Miami : the most covered and hyped sports team ever?

[Drucci]

You have to wonder when you read what ESPN has planned for the coverage of the team in 2010-2011... it was ridiculous to start with (all the hype, etc) but now it's getting surreal. Just look at this :

ESPN.com will launch The Heat Index, a special section devoted specifically to daily, season-long coverage of the Miami Heat and their new superstar core of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, on Monday, October 11. The Heat Index will be housed under the ESPN.com NBA section and will include in-depth editorial coverage (columns and blogs), video, audio, automated modules, social media elements, photo galleries and other multimedia offerings.

[...]

Among the features of the Heat Index:

    * breaking news surrounding the Miami Heat;
    * coverage of every Heat game and team practice;
    * constantly updated aggregation of all ESPN stories regarding the Heat;
   * Chase for 72 – an automated, daily forecast of how many games the Heat will win including ESPN.com’s John Hollinger projecting the odds of the Heat matching the Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins;
    * Tracking the Big 3 – an automated tracking of how James, Wade and Bosh stack up against the best trios in NBA history;
    * Heat Tweets – a module that collects tweets from Heat players and fans;
    * complete video, podcast and story contributions from ESPN reporters Marc Stein, Chris Broussard, Chad Ford, Chris Sheridan, John Hollinger and Ric Bucher;
    * Heat content from ESPN TV analysts;
    * Hollinger Stats – automated applications featuring Hollinger’s analytics on the Heat team and players;
    * Hollinger’s All-Time Power Rankings – a ranking pinning the Heat against the NBA’s all-time great teams;
   * Triple-Double Tracker – a module tracking James’ progress towards averaging a triple-double for an entire season;
    * Hoop Schemes – basketball analysis and video breakdowns by TrueHoop’s Arnovitz;
    * video analysis by Scout Inc.’s David Thorpe;
   * live chats during each Heat game involving Heat Index contributions;
    * a Heat Index Facebook page;
    * photo galleries of Heat players and celebrity fans;
    * The Scene – Jemele Hill covering the culture, scene and lifestyle angles tied to South Beach as it relates to the Heat and the buzz surrounding the team;
    * contributions from athletes, including former Heat players, and celebrities who live in South Florida and are regulars at Heat games.

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/10/espn-com-to-launch-%E2%80%9Cthe-heat-index%E2%80%9D-oct-11/

I understand the excitement and the buzz about this team, and yes, such a trio has never played together before, but ESPN should rename itself "HeatSPN" at this rate.

[Roy H.]

Yeah, I'd say it's pretty unprecedented.  ESPN had done the 72 win tracker before, but I don't think they've ever dedicated an entire section of their website to one team.

I say, crank up the hype.  It can only put more pressure on Miami, and I think there are question marks about how Lebron and Bosh will handle it.  (I think Wade will be fine.)

[housecall]

I wondered long before this if Lebron had an undisclosed deal  with ESPN.It is sad when one of your leading sources for fans sports knowledge on a daily basis operates similar to one of the leading tabloid(rag)magazines.

[Andy Jick]

This is good...put a LOT of attention on them.  My guess is that they'll implode at some time because of attention placed on LeBum and the envy of other Heat players that will accompany it.

[Amonkey]

Yet according LeBron, race plays a role in why people hate him.  In that case, how does race play a role in ESPN's man crush on LeBron (and all the people that will unfortunately use this special section and make the creators happy).

[GreenFaith1819]

And don't forget that ESPN will add yet another module to their Heat coverage - just in time for halloween:

"Trick or Heat".

This module will monitor the amount of candy that the Heat players pass out to their fans in support of halloween.

All in the name of Community Service.

[GreenEnvy]

It's actually pretty pathetic. I could understand if they have proven something already, but they obviously haven't.

I guess it is a way for ESPN to justify paying know-nothings like Hollinger and Hill.

One thing is for sure, Stern is loving all of this. A team just surpassed both Boston and LA for national attention (without accomplishing squat).

I really don't care anyway, because I bet a lot of this stuff will blow up in their face. If they lose 5 of the first 20 games, I think their 72-win tracker will look a little ridiculous for the following 5 months.

[StartOrien]

Isn't the hype-hate getting a bit ridiculous though? I can't watch the training camp sessions b/c I'm at work, but if I wasn't I'd absolutely be watching. I hate the team, but I find this all genuinely interesting. Give me this over an OTL report on concussions everytime.