(Right after the video of Stephen A. hitting some pads like he was shoveling dirt, this tweet was made)
I felt the need to write this mainly as a way for me to vent. Just a heads up.
Media bias is present in every single part of our lives. It's something that's unavoidable, and blurs the lines between what's real and fake for people indulging themselves online. Regardless of who you're following or what you're subscribed to, your timelines will have some significant bias.
On a political level, the extreme angles are represented more than anything else. Whether that's right or left. This has opened some eyes to what type of things gain traction on social media. I don't want to say that this idea has creeped over into the sports world, but your heavily paid corporate sports analysts seem to have that same angle.
When it comes to sports, impressions and views have started to mean something. Sports media has diverted their focus more towards making a splash with a searing hot take.
Let's use this first example of JJ Redick absolutely having to beat Chris Russo over the head with a brick for what he said on First Take.
Now JJ can't be on everyone's TV show, but more former NBA players should be given that platform to eradicate this absolute horseshit.
Grown men need babysitters, just ask your wife or girlfriend.
The central issue with the NBA's media bias is the continual focus on what they deem as "hot points" or "clickbait". It's no longer about having a rational reference point on current NBA issues, it's about making money.
Before we get seriously into this discussion. It's important for me to get my own basketball biases out of the way. We all have bias, it's a natural human notion, but acknowledging your bias is where Sports media will continually fail.
Think about how many people called out Dak Prescott (Cowboy's Quarterback) when he was battling serious depression. Think about how many people called out Simone Biles for dropping out of the Summer Olympics this past year because she was battling with her mental health.
The armchair athletes love talking about mentality when they struggle to get up and make themselves a grilled cheese before the Yankees game starts.
Unfortunately, much of our sports media has taken the role of an armchair athlete. Standing at a distance and slinging whatever mud they want, because there is 0 consequences. Colin Cowherd, Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, Nick Wright, and Chris Russo can say whatever the fuck they want. They'll get paid, and stay on TV.
First Take had Patrick Beverly on this morning the day after Chris Paul gets eliminated from the playoffs, and for what??
Why are you seeking that man's opinion? On a guy you very well know he despises?
Oh right, it's inflammatory, it's perfect for YOUR Agenda. the shit-stirring-little-man agenda.
Ok we're already going off on tangents, here are the Marcus MacKay basketball biases:
Norman Powell is the best basketball player on planet earth, he's the closest thing to basketball perfection we've ever seen.
JJ Redick is the greatest shooter of all time, in terms of his catch and shoot ability off the move.
I have never understood Alec Burks as a basketball player, I swear he's never hit a shot but clearly that's not true.
If Jonas Valanciunas got the ball AT ALL in the 2013 Raptors vs Nets first round series, the Raptors win that series.
Joe Johnson could play in the NBA until he's 60.
Bob Myers and the Golden State staff told Kevin Durant he was good to go in the 2019 finals series vs the Raptors, but they lied to him about how his rehab had been going to take a chance. He ends up tearing his achilles, Bob Myers cries out of guilt and nothing else. CONSPIRACY.
There's likely some more, but I understand who I am partial to.
This year's playoffs did not include the Lakers.
How often do you think the Lakers were talked about in the first round? More than any team in the playoffs actually, with the exception of maybe Brooklyn.
Brooklyn gets eliminated in 4 games, who does the media have to talk about now? No more big markets outside of Golden State. So much time was spent talking about the Lakers/Nets shortcomings, and time is STILL being spent doing this as we speak.
Why?
Well, headlines like "The Lakers should trade Lebron" or "I have a message for Kyrie Irving" are the core problem. We love spending time talking about failure vs success, especially when it happens to our favorite superstars. This idea of attacking superstars is the most self-absorbed agenda I've ever fucking seen.
You are using your dumbass show to talk about Lebron dancing in Cancun instead of highlighting how good the Miami Heat have been. How about the Boston Celtics?? They swept Brooklyn yet weren't exactly given any credit for it? Maybe how good the Pelicans were in the first round? Instead of how Phoenix wasn't playing good?
It's credit vs discredit. If you don't give credit to these teams, how are new fans supposed to even get an accurate idea of what the NBA is? They'll see how much this cannon fodder is surfing around Twitter and Youtube, and gravitate towards it. How are they supposed to know any better?
What about Colin Cowherd not even knowing which NBA players are under 25?? Does that not take like one google search?
Big media watches what they consider as big media basketball, which is whoever plays on National TV. Think about how many National TV games certain teams get, lots of Lakers/Brooklyn/Golden State but not a whole lot of anything else.
So we have folks on networks like ESPN talking about basketball without watching 85% percent of the games. How the fuck is that fair? To ANYONE?
Yet, when these teams are eliminated from the playoffs, there is no transition to the remaining teams. It's still whatever catches a casual fan by surprise. Imagine being a first seed in the East and no one has mentioned your title hopes. Imagine being the defending champions and you're written off immediately.
Think about how we talk about championships now. We have a bunch of asterisk NBA titles apparently. Can we finally accept that injuries and situational issues have always happened? It is an awful part of our sport, but we started acting like that means we can discount teams. Teams like the 2019 Raptors, the 2020 Lakers, the 2021 Bucks, even the 2016 Cavs because Draymond Green was suspended for a game.
