Geno Auriemma Questions ESPN Motives
Friday, March 14, 2008
There are a ton of conspiracy theories about ESPN out there, but this one actually could be plausible. Shelley Smith broke a story earlier in the week about a recruiting violation involving UConn player Maya Moore. Well the violation in question was a free tour at ESPN Headquarters on her recruiting visit in 2005 and Auriemma think it's just a little sketchy that they're "breaking" the story now....
"It's a story that has been rehashed by ESPN to serve its own purposes," Auriemma told WTIC-AM's Joe D'Ambrosio Thursday on his weekly coach's show. "[ESPN reporter] Shelley Smith came up to talk to me to do a story on [Tennessee women's basketball coach] Pat Summitt and my relationship with her, why the series was canceled, and I flat out said, 'Go ask her. I didn't cancel it.' I didn't want to be involved in [that] story.Auriemma goes on to admit that they made a mistake but had one last parting shot for ESPN in the interview, ""With all the stuff going on in sports today ... you need to run something about a kid getting a tour of ESPN?".
"And [Smith's] response was, 'OK, we're going to [report the violation].' ... What purpose does that serve? It's already been discussed and dealt with [last summer]. It's typical: 'Let's drum up some interest before the NCAA Tournament starts and hope these two meet in the finals so we can get boffo ratings' at the expense of Maya Moore."
Women's College Basketball ratings hinge on UConn vs. Tennessee and it makes perfect sense that ESPN would pull something like this off. Pretty smart if you ask me, but also a little sketchy. These are the things you can try when you're the only game in town.
Auriemma Questions ESPN's motivations in report on Moore visit (Hartford Courant)
12 Comments:
Before ESPN, UConn was a 1-AA football school and arguably one of the worst major conference basketball schools on the East Coast.
Tread lightly
Funny, Joe D. is/was on ESPN Radio as a fill-in on gamenight and/or part of the NFL pre-game show.
A coach from U of Connecticut is complaining about ESPN ?
OH State football players complaining about ESPN before the BCS title game ?
In other news, Satan was seen wearing a parka.
It's all Leitch's fault...
With all the former college palyers and coaches on staff at the WWL, shouldn't somebody have realized this was a violation ?
I guess the compliance office at Connecticut was closed that week.
Wait, women's basketball is a sport?
I was watching the tube in a bar...they ran that crawl at the bottom for hours upon hours.
Sure, I was pretty drunk after those hours, but still. It was constant.
If anyone thinks ESPN doesn't have an agenda, they're foolish.
Can't be too angry with ESPN if he takes his kids there for a tour.
BTW, not to check facts...but wasn't UConn/Tenn usually a CBS game?
Pat Summitt was asked that question on ESPN's Jim Rome is Burning. As expected, she did not explain why the regular season series was cancelled.
Lesbians...that's funny. I have season tickets and I see A LOT of men at the games. Seems like someone uneducated is speaking of this.
Hi except for lesbians who plays, no one will watch woman's basketball.
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It doesn't matter who plays, no one will watch women's basketball*.
*except for lesbians