The ESPN Mutiny over Bonds

by John Amato on Mar 31, 2006 6:44 PM EST in New York Yankees News

This is a shocker, but good for them:

Monday, however, when the topic turned to ESPN's new project with Barry Bonds, the hired help let their bosses know that they're still, minimally, broadcast journalists, with credentials to match. And then they lined up to let their bosses know they simply can't quietly suffer the fact that ESPN continues to jump into bed with news figures, let alone with Bonds, currently the nation's foremost representative of sports villainy.

It seems ESPN's journalists are revolting against they idea of giving Barry control over the content.

Starting next week and relying on the thin rationalization the project is an ESPN Original Entertainment endeavor, ESPN will weekly slide into the sack with Bonds in exchange for exclusive access as he pursues baseball's hallowed home-run record, a record Bonds is now commonly known to be gaining on as a matter of ill-gotten gain.

ESPN is not only paying $4.5 million to a documentary unit to produce Bonds' diary, it will allow Bonds and his minions editorial control. It's mind-blowing.

I've never heard of network employees speaking out against a management decision this way before, but we sure could use this type of behaviour more often in Sports. This is a disgraceful project and ESPN should be ridiculed for stooping this low and allowing Bonds to have control over the project. I can't see many fans in Sports getting behind Barry as he closes in on Ruth and then Aaron. It's a tragedy that he tainted the most respected records in baseball.

ESPN's bosses could have done the right thing and come out smelling like heroes. They could have said, "You know what? You're right - this doesn't pass even a minimum-standard smell test. Besides, if you folks feel this strongly about the integrity of our network, nothing else matters. The Bonds deal is dead. But they didn't.

What's your take?

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