BY KEVIN JENKINS

The NFL is potentially thinking about implementing a 15-yard penalty rule for the use of the N-word on the field. A lot of the media on ESPN has weighed in on this issue to clarify if they are in favor of the rule or not.

Herm Edwards (ESPN Anchor) explained how he felt the players should be able to take care of this situation themselves. Edwards justified how there are already too many rules in the NFL and he explains how players need to stand up by not saying this word on the field against other players.
Edward’s viewpoint on this situation is that the players need to respect one another. Herm also said when he was a coach in the NFL, that this word had no place in his locker-room. The banning of this racial slur also brings up more topics.

For instance, I’m curious to know why the NFL has not already done this years ago. I’m sure this racial slur has been spoken among other black NFL players since the league started.

Another question to bring up is the possibility of banning all racial slurs on the field. The media and the NFL have focused on this particular word but there are other racial slurs that may be discourteous to another race. So if the media is going to tackle the use of the N-word on the field, they need to address the other racial slurs that are associated with different races.

BY COREY MAXWELL

The Heisman Trophy gives you a certain type of celebrity status and there is no denying that. You win it based on hard work and dedication and no one can take it away from you.
But the attention Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is receiving right now is just a little bit too much.

Winston won the national championship with the Seminoles this past season as a freshman and he deserves attention for that.

But, he also plays outfielder and pitcher for the Florida State baseball team and the attention he is getting for that from media outlets, especially ESPN, is unmerited.

Sportscenter showed highlights from their game and ESPN even tweeted his stat line, which wasn’t even impressive as Winston went 0-2 with a groundout and a strikeout.

Winston’s stats are OK, but not great. Winston played last season as well and finished with a 1-2 pitching record and had a batting average of .235, which again, isn’t too spectacular.

I understand that it’s pretty rare for college athletes to play two sports. You have to be pretty talented to do that, especially at a Division I level.

But it’s not like Winston is the next Bo Jackson. Jackson was a running back and an outfielder for Auburn in the 80s and broke records for both football AND baseball.

Jackson was getting attention for his play, while Winston is only getting this attention because of the recent success he had on the football field. If any other athlete in college played two sports right now I could almost guarantee they wouldn’t get the type of coverage Winston is getting.
I know the baseball season is just getting underway and the media will begin to shift their attention away from Winston after a while, but they shouldn’t have to make such a big deal about it to begin with.

BY THYRAN NOWDEN

I dislike how the media isn’t giving the Wichita State men’s basketball team the credit they deserve for having an outstanding basketball season.

Wichita State is 30-0 this season and the only undefeated team in the nation and they are ranked 2nd in the nation. Wichita State was a final four team in the NCAA tournament last season and they are picking up from where they left off.

The media is focusing on how Wichita State doesn’t deserve credit from being 30-0 because they play in a weak conference. Every time the question about Wichita State being the best team in the nation is asked, the media says no because they really have not played any good teams.

ESPN analyst Bill Plaschke said Wichita State is not the best team in the nation and doesn’t deserve a number one seed in the NCAA tournament because their strength of schedule is weak.

Even though Wichita State is 30-0 this season, the media is still considering them as the underdog going into the NCAA tournament. I think it is unfair that the media is treating Wichita State like they don’t deserve to be one of the top teams in the nation.

Wichita State rarely gets any coverage from the media for being undefeated and having the best season in their schools history. If Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, or Syracuse were 30-0 this season, the media would be giving them credit 24/7 and calling them one of the best college basketball teams of all time.

The media should start giving Wichita State the credit they deserve because they have the best record in college men’s basketball and being 30-0 on the season is not an easy task to accomplish.

BY STEVEN KUBITZA

“I think that I am the best player in this draft.”

“I want to be the best ever.”

“I deserve to be the number one pick in the draft.”

These types of quotes have been reported from the NFL Combine nonstop this past week. They are being publicized as big news by outlets such as ESPN when they should not be.

