The NFL, NBA and
MLB are all in the midst battling issues which have huge implications. Michael Vick has given the NFL a huge bone to chew over allegations that he is involved in a dog fighting ring.
MLB is hampered by steroids discussion magnified by Barry Bonds passing Hank Aaron for the most sacred record in all of sports, the home-run record. And finally, the NBA is being bombarded by negativity around organized gambling and game fixing schemes.
The graph above shows a discussion timeline for some of the hot topics currently being talked about in pro sports. The Michael Vick dog fighting issue tops the list. Despite receiving more buzz, sports fans don't feel Michael Vick's dog fighting woes puts NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell in the worst situation. A poll on
ESPN's Sportsnation reveals most sports enthusiasts feel David Stern is in the worst position among commissioners in charge of pro sports leagues.
I do believe the NBA is in the worst position among the pro sports leagues since accusations of referee Tim
Donaghy fixing games questions the integrity of the sport. However, the NFL and
MLB both have issues they must attend to on their own. Also, do not forget that cheating and scandals have been a part of sports in the past. The Chicago White
Sox supposedly threw the 1919 World Series which led to a victory for my beloved Cincinnati Reds. And do not forget Pete Rose betting on the game. Baseball overcame similar issues in the past. Likewise, the NBA will recover, but it has to deal with it in the present. Similarly, I feel all three leagues will recover, but not overnight.
The graph above shows a discussion timeline for some of the hot topics currently being talked about in pro sports. The Michael Vick dog fighting issue tops the list. Despite receiving more buzz, sports fans don't feel Michael Vick's dog fighting woes puts NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the worst situation. A poll on ESPN's Sportsnation reveals most sports enthusiasts feel David Stern is in the worst position among commissioners in charge of pro sports leagues.
I do believe the NBA is in the worst position among the pro sports leagues since accusations of referee Tim Donaghy fixing games questions the integrity of the sport. However, the NFL and MLB both have issues they must attend to on their own. Also, do not forget that cheating and scandals have been a part of sports in the past. The Chicago White Sox supposedly threw the 1919 World Series which led to a victory for my beloved Cincinnati Reds. And do not forget Pete Rose betting on the game. Baseball overcame similar issues in the past. Likewise, the NBA will recover, but it has to deal with it in the present. Similarly, I feel all three leagues will recover, but not overnight.
1 comment:
I think you're right that ultimately the NBA has far more to worry about as a result of Donaghy than the NFL from Vick. However, Vick is getting bigger play from ESPN because it's easier for them to cover. He just had a court appearance and camp just opened. That accounts, I think, for the fan reaction - plus Vick is a popular player and Donaghy is an unknown ref. Thanks for the comments on my site. I've added you to my blogroll too.
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