Professional athletes who find themselves on the
opposite end of the law keep the writers and investigative reporters at
ESPN busy. This week alone, at least seven crime stories on Michael
Vick made headlines while a two-year old video of Adam Pacman Jones
throwing thousands of dollars in a Las Vegas strip club instantly
became viral. However, when a woman accused Pittsburgh Steelers
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of raping her at a Lake Tahoe
hotel-casino earlier this week, the “worldwide leader in sports” was
mum on the subject.
As other national and local media
outlets began to report the alleged rape on Monday, ESPN’s website did
not feature one story involving the incident. ESPN news director Vince
Doria told the Wall Street Journal, “We don’t think it meets our standard of reporting.”
In fact, nearly forty-eight hours passed before ESPN posted the first
Roethlisberger-related crime story. The article stated that authorities
in Nevada would not open a criminal investigation on the matter. But if
a rape allegation against the Super Bowl winning quarterback isn’t
breaking sports news, what is? Some have suggested that ESPN wanted to
wait in order to gather more facts before reporting. However, there are
several criminal incidents involving black athletes where ESPN thought
it was acceptable to provide coverage without knowing all of the facts:
September 26, 2006
– ESPN reports that Terrell Owens attempted suicide after overdosing on
35 pills. Three days later, Owens appeared at a press conference and
states that he suffered from an allergic reaction to medication.
January 19, 2007
– ESPN reports that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is forced
to surrender a water bottle to security at Miami International Airport
after airport authorities smelled what seemed to be marijuana. Vick was
not arrested and no charges were ever filed against Vick for that
incident.
October 8, 2008—
ESPN reports that Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts is getting
sued in civil court by a man who claimed that Harrison shot him seven
times. The Philadelphia District Attorney dropped the charges in
January.
This exhibition of failed reporting
suggests that ESPN believes that it is acceptable to inform the public
on the discretions of black athletes while white poster boys of pro
sports are given more breathing room when faced with criminal
allegations. It would be unfortunate for a respected brand such as ESPN
to continue to discredit itself by participating in biased reporting.
We would hope that the station and website would want a level playing
feel when it comes to disseminating fair and balanced news. –amir shaw