These quotes are so obvious that they barely deserve to be reported. If one were to ask a star player at the Combine what his hopes were for the NFL, he should be saying how great he thinks he is. No coach wants to pick a player who lacks confidence or who does not want to be great.

This is different for lower-level players at the Combine, but for the likes of Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney, it is not a stretch to say they should be the top pick in the draft.

The issue comes with the fact that reporters are all trying to be the ones to break the next big story, or get the next big quote from a player.

However, confidence is not breaking news. Confidence is expected from players who have been the best players on their respective teams since childhood.

The only news that should be coming from the Combine should be the performances of each player.

The news that is coming out is all about Michael Sam, who simply wants to talk about football, and the quotes shared at the beginning.

This is something more appropriate for entertainment coverage as opposed to football coverage. Unfortunately, it is a trend that will likely be around for the foreseeable future.

BY BRANDON SHRIDER,

ESPN aired a collegiate basketball game between storied program Indiana and 14th ranked Wisconsin.

Under most circumstances, this would be just another night of college basketball, but unranked Bradley tipped off against undefeated, and number two ranked Wichita State on ESPN2.

This game, not only features the only undefeated left in Divison-1A college basketball, but it showcases a team that has the chance to become the first team in over two decades to start the season 30-0.

However, for some reason, ESPN decided to air the rather unappealing matchup of IU v. UW on their primary network as opposed to the intriguing game featuring the Shockers.

ESPN seemingly prefers to feature an illustrious program, such as Indiana or North Carolina, during a season in which they are no more than an average team, who is not likely to be admitted into the famous tournament.

It is this coverage, or lack thereof, that has ultimately contributed to the miniscule attention that small schools receive in the world of sports. Without coverage, these unknown programs remain as such, no matter their current season accomplishments.

In order for these teams to become relevant, the media, specifically ESPN, will need to adjust their notion that history shall impact viewership, and take the liberty to showcase talented teams, no matter their school history.

It will be this liberation that will allow Wichita State and the like, to be more than just annual tournament “Shockers”.

BY KATIE ROTH

After only playing in 17 games during the 2013 season, Derek Jeter, also known as “The Captain”, announced he will be retiring at the end of the 2014 Major League Baseball season.

The 39 year-old shortstop will have played 20 years in the majors at the conclusion of the 2014 season, all with the New York Yankees.

He is a 5-time World Series Champion, 5-time Gold Glove Award winner, 5-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and 13-time All-star. No matter the outcome of this season Jeter will go down in history as one of the best to ever play to the game.

The media has already fallen in love with this story. The moment the announcement hit his Facebook page every sports writer and analyst in the business already had something to say about it.

One might wonder though, why the massive amount of coverage so early? Baseball season hasn’t even started yet and great players retire every year with much less coverage on the subject even during the season.

My answer to those asking that question simply put is, “The Captain”. Derek Jeter is not only one of the greats to play the game for the New York Yankees, he is their captain, their go to man, their leader, their rock, and he has been for the past several years. When you think New York Yankee baseball, you think Derek Jeter.

This year when Derek Jeter takes the field for his last season he will be wearing the pinstripes of the New York Yankees, just as he has done for all 19 previous years of his career. That is almost unheard of in the world of baseball today. That is why he is “The Captain” and deserves every ounce of media coverage he receives. He plays the game the way it should be played, period.
With all the attention the media has already given this story I think it safe to say we will be seeing a lot more of it all season long, and I am just fine with that.

BY LOREN BRANCH

Since graduating from BGSU, former men’s basketball player and sport management student, James Erger has joined the Dallas Baptist staff as a graduate assistant. Because I had the pleasure of being a manager during James’ last two seasons in the orange and brown, I know him well enough to be excited about any opportunity to watch his team play. Today, I was surprised with that opportunity.

