what does that leave us in terms of cap space? If only Curry comes of the books next year will we ave money for another max “Carmelo” or do we have to shed an extra contract or two?

  • jingo

    The Knicks would have to shed. But the ex-Warriors are coming off the books. And supposedly the Russian fellow is only guaranteed for one year.

  • onemoretime

    I wonder if all this Lebron hate would have been as intense if he would have re-signed with the Cavs or if he would have gone to Chicago or N.Y.? I know for damn sure most people on this blog wouldn’t be complaining about the ESPN show if he were a Knick today. If you ask me it’s all about sour grapes for the most part. I wonder how many people who are complaining sat in front of their tv and wasted an hour of their life watching this hypefest? If they were so strongly against it the best way they could have shown their displeasure was to no tune in.

  • JohnnyG

    Only Azubuikie is coming off the books next year of the guys from GSW, assuming we pick up Randolph’s option. Turiaf has another year.

    Mosgov+Azubuikie+Curry = room for max deal

  • BiggieSmalls

    like the blog post i left the broadcast after 5 minutes as well..

    It was a complete spectacle..and an embarrassment to ESPN and the Lebron james Brand..

    You are right though.. if he were in NYC i would not have the same feelings.. because it simply would not be the same.

    If LBJ had taken on the challenge of winning in NYC and developing his brand on teh worlds brightest stage then i would have respect for the man. What he did by going to a notoriously laid back, sports apathetic town to play with arguably a top three player was simply the easy way out.. He is not the third (or fourth) in line in terms of blame for failure (Riley, Wade, possibly the coach)

    he is taking a back seat to try to get a ring and will always be one behind his team mate and supposed friend… I thought a “Chosen One” player who (i thought) desired to be the best to ever play the game would relish the opportunity to bring his “talents” to Broadway. For nothing but the challenge.

    If you ask any sports fan if they would have had different feelings if LBJ went to NYC, LA or NJ i think the answer would be YES.. and that is understandable.

  • asumets

    the sport is the entertainment, not the spectacle of news conferences. 10M wanted to watch to find out the answer, but who has put on the show he put on to do so.

    Not saying the article isn’t a bit over the top itself, but your comment is just as shortsighted.

  • KnickFan4Life

    I didn’t feel played because Lebron didn’t promise Knicks anything and he didn’t owe me anything. So no I don’t feel played. I did lose tons of respect for him though and it’s going to be very difficult for him to win it back…

  • dreamer3kx

    ESPN has ruined the essence in sports in general, it once was good but ever since blogs and twitter and all this ish came out it has turned into a clusterfu…

  • HaS

    I understand this logic, but I think one has to keep in mind LeBron is 25 and those are his friends. It had to be pretty hard to turn down not only playing with good players, but also good friends.

    Throw in Pat Riley’s extremely convincing speeches about “sacrifice” and how important it is to win, LeBron never had a chance lol.

    I’m sure he doesn’t even feel as if he’s taking a back seat. Not with Wade saying all the right things, he’s more of a leader than LeBron is (I’ve never been convinced James was ready to lead a team) and I’m sure he sold him on the fact that he didn’t look at that way. Wade took less than Bosh and James as well if I’m not mistaken.

  • HaS

    I don’t feel played at all. I never bought all the “Jordan’s shadow” or the “his ego is too big to have 1 less ring than Wade” or “he can’t play with Rose or Wade because it won’t work” etc. I always felt those things were overblown.

    I did start to feel more and more like there was a chance that he came, but I wasn’t surprised he didn’t.

    I guess the logic that “Walsh wouldn’t have made that last trade unless he knew something” was overblown too.

  • k-hodge

    Am I the only one who found this tirade completely Hysterical? ROFLMAO….I mean right or wrong, it’s funny as hell. But he’s got some good points.

  • joeystyle

    Smith’s commentary was way over the top,just like the LBJ show and of course,Gilbert’s response. Jesse Jackson should stop playing the race card. You can fault Gilbert for his tone, but the sentiment was the same as all Cavs fans felt that night. LeBron shows to be a “man” of thin skin. He can’t shake hands with players after a loss in a playoff round. Which is a basic thing all competitors always do win or lose. He has a miserable game 5 against the Celts, and blows it off as no big deal. He really doesn’t care about anyone other than himself. It may take more time and it will be difficult without him, but I believe the Knicks were blessed that he didn’t come to NY.

