This is SportsCenter

I’ve spoken before about the “This is SportsCenter” series of commercials that ESPN airs. But yesterday I saw one that really struck me as particularly interesting.

In the ad, track phenom Usain Bolt comes into the ESPN “clock-in” room, punches a time card, and returns a few seconds later to clock out; his work day completed in record time.

It’s a clever ad, but is even more egregious than others in the series for depicting athletes as being on the ESPN payroll.

I am not a stodgy person. I completely understand that there is a distinction between what is in advertising, and what reality is. I know (or at least I hope) that ESPN does not employ athletes in this manner.

But ethics in journalism is not always so black and white. Perception can mean everything. If there are people out there who legitimately buy into those commercials, the credibility of ESPN could be compromised.

I’m not suggesting that ESPN stop the production of these commercials, but only that they try to be mindful of potential perceived conflicts of interest.

The Tiger Scandal

If you’ve been watching the news lately, chances are very good that you’ve seen something about Tiger Woods.

Not for winning a golf tournament. But for matters involving his personal life and perhaps personal failings.

There was once a time in this country when athletes had two separate lives. Sports journalists would steadfastly (and often deliberately) ignore the private side, and throw all of their energy into covering the public, athletic side.

In just the last few years, really, this has changed dramatically.

You’ve seen stories of all manner of high-profile athletes involved in affairs, rape allegations, steroids scandals, and speeding tickets.

And the higher-profile the athlete, the more scrutiny they seem to be under, and the more delight news outlets seem to take in exposing what often are elaborate webs of lies.

This is how it is. Entertainment news, sports news, and even regular “news” news all cover these topics as they come up. Blogger and internet denizens routinely try to uncover photos and information on star athletes.

The question becomes, is this a positive thing, or a negative thing for sports journalism ethics?

This is a very tough question to answer. On one hand, most people would agree that an affair is morally wrong. Having these transgressions out in the open seems like the just thing to do. On the other hand, in the rush to get the exclusive, these stories are often inaccurate and thus damage the name and credibility of the athletes.

It’s a copout, but I believe there is no definitive answer at this point. It is, what it is. As I speak to more professional journalists for my documentary, I will ask for their opinions on this matter.

Swimsuit Editions

I was thinking today about the strange persistence of sports magazines pushing their Swimsuit Editions, or more recently, The Body Issue from ESPN.

It’s one thing for SI to promote one issue a year that is clearly intended to sell subscriptions, and that only sometimes features athletes in various forms of undress.

But what is a really interesting ethical situation, in my opinion, is ESPN’s answer. With their release of “The Body” issue, ESPN is taking the people they cover and asking them to take their clothes off.

Some may see no problem with this. However, if you take the parallel, that is, a newspaper like the New York Times (presumably) paying politicians to pose in a special edition of the paper dedicated to ‘the human body.’

One of the main tenets of journalism is supposed to be maintaining independence from sources. Why is it that these sports magazines prefer to fly in the face of that important guideline?

Perhaps I’m being too harsh. But it is frustrating to see sports journalists take themselves less seriously than news journalists do.

‘Getting’ Away From the Cops’ Speed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqGDuLnVUw

In the above video, acclaimed sports play-by-play man Gus Johnson describes Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson’s impressive acceleration as “getting’ away from the cops speed.”

Given that Chris Johnson is black, and that there is a stereotype regarding young black men as criminals with something to hide, an initial outcry was heard.

Of course, the other key fact in this story is that the man who made the comment, Gus Johnson, is also black.

Some people have said that it makes the comment ok. Others feel he still poorly chose his words.

Johnson, for his part, apologized for his word choice after the incident.

I feel that this is a cautionary tale. While some might not consider play-by-play to be “sports journalism”, many people are going to associate the two. It pays to be careful about what you say on national television, because people are always ready to call foul.

Women Are Only Good for Housekeeping and Sideline Reporting?

I'd like to talk briefly today about sideline reporters.

Whenever a criticism of the sports journalism industry for being “men only” crops up, journalists are quick to point out that women dominate the ranks of sideline reporters.

I always laugh when I hear that. How exactly does that make sports reporting gender neutral? By ‘segregating’ the women into what is perceived as a less difficult sub-job?

There are some women who have infiltrated top positions in sports journalism. Linda Cohn as a SportsCenter anchor is a good example. And you will occasionally hear women doing play-by-play (albeit mostly for women’s sports).