A manager who just joined the team this season was flipping through the channels trying to find a game for us to watch prior to practice when he stumbled upon CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) and let out a little groan about the fact that they were showing a Division II game. When asked who was playing, all he had to do was say “Dallas Baptist” and another veteran manager made sure he knew not to change the channel.

This was the first time I had ever seen a D2 regular season game broadcasted on national TV which was quite surprising, especially because both teams have an under .500 record. That fact led me to wonder two things; why was a major network broadcasting this game and was the production going to have the same quality as a typical Division I game.

The answer to my first question came during the first commercial break when it was announced that this was the “CBS Sports Network Division II Game of the Week.” Because I had never heard about this great concept I did a little more research that led me to some fascinating information.

Apparently, this is the eighth season where CBSSN had selected specific DII games to broadcast on TV and this was the seventh out of eight total that were selected for this season. In addition, this specific game was selected because last season, Dallas Baptist’s opponent (Newman) won the most games in the program’s history since joining the D2 ranks and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament (ncaa.com).

The answer to my second question was yes. To be honest, I expected this broadcast to lack quality with it being a lower division game but I was mistaken. The game was covered the same as a typical DI game with two experienced announcers and a court side reporter that interviewed both coaches at some point during the game. The most interesting part of the broadcast was all the personal life stories told about the head coaches and various players on both teams. The announcers did a great job of keeping viewers’ attention by talking about interesting facts regarding both teams.

In addition, there were a lot of the little things shown during DI games that were included, such as shots of the cheerleaders yelling into the camera, fans cheering, and the family of the home team’s coach in the stands. There is no doubt that this broadcast was handled just as well as any other higher level college basketball broadcast and that is a very professional way for CBSSN to handle these games.

Not only did CBSSN make the risky decision to broadcast DII games but they made sure to incorporate teams that are predicted to be entertaining and do a great job from a production stand point. This was a genius idea! Even if it does nothing but serve as a way to draw attention to the network, it would be great. However, it also creates good publicity for them and brings huge benefits to DII athletics and all the programs involved every year.

This, “Game of the Week”, concept is by far one of the best and most underrated things to happen to college basketball broadcasting and maybe even sport broadcasting as a whole.

BY COREY MAXWELL

Sporting events have set times when they are scheduled to start and we all know that they rarely ever begin at that particular time. They usually start a few minutes late, which we as sports fans have come to terms with.

Starting an hour late is not okay, though.

The 2014 NBA All-Star game on TNT was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. last Sunday night. Not really early, but not particularly late either.

The game did not tip until 8:56 p.m., almost an hour after it was supposed to.

There was quite a bit of wasted time during TNT’s broadcast which contributed to the game being started later than scheduled.

There was a musical performance which took around 25 minutes. The starting lineups for both the East and West teams were announced throughout the duration of the performance. Following that, there was a commercial break and following the commercial break was the singing of both Canada’s and the United States’ national anthem.

Typically, the game begins after the singing of the national anthem. That was not the case with Sunday night. TNT felt they had to introduce the starting lineups AGAIN. They played a video showing the players’ highlights and proceeded to talk about the players a little more. The game started soon after.

The delay to the game was pretty aggravating for fans. While scrolling through Twitter I saw quite a few people expressing their annoyance over the fact that it was taking so long for the game to start.

The NBA hasn’t been this popular in years one could argue. If the NBA wants to build on their popularity, then starting a game almost an hour late isn’t going to increase your fan base. I became a fan of the NBA when I was younger and I grew up watching the Lakers win titles with Shaq and Kobe. I had a bedtime though which meant I couldn’t particularly stay up to watch late games. If the NBA wants to appeal to that younger audience, TNT and the NBA must start the games at a reasonable hour to keep that demographics’ viewership.

TNT and the NBA should have been thinking of their fans during All-Star Sunday. I’m sure the fans that were in attendance didn’t really care to wait that long for the game to start. Sure the NBA already had their money, but they have to at least show some consideration to the fans and start the games close to when they are scheduled. If they could promise to do that, and KEEP that promise, then they would have much happier fans.

