ESPN personalities upset over network’s promotion of LaVar Ball
LaVar Ball has been everywhere the past month or so, and there seems to be no end in sight to his ubiquitousness. And what certainly isn’t helping matters is the continued coverage media outlets provide him. That’s even becoming an issue for some at ESPN.
LaVar Ball, who is the father of UCLA point guard Lonzo, apparently got into a screaming match with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s “First Take” Thursday. The network then began promoting the video, which annoyed many of their own broadcasters.
Here are examples of three ESPN personalities who were annoyed by the promotion:
Begging ALL media, INCLUDING US… KEEP LAVAR BALL OFF THE AIR. Please. America is turning against Lonzo BECAUSE of Lavar.
— Dari Nowkhah (@ESPNDari) March 23, 2017
He's winning unfortunately. He keeps getting a forum to "do his thing". We can hate it all we want–but he's figured out the 2017 way. #Sad https://t.co/2muF17YwY6
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) March 23, 2017
@richarddeitsch not a video. Multiple videos. It's embarrassing.
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) March 23, 2017
Media outlets give Ball promotion because he says such outlandish things that people react to him. It’s not unlike having a shock-jock. Now we’re starting to see some of the backlash, not only from ESPN announcers, but from one of the most well known athletes in sports.
The only thing that might help would be UCLA getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament. But you’d still see plenty of LaVar leading up to the NBA draft, where his son is expected to be a high draft pick.
