really yahoo sports? (Refs image problem local broadcasters fault)

[crownsy]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApXGEyC3hv9MXWwncJOws968vLYF?slug=dw-refbiasedannouncers061308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

intersting take...i guess. I mean, it does have some good points, but it fails to address the main reason the refs have an image problem, that they make horrid calls.

I found this an intersting read (thanks FLCelts fan for the link), and thought i'd share, but color me unconvinced that local NBA broadcasts are turnign fans against the refs. The refs are turning fans against the refs.

other sports are broadcast localy too, and you don't see major league umpires or the NHL having this problem. The nhl in particular is much the same type of bang-bang call, and from watching the local feed, nothing on a bruin is ever a penelty either, yet i don't think the NHL officals are incompetnet, because they don't rotuinly (at least overtly) seem to give one team a decided advantage.

[Weird Facts]

Its funny, here is a guy who is a member of the media, writing his article saying the broadcasters are to blame for the poor image of officials.

Meanwhile the media influences the rest of the mis-conceptions and problems in the US.

Yeah, great article

[quikblink]

Its funny, here is a guy who is a member of the media, writing his article saying the broadcasters are to blame for the poor image of officials.

Meanwhile the media influences the rest of the mis-conceptions and problems in the US.

Yeah, great article

Stern hinted at this in his press conference too

[Chris]

Its funny, here is a guy who is a member of the media, writing his article saying the broadcasters are to blame for the poor image of officials.

Meanwhile the media influences the rest of the mis-conceptions and problems in the US.

Yeah, great article

Stern hinted at this in his press conference too

He also blamed the media when he was on with Max and Grande before the game last night.  He basically said that the media doesn't know the whole story about the allegations made by Donaghy, and they were making it out to be something its not.

But you know what would help set the media straight, so they don't have to come up with their own version of what happened?  If the league would actually respond to the allegations with more than this whole "it's a non-story" crap. 

All Stern needs to do is sit down with Stuart Scott, or some other NBA friendly interviewer and say "this is what we were told, this is what we did to investigate it, this is the results of the investigation, and this is why you should trust us."

Stern needs to take something out of baseball's playbook.  The whole dog and pony show they did with the Mitchell report was genius, because it made it look like they were doing something, and actually taking the accusations seriously.  Who knows if the report was actually legit, or if anything is going to change in baseball...but by being aggressive, they were able to appease the majority of the public, and thats all its about.

Right now, Stern just looks like a little kid being told that he can't get what he wants, so he has stuck his fingers in his ears and is singing at the top of his lungs "this is the song that never ends".  So until he does something, he has only himself to blame for the image problem.

[Who]

The vast majority of the blame is on the fans

Media plays a role and role in fan's perceptions too. Local broadcastors is a smaller role yet again but yes they do play a role. This isn't the first time this year that Stern has criticized them, he does it during games when talking to the commentators a bunch of times too.

[crownsy]

I disagree who.

As i noted, the NHL and MLB have local broadcasts as well, yet despite, as far as i can tell, david ortiz and manny never having a legitimate strike called on them in thier lives, I don't question MLB umpires competancy as a unit.

nor do i know any of thier names. I shouldn't know refeers names and tendancies, but i do with the nba. why? because thier predictably terrable. so much so that vegas moves lines because of them.

these are the articles main points.

1. local media influences fans distrust of officals-

doesn't fly, why doesn't the NHL and MLB have this problem with thier officating base?

2.  Athletes and coaches play into it by arguing every call-

This happens in every other sport too, why does it only stick in the nba?

3. Local media has created an "us vs them" mentality with officals, and thus they always look bad.

again, disagree. otehr sports have no problem with thier officating pool being seen as incompetent at best.

The problem with the NBA officating is that it's only consitantly is that its terrably inconsistant. Thats why fans get irked. when you have the league coming out and admiting that it calls games diffrently based on the time of the game, thats the kind of thing that makes fans roll their eyes. When you can predict FT's and officating crews well in advance of games (see: game 3, where in a thread the day before,several posters called salvator or crawford. we got them both. me and my roomates called crawford, no problem)

Local media might be a part of it, but the main culprit is a commsioner who comes off as horrable arrogant and an officating pool that makes mistake after mistake but isn't brought to task for them.