BY KIA TYUS

is known for their hilarious broadcasters and for the NBA All-Star Game, those broadcasters did not disappoint.

Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal gave a very entertaining half time report. All of these broadcasters have a high IQ of the game. They were all former players and some are even in the NBA Hall of Fame.

The broadcasters kicked off the half time report showing part of Barkley’s one-on-one interview with President Barack Obama.

Barkley’s interview was okay. He asked many questions on different players ranging from Stephan Curry, Kevin Durant to LeBron James. The one thing that stood out for me during the clip of the interview was the fact that Barkley had a shaky voice and he stuttered throughout the interview. Obviously, nerves played a big role in that.

The broadcasters also highlighted a few new records that were broken during the first half. Johnson brought up the fact that the West set an all-star record with 89 points in the first half and both teams set a record with a combined 165 total points to end the first half. Johnson also highlighted the fact that Blake Griffin tied Wilt Chamberlain’s 1962 record with 10 made field goals in a half.

Instead of talking about the first half highlights, TNT introduced the ultimate highlight video, which showed viewers all of the highlights in the first half.

After the video the broadcasters noted were LeBron’s dunks. Barkley still is rooting for James to compete in the dunk contest. Barkley then goes on record to say, “Nobody will be better than LeBron”.

When the conversation switched to the potential winner of the All-star MVP, Barkley joked, “that the first player with three assists and three blocks will win the award”. Barkley also joked about how hideous the all-star uniforms were.

To close the half time report, the broadcasters ended with a, “Shaqtin a fool” moment starring Kyrie Irving. Irving threw the ball in bounds while none of his teammates were looking and the play resulted in a turnover.

The broadcasters were a very entertaining bunch that joked around and knew how to grasp the viewer’s attention. The one thing I wish the broadcasters had done is talk more about the first half highlights instead of just showing a video.

BY COREY MAXWELL

The Winter Olympics are a global event that occur every four years and are much anticipated for athletes. It’s their chance to showcase their skills and talent and to show the dedication they’ve put toward their respective sport over the past four years.

It’s too bad not many people in America are watching them.

With the Olympics being held in Sochi, Russia, the events are not being broadcast live for the most part because of the time difference. There is nothing that can be done about that, but NBC, the network that airs the Olympics, waits until the evening time to show the events.

The fact that NBC generally waits to show the Olympics at a primetime hour instead of broadcasting them live hurts the ability to build fan interest here in America. Most, if not all sports fans, want to watch sports when they are live and not on tape delay.

According to a poll conducted by ESPN’s Darren Rovell, 74% of people say that knowing the results ahead of time greatly affects if they watch or not.

And it’s not like news sites try to keep the results hidden, either.

If you go on ESPN or even the New York Times’ websites, you will find some results of the games on their homepage.

Also, many avid fans like me are signed up for ESPN Alerts, which is a text messaging system that alerts you of important sports news during the day. I received results via text message for highly anticipated events such as the men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe, which was frustrating because I was looking forward to watching them later that night. But since I already knew the results I didn’t care to watch.

With the events in the Olympics being more niche sports than mainstream sports, many Americans do not know much about them. Winter Olympic sports like snowboarding and skiing do not have much of a fan base in America, but have often been highly rated events on television in the past.
Knowing the results ahead of time hurts the chance to build a solid fan base for those sports. Networks and proponents of these sports want snowboarding and skiing to become more popular in the future, but if people are not watching them because the results have been spoiled, then the purpose is defeated.

Knowing the results ahead of time is a very frustrating thing for sports fans. Currently it is hard for a fan to go an entire day without seeing scores or results because modern technology like text messaging, social media and other websites dominate our lives to an extent.

I wish the news and media would keep quieter throughout the day rather than displaying the events results everywhere. If they were able to do that, then American viewership of the Olympics would be higher and it would help develop better fan interest for the sports in the Games and ultimately the future.