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'Here's the thing'

By MATT PARCHER
Sports Editor
sports@arkcity.net

If you were to Google search the words 'sports controversies' a lot of material would be brought up on your screen.

The sad part about this isn't the fact that there is much controversy in sports, but rather, the type of controversy that exists. The list would most likely include steroid use, an athlete running his or her mouth and/or a ridiculous amount of player trades.

Here's the thing: I don't care if Barry Bonds used steroids; - a speculation that has been plaguing the news since 2003 - I don't care whether or not Terrell Owens likes his quarterback today and I certainly didn't care last year when Kobe Bryant was demanding to be traded from the Lakers.

I don't condone steroid use and I have nothing against Terrell Owens or Kobe but these 'news items' should be covered by the likes of ESPN and Sports Illustrated once and then be put to rest.

I can understand the coverage of on-going news such as an athlete being involved in a hearing or trial; it's the perpetual bludgeoning of small-scale facts by morning show hosts and Jim Rome wannabes that gets on my nerves. And it doesn't stop there. These issues somehow worm their way out of the sports world and into the national media and to me this seems a bit off kilter.

I mean, America isn't the only nation aware of America's news in a world where good foreign relations are of the greatest necessity.

What do other nations think of the United States when were in the midst of a war, our economy is struggling more than Ryan Leaf in San Diego and a sports item still gets national media coverage?

This should never happen unless the story is somehow significant to people's lives.

Then again, we do live in an entertainment-based society where even news tends to take on a slant of sorts to keep us interested.

Don't get me wrong, I love my entertainment as much as the next guy (or gal, to be politically correct) but as far as news goes, sports should be kept a separate entity.