ESPN has received a fair bit of criticism over the years for focusing on the big market teams while neglecting the smaller ones and Tim Legler has now added some fuel to that fire. Legler recently appeared on The Ryen Russillo Podcast, where he shared how executives at the network told him not to bother with a team like the Indiana Pacers.
“I wish I had video of all the meetings I’ve been in this year at ESPN when I wanted to talk more about the Indiana Pacers,” Legler said. “Particularly after they got (Pascal) Siakam and it’s just not sexy enough. So, it’s like we kind of didn’t talk about it.
“And I’m going man, I watch this team every night, I’m going, ‘Gosh, that’s a fun style to play in.’ I envy these guys for being able to play in a system like this,” Legler continued. “But just how hard it is to guard, how hard it is to prepare when they have this many guys that can make shots and they don’t waste one dribble. There’s not one wasted dribble on the part of the Indiana Pacers over the halfcourt.”
Tim Legler explains the problem with ESPN’s coverage of small market basketball teams on the @ryenarussillo show:
“And I wish I had video of all the meetings I’ve been in this year at ESPN when I wanted to talk more about the Indiana Pacers. Particularly after they got… pic.twitter.com/3nADfXtf8p
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 21, 2024
I find it quite interesting that Legler chose to reveal this information as I doubt the ESPN execs would be too happy that it got out. The timing only makes matters worse as well.
This issue about ESPN came back to the forefront during the second-round series between the Pacers and the New York Knicks. The coverage for Game 7 was centered around the Knicks, and at one point, noted Knicks fans Stephen A. Smith and Spike Lee were on to talk about what their team needed to do to win.
It was all a bit too much and the network was criticized for its coverage. For Legler to then come out and say this is not something I expected.
As for the Pacers, you would think that is the kind of small market team that would be termed as sexy. They were one of the most fun teams to watch because of their electrifying offense, but those ESPN execs clearly didn’t seem to think that was the case.
Dan Patrick Said He Was Embarrassed For ESPN Over The Coverage
One of the most notable critics of ESPN for the coverage of Game 7 was Dan Patrick. Patrick had previously worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and he went off on the network.
“Now we turn our attention to ESPN’s New York Knicks who lost in Game 7 to the Pacers,” Patrick said. “Pacers did play in the game, I just want to let ESPN know. If you want to buy into East Coast bias, you have every reason to buy into ESPN’s East Coast bias watching that game.
“How about some impartiality here, okay? I was embarrassed for ESPN,” Patrick continued. “Because it felt like it was all about the Knicks. Even at halftime, it was about the Knicks. The Pacers aren’t exciting. I get it. Not big names, not a sexy team, but you still have to cover the game. You got to be fair.
“I don’t need a Stephen A. Smith arrival video,” Patrick stated. “I don’t need a pep talk with him and Spike Lee. He doesn’t work for the Knicks; you work for ESPN.”
"The Pacers' did play in the game, I just want to let ESPN know. If you want to buy into east coast bias, you have every reason to buy into ESPN's east coast bias watching that game. How about some impartiality here? I was embarrassed for ESPN"#Knicks #Pacers pic.twitter.com/qtZyoMeQSW
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 20, 2024
I agreed with almost all of what Patrick had to say there. Some impartiality was needed and there was none of that. It was rather amusing then really that after all that Knicks coverage, the Pacers ended up blowing them out 130-109 in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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