The NBA had a bad day yesterday. After all the pomp and circumstance of two of the biggest nights in the league’s recent television history, a bomb dropped. News channels, social media, and yes, even ESPN were there to cover it all, as news programs and social channels tend to do. Different shows have different methods for covering news; First Take is no different.
When news broke that Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones were among more than two dozen people arrested as part of a widespread FBI investigation. There was immediately a microscope placed on how ESPN handled the story. The network is one of the league’s biggest media partners and has morning programming that garners attention for how it presents the news of the day.
However, what many in sports media pointed out as First Take hit the air at 10 a.m. Eastern — as a mistake — was exactly what should have happened. The controversy surrounding how the program handled the breaking news was driven by armchair critics looking for likes and shares. Instead of recognizing the root purpose of what makes First Take the most polarizing program in sports television.
Media continues to live in an age where being first is more important than being right. It’s a dangerous way of approaching journalism, risking errors in reporting when facts have yet to be made public. Sports media can only source so much when real-world news breaks, because sports media doesn’t operate in that lane.
Bryan Curtis of The Press Box podcast put it best on social media, tweeting, “Welcome to another edition of Insiders Try to Handle Real News.”
Knowing Your Program
The FBI called a press conference that started before First Take went on the air at 10 a.m. Eastern time. Did Get Up, the show prior to First Take, carry the press conference live? After bringing in Shams Charania with his latest on the reports, that program went back to breakdowns of A.J. Brown, Bussin’ With The Boys on college football, and picks for the weekend of NFL action.
Yet, no one in sports media said a critical word about Get Up for not taking the FBI press conference in real time.
First Take began as normal. Discussions around NBA action from the night before, circling to a preview of Aaron Rodgers playing the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. It took First Take a half hour to address the story that broke that morning. Yet sports media lit a fire under the decision to sit and wait for details to become available.
Why so hard on one show when not a peep about the other? The press conference was live during both programs, yet there’s a complete slant in the criticism of how the coverage was handled.
Waiting On The Debate
First Take is not CNN, FOX News, nor MSNBC (or whatever they’re calling that channel now). It’s not a hard news program — it was founded on embracing debate in sports. While the lines have blurred in recent times between fact and editorial, First Take made the correct play in waiting for the allegations to be revealed before pontificating on the matter at hand.
Yet, many in sports media made a mockery of that decision, taking side-by-side photos for social media and sharing exact timelines of events — minute by minute — of what First Take wasn’t doing, instead of why they chose to do it this way.
Wouldn’t it make more sense in a debate to have the facts first? I thought facts mattered most in any debate — it’s how you build your argument.
Different shows have different methods for handling breaking news.
Are people going to tune away from First Take because it didn’t mention “reports” of what was going on without actual substance to provide the audience? Would it have made more sense to take the press conference live?
ESPN Starts With Entertainment
Sports fans don’t turn to ESPN anymore for hard news coverage. The network seemingly can’t produce that kind of content like it once did, and viewers no longer expect it with the number of ways to get hard news instantly.
ESPN is an entertainment network, with First Take serving as its guiding entertainment vessel. That’s why criticism or outrage over the program deciding not to take the FBI press conference in favor of sticking to sports shows a deeper issue — a deeper resentment for a network and select personalities on that network from those who live for immediacy and the likes and shares that come with it. Social media clout only lasts so long when there’s a bigger picture to be seen.
First Take’s only take on how it handled the news of the day should serve as an example of why being first isn’t necessary — and why knowing your audience matters most. Maybe First Take didn’t jump in right away, but that’s what made it the right move. When the dust settled, viewers got what they came for — informed debate, not wild speculation. In the sports world, that’s called playing smart, not playing scared.
At its core, First Take did what responsible debate television program should do: pause, confirm, and then engage. In an era where speed often trumps substance, waiting for facts isn’t hesitation — it’s integrity. The show reminded everyone that sometimes the best “take” is patience.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
