Development News: National controversy over lack of Galaxy and David Beckham news in mainstream sports reporting

from "The World's Beautiful Game"

(written prior to last night's match)

photos of the Home Depot Center by Jani Laurila

Saturday, May 24:

As your friendly neighboorhood MVN reporter, I have to tell you that I am shocked - as many around our country are this season - on the sheer lack of mainstream media attention to our sport, our league, our superstar players.

VIDEO EXAMPLE - May 24 - Stoppage time goal from midfield by David Beckham; 94th minute bomb for Galaxy in 3-1 win, securing first place in the Western Conference  WATCH HERE 

Story and goal ignored by most mainstream sports news.

It is as though the old-school sports reporters even forgot that the best-known athlete in the world was playing here, that he is being watched with interest by the general public, and that now - in his first full season with the Galaxy - is playing very well, indeed.

Everyone touched by mainstream sports media in southern California should be getting regular news about both of the Los Angeles MLS teams, and they should especially be hearing about the kind of play by the Galaxy that has earned them five of the possible eight MLS PLayer of the Week awards, divided between three players; two each for Landon Donovan and David Beckham, plus the current honoree Edson Buddle.

Here in this stadium pictured - the Home Depot Center - major feats of daring-do have occurred recently, and sometimes with nary a whisper or snap of video from mainstream TV news outside of L.A. Landon Donovan scored a hat trick here against the team with whom they share this venue, Chivas USA. The packed house rocked, the highlights of the match were awe-inspiring, and the fans of the Galaxy were rightfully jubilant.

So, I am wondering why the TV sports media thinks their audience would not be interested in seeing the news on this ? It seemed a though that's what they thought, because the vast majority of news outlets outside of L.A. ignored this event.

The same thing happened then when David Beckham scored both of LA's goals at the HDC, a feat for which he won his second MLS Player of the Week award. Similarly, when the Galaxy had a great 5-1 win in Texas against FC Dallas, resulting in this week's MLS Player of the Week award for Edson Buddle (who scored a hat trick), casual fans or viewers of local sports news on TV would have never known.

Here, we have a mainstream media who ridicule soccer for not being high-scoring enough to show or be interesting to their viewers, but a team - the Galaxy - with 19 goals in eight games, and a player - Landon Donovan - with nearly half of those - 9 - himself, the league's leading goal scorer overall.

We have here a team with the world's most famous athlete - David Beckham - doing great as an individual, as half of a tandem with Donovan, and as team leader - captain - of the Galaxy.

In contrast to the dearth of Major League Soccer news - even in southern California, local TV news viewers across the USA got extensive highlights from every NBA game in every round of the playoffs, including Eastern teams and players of marginal interest in southern California. The media hoopla surrounding the NBA playoffs at every level seems to have completely overwhelmed any possibility for proper attention to the great soccer stories also occurring.

What I wonder is why southern California TV news producers choose to ignore these soccer news events and great highlights video, seemingly in an arbitrary way, while deciding - for themselves - that their local TV audiences, again - even in southern California - would rather see endless clips of NBA ballers like Derek Fisher or Marcus Camby.

These NBA players are not nearly as known as David Beckham is in the general population, and with soccer fans, his teammates Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz, as well as other MLS millionaire stars like Angel and Blanco are always of interest. It is as though the mainstream media moguls in charge are not paying attention to what's going on in the world of sports, and don't want to put out the best sports news reports with the athletes and video of most interest to their own LOCAL viewers.

That's something to ponder. Comments welcome below, as always...

Source link ( http://mvn.com/soccer/2008/05/24/galaxy-greatness-ignored-in-hoops-hoopla/ )

( Related MLSNet article, in advance of Saturday's match at home versus the WIZARDS,

"Galaxy surging toward top of the West" )

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