Boosterism
It happens every time a local sports team goes big. Big, as in starring in the national spotlight. Whenever that happens, the local sportswriters and broadcasters get all giddy and boosterish. It's not very good journalism.
It happened in 1997 and 1998 when the Utah Jazz made the NBA Finals. Salt Lake City broadcasters were talking about how "we" were taking on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls as if the TV personalities were going to suit up alongside John Stockton and Karl Malone (actually, a Salt Lake City TV weatherman recently did suit up -- and score 7 points -- for a Utah professional basketball team). It happened in 1998 when the University of Utah's basketball team made the NCAA Final Four. And it happened again this week with the U.'s football team in the Fiesta Bowl.
I saw a KSL-TV reporter Saturday night interviewing a few U. students watching the game. The students were calmly talking about the game while the reporter and anchorpersons went crazy in rooting for the team.
Yesterday, a Deseret Morning News assistant sports editor wrote a sick piece of boosterism. It was labeled "Commentary" but reads more like P.R. copy. The writer was so unabashed in his boosterism that he even recounted an argument he had with a University of Pittsburgh fan named "Joe" about whose team was better. I didn't realize journalists had teams.
Come on, guys. Let's at least make a pretense at objectivity, neutrality and professionalism. Otherwise, why don't you just go get a job at your favorite sports information department?
It happened in 1997 and 1998 when the Utah Jazz made the NBA Finals. Salt Lake City broadcasters were talking about how "we" were taking on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls as if the TV personalities were going to suit up alongside John Stockton and Karl Malone (actually, a Salt Lake City TV weatherman recently did suit up -- and score 7 points -- for a Utah professional basketball team). It happened in 1998 when the University of Utah's basketball team made the NCAA Final Four. And it happened again this week with the U.'s football team in the Fiesta Bowl.
I saw a KSL-TV reporter Saturday night interviewing a few U. students watching the game. The students were calmly talking about the game while the reporter and anchorpersons went crazy in rooting for the team.
Yesterday, a Deseret Morning News assistant sports editor wrote a sick piece of boosterism. It was labeled "Commentary" but reads more like P.R. copy. The writer was so unabashed in his boosterism that he even recounted an argument he had with a University of Pittsburgh fan named "Joe" about whose team was better. I didn't realize journalists had teams.
Come on, guys. Let's at least make a pretense at objectivity, neutrality and professionalism. Otherwise, why don't you just go get a job at your favorite sports information department?
<< Home