Saturday, September 25, 2010

More LeBron Coverage? You bet.

A few months removed from ESPN's ratings grab "Decision" coverage, NBA training camps are set to begin this week, and ESPN will again prove that LeBron James is ESPN's finest working girl. Michael Hiestand of the USA Today reported this week that the monopolistic sports network will be sending reporters to cover the Miami Heat's training camp. Riveting television, right? I'd rather watch the spelling bee, live, on pay per view.

I'm not going to go into the decision James made back in July, because that horse is at the glue factory. However, I am amazed that the James gang is too stupid to realize that ESPN doesn't actually give a damn about him. ESPN's only real concern is how many people tune in to their programming. Whether you love or loathe LeBron, the suits at ESPN know that they will get viewers for training camp coverage, and you will likely be one of them.

If you intend to watch it, enjoy it, but don't expect to see much basketball. Most teams don't let the media in for any actual practice, and considering Pat Riley moved his hired guns to Elgin Air Force Base, it's safe to assume that the closed doors will likely stay that way. However, if you like to listen to Jalen Rose and Jon Barry use their word of the day calendars to explain how good tall athletic guys are at basketball, then set your DVR.

ESPN has some fine programming. The 30 for 30 series has provided solid sports documentaries on wide ranging topics. Sportscenter was, at one time, groundbreaking television. They've proven in the past that they can provide sports fans with entertaining television when live sports are not readily available. However, as they continue to gravy train their 6'8 moneymaker, their brand takes as big of a hit in terms of legitimacy as LeBron's did when the "Decision" first aired.

While I'm sure plenty of people will tune in to catch a glimpse of Dwyane Wade and his sidekicks, there's a reason we have 200 channels. Choose wisely. Personally, I intend to take my talents to the Discovery Channel.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Fanny and the Jets

Sports journalists around the country had the opportunity to dust off their soap boxes this week when Mexican "sports reporter" Ines Sainz paid a visit to the New York Jets for an interview with "quarterback" Mark Sanchez. Evidently, this group of 20-somethings with varying degrees of education and self-entitlement behaved like a group of 20-somethings with varying degrees of education and self-entitlement. They hooted and hollered and ran in Sainz's direction, making her uncomfortable. Pardon me for not giving a damn.

I don't think objectifying women in the workplace is acceptable, nor should it be tolerated, but this is not your typical sexual harassment issue. When Sainz woke up the morning of the interview, painted on her jeans, and forgot that there were two more buttons on the top of her blouse, she knew what she was doing and where she was headed. Her clothes are so tight that if she put her car keys in her back pocket you could tell she drives a Volvo.

This is the same woman who has shown up at Super Bowl media day and asked to measure varying NFL body parts. How is anyone supposed to take seriously a "reporter" who doesn't extend herself the same courtesy?

From what I understand, she was in town to interview and do a story on Mark freaking Sanchez. You begin to lose credibility with me right there. When you go outside and check your mail this afternoon, by the time you get back to your couch you will have gained more yards than Sanchez threw for in week one. I suppose I can buy the idea for the story given the Mexican-American heritage of Mark Sanchez, but let's not lose sight of the fact that TV Azteca sent their pretty reporter to interview a pretty quarterback. Sainz was playing a game she's very good at, and in a year when we see her doing the tango on Dancing With The Stars, more people will realize that. I didn't know her name a week ago and neither did you. For the sake of serious female journalists who have an uphill battle from the moment they choose their career path, let's be honest with ourselves about what's going on here.

This isn't a "blame the victim" mentality, because to me, the only victims of this story are the general public who have to listen to journalists pontificate about how naughty the Jets were. I'll consider Ines Sainz a credible reporter the same day I look at Mark Sanchez and think, "now THAT'S a quarterback."

Welcome To The Blueprint

Man Cave Blueprint is the platform I've chosen to share opinions, stories, reviews, and other ramblings from a man's point of view. The general vibe of this blog will be about sports and movies, but I will be sprinkling in other items of interest as I get some blogging experience under my belt. I decided a while back that I wanted to get back into writing, even on a small level, because I'm passionate about it. The Blueprint is intended to be just that. I intend to discuss things that the average guy would talk about if he had a sports talk show with his best friend - sports, movies, and other miscellaneous stuff as it comes up. This isn't to say I discourage women from reading my blog, but don't expect spring fashion tips or the latest information on what third world country Angelina Jolie went kid shopping in. If you could see yourself having a flat screen in the basement with a beer fridge and a bowl of pretzels, the topics on this blog will likely appeal to you. Thanks for stopping by.