When Sports Coverage Becomes a Hollywood Tabloid Show

Twenty-four-hour news coverage of sports is great for all fans and employment for all of the thousands of folks who make it happen. But all of this microscopic coverage of the major sports has reached the point where it rivals the tabloid Hollywood television programs for actual content. It's television and sports talk radio that is becoming less about sports and more about airing juicy stories about athletes' innocuous behavior or their latest contract negotiations. I can only take so much listening to this babble before I have to turn it to the news station for a traffic report or public radio to learn about the depletion of the frog population of northern Vermont.

When I listen in on the sports talk radio banter, I get more of a kick out of the passionate listeners who call in to voice their opinion about how bad Johnny Manziel is acting in public. Really? To be put on the air to talk to a broadcaster about this irrelevant crapola? I am trying to understand this behavior and what does it have to do with sports. The programs that cater to this type of listener must work hard to find the kind of stories that will find listeners (primarily men who have little to do) that are compelled to call in. Because I listen every so often, I must secretly like to hear this type of story and the multitudes of men who have to voice their opinion from Deflatgate to Bryce Harper's latest comment.

I like to watch my sports and sometimes listen to a game recap but send me off to bed when the discussion turns to a table of ex-jocks yucking it up about the game wearing expensive suits. I truly get the economics of the sporting industry and the need to make it into an entertainment experience. I like to see coverage with more emphasis on why the sports we watch are great, not tabloid-style gossipy ramblings.

I find sports most enjoyable when I see athletes excelling masterfully. I am curious to know how they train what do they do to separate themselves from their competition. I am curious about all sports besides just football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Have you ever wondered how a competition cliff diver practices or how a professional wrestler trains? I know this isn’t mainstream stuff, but I find it a helluva lot more interesting than the LeBron James contract situation. The fans in Cleveland might disagree, but then again, Cleveland is starving for a championship trophy of any kind. This is why I enjoy the Olympics because you get to watch things you rarely see and the athletes that dedicate their lives to the event.

Next time you turn on the radio to one of these sports programs that like to dig up tabloid horse manure, call them up and chew them out about their programming. I know that controversy sells, but only because it reflects everything terrible in the world. Take the high road and shoot some hoops at the gym instead, and you will feel better.