But, if the industry wants to continue to collectively exclude women from patrolling the locker rooms and reading the latest sports news, they’ll need to find a better copout.

The easiest thing to do? Start giving premium jobs to people based on merit, not based on some boys’ club mentality.

What is a Sports Blogger?

Today I wanted to write about sports bloggers. While they may not be considering journalists per se, bloggers still comprise an important part of the industry.

Many newspapers and other outlets are hiring bloggers or allowing their regular sports reporters to keep blogs on the side.

Last semester, a Sports, Media, and Society course that I took conducted a survey to examine the ethics of sports bloggers. Marie Hardin, who is also my thesis adviser, was the professor for the class, and the coordinator for the survey of bloggers.

Here is the web link to the results: http://comm.psu.edu/about/centers/john-curley-center-for-sports-journalism/blogsreport.pdf

Here are some of the very interesting highlights:

- ¾ of bloggers do not see themselves as rivals of sports reporters.

- 85% consider blogging to be a form of journalism.

- Only 15% had been sports journalists before starting their blogs

What this means is that bloggers see themselves as part of the journalism fold. And you can bet the online audience feels the same way.

This comes with a possible issue, however. If some sports bloggers behave in an unethical way, people may start to associate these ethical lapses with the industry as a whole.

Just something to think about, but I suggest you read the PDF file for the rest of the findings. It is very interesting, and is only 4 pages long.

Accepting Freebies

One of the most oft-cited ethical challenges for sports journalists is what to do about freebies.

While tech reporters and other types of news reporters also are faced with this issue, sports journalists often have to try to figure out where the line should be placed.

Freebies can include tickets to games, free food, mementos, and even high-priced electronics.

Most people would agree that when the ‘freebie’ is more like a ‘buyout gift’, it is highly unethical to accept.

But what about free food in the press box of a PSU football game? In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that when I called my first-ever football broadcast at Beaver Stadium for ComRadio this September, I indulged in a free hot dog.

It may seem like too easy of an answer, but sports reporters need only use their judgment and what their gut is telling them. Unless they are morally corrupt.

In which case, they should abide by specific rules set by their journalism organization.

Corrupting High School Sports

I came across this article today, and felt I should share it on this blog.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1154208/index.htm

It outlines a “March Madness”-style tournament for High Schools that ESPN has organized called the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.

The ever-increasing popularity of collegiate football and basketball has already made high school athletics recruiting a hot topic.

But what is unique about this case is that ESPN is the one pushing the impetus for the change this might bring to high school athletics.

Some high school coaches in the article are quoted as saying top basketball players are foregoing playing for run-of-the-mill school basketball teams so they can enter this newly established tournament on an “elite” team.

My concern would be the further de-emphasis we are putting on education for top athletes.

Some might argue that high school athletics lost their innocence a long time ago, perhaps when HS football games began to be sponsored and shown on ESPN. But I say there is certainly no time like the present to try to bring things back to a reasonable level.

What Does the E in ESPN Stand For?

If you are a regular watcher of ESPN, you are probably familiar with the “This is SportsCenter” commercials. They usually portray ESPN employees and professional sports stars working together inside the ESPN HQ in Bristol.

They are often very clever and funny. Below is an example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13IWM_QGIvw

I used to think these were harmless, entertaining commercials. But now I’m not so sure.

We learn in Media Ethics that journalists should aspire to be completely free of bias and to maintain independence from sources and subjects.

Now, I know these are commercials. But ESPN even pretending to put the people they cover in the same workplace with the anchors and reporters seems kind of strange. Or at least not like something a regular news journalism outlet would do.

Perhaps that’s why they are called the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

Hello, and welcome to my Ethics in Sports Journalism Blog!

In this space, I will be commenting on the ethical state of sports journalism at least once a school week as part of my honors thesis for The Pennsylvania State University Schreyer Honors College.

My goal is to create a 20-30 minute radio documentary in the Spring of 2010. This blog will be a supplement and a way for me to gather my thoughts about various topics.

It may be that the ethics of sports journalism are in good shape. But there is also the possibility that the line between commentary and sports journalism is becoming blurred.

I hope to analyze what the industry might be able to improve.

Please visit often, feel free to comment, and enjoy the blog!