November 21, 2004

Television Melee

This is a touchy subject for a one-time journalist as I have always opposed “censorship.” Just short of yelling “fire” in a closed hall, I have always felt anything goes. I always thought let the audience decide what they want to watch and hear. Let the Nazi's march or speak in public. Let the communist hire a hall and invite people to listen. It's a free country.

The melee in Auburn, Michigan between the Piston-Pacers and fans is another example of what is going wrong in sports. The throwing of beer on the players by fans as they were exiting and fighting is the wrong message to send to not only young people who imitate their favorite players, but to all of us. It is shameful behavior.

Who do we blame? Television for showing us these risqué advertisements, promotions and events. Do we switch off the shows and show the “ratings” how we really feel? Is the problem these very high paid sports stars appear not well-educated or caring about decency, feelings of others, and are very selfish, self-center spoiled, maniac attention seeking personalities?

Here is ABC TV, my old alma mater where I served as West Coast News Producer, running the late night desk for a short time, telling affiliates they are warning affiliates not to run “Saving Private Ryan” due to the opening very graphic scenes ( although they ran it two years ago,) now at their 6pm opening on "Monday Night Football," showing "Desperate Women" TV star Nicollette Sheridan wearing only a towel and provocatively asking philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens to skip the game for her as the two stood alone in a locker room. She drops the towel and jumps into Owens' arms. Owens is black and Sheridan is white.

One of the very few (5) NFL Black coaches, Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy found it racially offensive.

"To me that's the first thing I thought of as an African-American," Coach Dungy said Wednesday.

"I think it's stereotypical in looking at the players, and on the heels of the Kobe Bryant incident I think it's very insensitive. I don't think that they would have had Bill Parcells or Andy Reid or one of the owners involved in that," he added, a reference to the coaches in the game.

He said his 12 year old son was doing his homework while watching Monday Night Football, and he thought it was quite inappropriate. Even former coach and now football analyst Johnny Madden objected to the opening. On local CBS radio, where he has his own short morning show, he said they didn't need ratings bad enough for something “in poor taste” as this. He was quite “annoyed” on his radio show. He also spoke of Terrell Owens's “ego,” the losing of the fact the sport is a team effort, and how young player's view professional athletes..

"If that's what we have to do to get ratings, I'd rather not get them," Dungy said. "I realize that ratings pays us in this league, but if that's what we have to do, I'm willing to take a pay cut."

What makes it worse, a Internet Fox Sports Poll found a poll result where 54% said it was not “inappropriate.”

Don't get me wrong, I very much enjoy a good bawdy joke, and certainly I look at the very attractive cheerleaders. Also if the “skit” had appeared on “Saturday Night Live” or “The Dave Letterman Show, “ I might have found it funny, or at least, amusing. As a lead off for the Monday Night Football game, it certainly was in poor taste. (And there are other ads I don't like at any time. For instance, I find the Viagra and other type ads embarrassing, just as I do ones for tampons or such similar ones. You want to lose a viewer, play these commercials as I turn the TV channel when they go on. Often I don't turn back to the show we were watching.)

Since I did not change the channel on Monday night football, I guess the only other thing is to count me in the Internet Fox Sports poll, it was “inappropriate” at 6pm, especially on a program that children see ( 16 years and under, perhaps.) I am one of the 46%.

For those who think there is “too much government,” here is a time where I hope they give ABC TV News a big fine. Maybe that will make a difference.