ESPN did it again Monday night: They went too far in the tragedy/trauma porn.
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ESPN was widely criticised for publishing the horrible circumstances and events draft prospects had to face early in quarantine. Even worse, the network apologized for Tee Higgins' graphic showing Bengals wide receiver Tee. It featured Tee's mom's drug addiction and was published right after his sister had played college basketball.
Monday Night Football's Monday Night Football crew did not let the first quarter go by without opening their "Najee was poor as an child" folder. They continued to talk about Harris's childhood in poverty, where he lived in shelters and cars for most of his life. Steve Levy, play-by-play announcer, even added a story about Harris sleeping on the ground when he first enrolled at Alabama. He was so used it.
Harris learned about Levy's comments and decided to clarify the matter for the rest of the world. Harris posted that he slept in the same bed throughout his time in Alabama. Levy apologised in the replies and promised to donate to Harris' charity. The Monday Night Football research team received a very strong-worded email.
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Even if the story was true, what purpose was it to be broadcast on air? It's one thing for a group to give you inaccurate information. Levy is not to blame for this, but he deserves criticism because he wrapped up an aside on homelessness with a "cute story" about how a player adjusts to having a home.
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It would be tragic if that were true.
Sports events are awash with quick asides, such as what the Monday night crew did to Harris. There is a lot of talking during three hours of broadcasting, so commentators will need to be able to comment on more than the live action. The game is rich in information about athletes, particularly for younger players who may not be familiar with the sport.
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Too often, the story is about athletes who overcome poverty, abuse or the legal system to become wealthy. While those athletes are worthy of credit for their determination, we must remember that it is not okay to live in such terrible circumstances. They must overcome them for their success. These situations are not good for anyone. Children who worry about their future and how they will eat it (or if) make it difficult for them to focus on school.
People should be ashamed of a family who travels from Seattle to the Bay Area looking for a home. Allen Iverson's tale about growing up in a community with raw sewage should make us disgusted, and not only get more cheers when he is drafted into the NBA.
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These stories can be normalized when broadcasters tell them, such as when the NFL Draft uses graphics about drug-addicted moms. This allows the narrative to be "good for you for your hard work and success" instead of "that's really sad, we should do something so that other people don't have this."
These stories about people's rough backgrounds should not be used for entertainment purposes. Harris deserves to be given a lot of credit for his success in navigating his childhood and reaching the NFL. Before you share inaccurate stories about people sleeping on the floors, think about this: Does it make the story more entertaining or heartbreaking? Which of these scenarios is more important?
