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As ESPN gains larger and larger audiences, they are being placed under larger and larger scrutiny by their viewers and their sports media opponents. The ever rising conclusion from these critics is that ESPN has an overwhelming East Coast bias. I, like many others, concur with these opinions. To better understand how ESPN employs an East Coast bias when covering college basketball, it's necessary to examine their broadcasting style, their online writings, and their staff.

Nothing exemplifies a media giant's broadcasting style than their schedule, and ESPN stays true to that formula. When selecting games to broadcast during the 2006-2007 College Basketball Season, they gave the ACC a clear nod in nationally broadcast games. For example, Duke saw 20 of their 33 games broadcast nationally on ESPN or ESPN2, including cupcake games against non-conference opponents. Florida, the defending national champions, saw a mere four games broadcast nationally on ESPN or ESPN2. Although many will attribute this to Florida's clear lack of Basketball Tradition, Florida isn't the only successful school left out in the cold. The Kentucky Wildcats, arguably the program with the most storied history and the most rabid fans only saw 7 games broadcast nationally. Numbers don't lie, and this apparent bias in broadcasting style is simply one of the obvious characteristics that ESPN possesses indicating their East Coast bias.

ESPN, like many media giants, extends their sports coverage onto the internet realm in the form of written articles. Similarly, their bias extends onto the internet as well, with written praises for the clear superiority of the ACC from such obvious sporting authorities as Dick Vitale himself. Perhaps the most easily recognizable form of written bias is their weekly Power Rankings. Throughout Duke's abysmal 2006-2007 season, multiple "experts" on ESPN consistently ranked Duke in their top 10, regardless of their actual in season performance. Furthermore, their continued inability to recognized Duke's obvious weaknesses, but their openhanded willingness to mock the weaknesses of their opponents only magnifies their obvious bias. Clearly then, their online writings continue to point to their East Coast bias.

Their biases can perhaps be most contributed to their writing and broadcasting staff, as it's their staff that produces the media bias that's being examined today. The clear majority of the writing and broadcasting staff at ESPN has a clear ACC background. Jay Bilas is a Duke alum, Lunardi has an ACC background, Dick Vitale as an ACC background, Andy Katz has a Duke background, and more. When well over half of your primary contributors have some kind of ACC background, an East Coast bias becomes a byproduct whether intentional or not. Although not every one of their writers hails from the ACC, there isn't a single one that represents any part of the United States west of the Mississippi. Their continued inability to hire or find anyone to represent that huge style of basketball only serves to intensify their bias even further.

Finally, by closely examining ESPN's Broadcasting style, their online writings, and the writers who write them, their East Coast Bias only becomes more apparent. Their continued growth will only serve to add more critics to their program. However, as long as their ratings continue to grow, their bias is not expected to change, nor will the continued interest and exuberance in ACC Basketball.

Learn more about this author, Keith Neely.
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