The summer can be rough for people that talk about sports for a living. Bomani Jones says it is the simple explanation for why so many historical debates and all-time rankings are showing up on ESPN shows right now.
His pal Domonique Foxworth found himself in the crosshairs of Twitter basketball historians this week for claiming that Larry Bird is not a good defender.
On a new episode of his ESPN podcast The Right Time, Jones noted that Foxworth’s point was not accurate, but the reason he had to participate in the argument in the first place is an industry-wide problem.
“Anybody out here saying that they annoyed by Damian Lillard don’t work in the content game, baby,” Jones said. “It’s that time of year where you’ll be begging for people to get arrested and they don’t do it as much as they used to.”
Any sports content creator is currently trying to navigate “Mt. Rushmore season.” Between the end of the NBA Finals and the start of NFL training camps, there is little radio and television shows can rely on to drive the conversation. That is why lists, rankings, and milking a single story for an hour of content is so popular right now.
“We scrapin’ the bowl, man,” Jones said. “They asking for so much out of us right now in this time. And part of it’s like, ‘Yo, if you ain’t go on vacation it’s ya own damn fault.’ I totally understand. That’s how they look at us in this moment, you know? But we are doing the best we can.”
