I did a lot of driving the past couple of days and listened to a lot of ESPN Radio. A good deal of their baseball talk was about the impending (or so it would seem) labor problems. And, a good deal of their baseball analysts are former players–Rob Dibble, Harold Reynolds, Mike MacFarlane. And I’m talking recent former players. 10 years ago, these guys were all active ballplayers. It’s not like they’re old and grey. Here’s my beef.
Ever hear of conflict of interest, ESPN? I guess not, since you just aired that “Outside The Lines” show on sports video games that had quite a lot to do with Sega. Gee, think that had anything to do with ESPN teaming up with Sega to make video games?
Today, Dibble and MacFarlane were both such apologists for the players’ union I wanted to punch my radio. I don’t blame them. Heck, Dibble was a union member during the last strike! It’s still fresh in his mind.
Look, if you want to ask them what their personal experiences were during the last strike, that’s fine. They can recount their first-hand experiences, which are insightful. But DO NOT let them interject their opinion into what right now is a very muddled issue with a lot of rhetoric being spouted on both sides. What these ESPN guys are doing is simply trying to stick up for their buddies, and that’s a big journalistic no-no.