One more thing, why would ESPN protect the NBA and kill the NFL?
I have no doubt Monday night football gets much better ratings then the NBA games.
You keep on going back to this NFL VS. NBA thing that is irrelevant. The ESPN picks and chooses what the major story.
Why is this irrelevant?
While I don't purport to suggest that ESPN does everything perfectly (or that SpyGate wasn't necessarily overblown), your lack of willingness to consider the point wdleehi is making here confuses me.
Yes, ESPN has a partnership with the NBA.
ESPN also has a parternship with the NFL.
The NFL has clearly demonstrated itself throughout recent memory as being the far more lucrative enterprise. A primary reason for this is because that's what people in this country are interested in. The sad fact of the matter (and I hate to admit this) is that the NBA isn't exactly "killin' it" as far as nationwide intrigue is concerned in general. Thus, it isn't fair to look at the actual amounts of coverage received by SpyGate and the ref scandal without thinking about them in terms of the proportions in which the sports are covered to begin with. Good or bad, ESPN gives football far greater priority over basketball all the time. That isn't because they have an agenda against the Patriots or in favor of the NBA; that's because they know what draws viewers at this point.
For what it's worth, you'll remember that ESPN cancelled its inordinately well-rated
Playmakers series back in 2003 after just one season because of pressure applied by the NFL.
The network is not wholly subservient to the NBA by any stretch of the imagination.
No doubt, ESPN pursues agendas at times, but in this case, from the breadth of your comments on this thread, it seems that you may be far more guilty of said offense than is the Worldwide Leader.
-sw