We're making a choice to be miserable and closed off basketball fans, and it's because Skip Bayless pissed in our morning cornflakes.
How much have you heard about our final 4 teams in the playoffs? Miami, Boston, Dallas, Golden State. If it wasn't for Jordan Poole's magical playoffs so far, I'm certain our major corporate media wouldn't acknowledge any of these teams. Instead it would be "what's the problem with Steph right now?", "How is Philadelphia blowing this so bad?", "Should Lebron be training for next season already?", "Where did Brooklyn go wrong?", "How am I going to settle my personal beef with Kyrie?".
The Timberwolves/Grizzlies series was an all time banger, yet didn't get fair coverage. Miami and Boston have been on a warpath defensively, but there's not much mention of defense. Dallas legitimately just beat the brakes off of Phoenix yesterday, but we'll talk about how Chris Paul is fake, sure man.
How do we transition out of this discredit era?
These individuals shouldn't have a platform, former NBA players have such an easier time grasping the NBA as whole. Kendrick Perkins is falling into the wrong sort of hole, but he's played legit basketball. JJ Redick has played legit basketball, Matt Barnes has played legit basketball, Richard Jefferson has played legit basketball. How are we blind to the fact that we can do this without these other shitheads? Without bastardizing the NBA product.
I'm surprised they've invited JJ Redick back to First take, because he spends his entire time calling out the people spewing bullshit. Which is apparently not good for TV, but the absolute best thing for basketball.
I do not want to hear about Lebron when he's eliminated, I'm sure he doesn't want to hear about it either. I don't want to hear about how Kyrie made you extra mad, that's a "you" problem Stephen A. I don't want to hear about how Kevin Durant "isn't that guy" because a man who barely played any level of basketball says so.
Can we accept the fact that some teams aren't built correctly? Which is not the player's fault?
(Unless you're Lebron, sorry LBJ but that Russell Westbrook stuff is unforgivable. You borderline ruined that mans career.)
Are we going to keep criticizing Budenholzer coaching a team with an injured Khris Middleton? Or are we going to give Boston some credit?
I can spit examples of seriously awful media bias from any angle, because all of these motherfuckers have DAILY shows. And much like the media, casual fans are drawn to what's on TV consistently.
What's the fix?
Honestly, it's about giving an even spread of National TV time, getting these peons off major sports networks, and replacing these people with former NBA talents who have SEEN what it's really like. People who maybe watch basketball? I don't know, just spit-ballin here.
Sports aren't supposed to fit your personal agenda, your personal ego, or your monetary gains. Sports media should be like a lab write-up. Tangible evidence supporting claims, a hypothesis to start, and a reasonable answer after collecting all the data you can.
If I go into a Chemistry lab and mix Boron with some Phosphorus, and it fucking blows the skin off my face, I'm not going to say "Well clearly Boron didn't come to play today". I didn't even read the lab instructions, I just came in to make my own reaction.
I'd get thrown out of class and into jail for blowing a hole in my lab partners chest. There's consequences. I could have read the lab report and realized that the reaction needed more chemicals, and maybe a beaker on a hot plate instead of smashing that shit together with my hands.
Our NBA media has been doing labs without reading the instructions, causing a mass murder of integrity and drama. You can't automatically make the correct chemical reaction by blowing the whole lab up. These analysts are not only blowing up the lab, they're coming back the next day to do it AGAIN. How can you claim this lab report is correct if you haven't read it? How can you claim your takes are valid if you don't watch basketball outside of the Lakers?
Is our current generation really at the point where dysfunctional entertainment supersedes supportive and accurate journalism? Tell these miscreants to start a podcast and get the fuck off my TV, how long are we going to reward these pseudo-reality-TV sports shows?
We're falling further behind on acknowledging mental health, crediting teams vs discrediting superstars, and even coverage for talented teams. All in the name of ENTERTAINMENT BABY WEOOOO. I can say anything I want because people find me entertaining!
Well, that entertainment value turns this sport into a joke. Talking about Lebron's Cancun vacation during the playoffs is ruining our game, personally attacking Kyrie during the playoffs is ruining our game, calling James Harden washed opposed to Giving Miami's defense some credit is ruining our game.
These type of headlines insert your personal agenda into a situation, when you're not even an NBA player. Shut up and dribble? How about go and touch some grass, go outside, give your family some much needed attention. Your opinion means so little when it comes from a hateful space (what Pat Bev did this morning LOL). We have the internet, but our analysts don't use it. No facts, no standards, just an agenda.
If you are new to the NBA, I'd strongly encourage you to not watch a single fucking thing except for actual basketball games. Maybe a couple of podcasts? All The Smoke is excellent, and there's a plethora of podcasts made by intuitive NBA players. That's where you can get real stories, real people, real players. No entertainment figures, nobody who played only a minute of high school basketball in their entire career, nobody who covers 87 different sports.
Do yourself the ultimate favor, and turn that TV off.
(Every single video I attached to this article is complete bullshit, and there's 7 other videos about the same topic, on the same show.)