  • knickman2

    At the end of the day ESPN is a business. 29 million people watched “The Decision” Regardless of how you feel about it ESPN did the only thing it could by running the show, otherwise TNT or another network would have taken it.

    If we are to be mad at someone it is Lebron James, his people and the NBA for allowing this to happen, ESPN was just the medium by which this was presented.

  • KnickFan4Life

    Well ethical journalism be damned. ESPN had the right to do it but their credibility in my eyes took a major hit and I know a lot of people also lost a ton of respect for ESPN as well. From all accounts they were pretty much in bed with Lebron’s people on this. This had been planned a ways back…

  • BrooklynsFinest1

    Bob go knicks, I have to give you credit, you did not like Lebron coming to the Knicks for many reasons and al of them turned out to be correct. All of us thought that he would come to play on the big stage but he didn’t want to take on a challenge at this stage of his career I mean he practically had everything handed to him beside a championship ring. Remember lbj said he wanted to be the first billionare athlete before being a nba champion. His focus is money and fame first basketball last. I even was hesistant because as desperate as the knicks were I didn’t want a marbury situation where lebron and his people had full run of the garden. So its probably for the best now can we offer anything that will entice Melo to want to come here via a trade and maybe just maybe CP3.

  • H.Wingo

    Two words: Joe Mauer. He handled things like a pro.

    I was driving back from NJ to Wisconsin yesterday and today, and passed through Cleveland yesterday. I thought it would be fun to listen to talk radio in Cleveland. Wow, you could feel the hate coming through the speakers. “LeBum” was probably the best new nickname I heard.

  • Joe-V

    Thats what I’m saying.. If LeBron was a Knick everyone would be singing a completly diffrent song.

    I’m upset w/ the fact that he had the press conf. in Greenwhich, CO that was F*&ked up to Knicks fans. He should no better than that.

  • Joe-V

    its star power he’s the biggest american pro-star in the world. I would say he’s bigger than Tiger and Mike right now… the other option is sending his descion thru twitter…

    And yes, espn and lebron over did it, but atleast they raised some money for kids. During all the nonsense.

  • http://www.newyorkshockexchange.com Shock Exchange

    If the Knicks had followed my advice they could have landed Lebron ——> http://clicky.me/ot7

  • MAYAman

    Dude, Lebron not coming here really isn’t the crux of the complaint. The main complaint is that several teams made roster, financial, and organizational decisions based on a TRUE free agent market. As it stands, the only real available free agent was Amar’e.

    Colluding, allowing several teams to dedicate resources and manpower that could have gone elsewhere, and basically cornering the entire free agent market is not only unethical to me but you can bet your ass that Pat Riley was in constant contact with Lebron and Bosh through Dwane Wade.

    The fact is that yes we are angry he didn’t choose us, but the real issue here isn’t that. It’s the fact that we got played, and to be honest, I’m betting the Heat knew all along this was going down for months.

    That’s why the “DECISION” was produced and broadcast. To give some sort of semblance of a fair, equal, free agent market. When that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The entire show was a veil and distraction to keep people from realizing they had just been had.

  • MAYAman

    Dude, Lebron not coming here really isn’t the crux of the complaint. The main complaint is that several teams made roster, financial, and organizational decisions based on a TRUE free agent market. As it stands, the only real available free agent was Amar’e.

    Colluding, allowing several teams to dedicate resources and manpower that could have gone elsewhere, and basically cornering the entire free agent market is not only unethical to me but you can bet your ass that Pat Riley was in constant contact with Lebron and Bosh through Dwane Wade.

    The fact is that yes we are angry he didn’t choose us, but the real issue here isn’t that. It’s the fact that we got played, and to be honest, I’m betting the Heat knew all along this was going down for months.

    That’s why the “DECISION” was produced and broadcast. To give some sort of semblance of a fair, equal, free agent market. When that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The entire show was a veil and distraction to keep people from realizing they had just been had.