McCall: Politics set to invade sports oasis
Time Out column for July 10, 2012
They found us.
The sports world has long been a safe haven, a place to hide out from the problems of the real world. We use it as a healing mechanism and a distraction from whatever it is we’re trying to avoid.
But on Monday, sports fans hoping to avoid election madness saw one of our linemen take a dive, and there’s a blitz coming.
According to The Wall Street Journal, ESPN struck a deal with advertising sales company NCC Media that will result in more political ads on the sports network this fall, particularly in the run-up to the presidential election on Nov. 6.
That means that during the heart of college football season, the South’s favorite distraction, there will be no evading the back-and-forth between Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and their respective supporters.
If you’re like me, that’s dismaying and exhausting news. After being sucked in by the 2008 election, I vowed never to go back. All the arguing and angst — I’m not saying the election isn’t important or that I won’t vote, but it’s not worth being consumed by.
Thanks to ESPN’s deal, it’ll be tougher to side-step the rush of election hubbub, which is shaping up to be quite contentious.
In an already polarized political climate, the advent of the so-called Super PAC means heavy doses of attack ads that don’t exactly bring us together.
A study released this summer by the Wesleyan Media Project found that from Jan. 1 to April 22, 70 percent of presidential election ads were negative, compared to 9 percent at that point in 2008.
Given the truth-stretching nature of those type of ads, no matter how off-target your team’s quarterback is during games, you can expect less accurate throws (of mud) in the commercial breaks. And that means less peace at your Saturday night watch-parties.
Normally, that guy who shows up in a houndstooth hat is the biggest potential for conflict, even though the friend of a friend who brought him promises you that he’s totally cool and won’t start any trouble.
Now, imagine this scenario: A group of fans celebrating a touchdown in the living room one second, then bickering over a commercial during the ensuing break.
For the houndstooth hat, so be it, but no one should have to take a bowl of chili to the face over a political ad.
This threat to our sports bubble is not new, particularly with the high number of political ads already on basic channels, but ESPN would figure as an oasis.
Of course, the Worldwide Leader wouldn’t do it if it didn’t make good business sense. As the network’s president of global customer marketing and sales, Ed Erhardt, told the Journal, there is “great demand” for political ad space, especially with cable channels that can offer a targeted demographic.
Unfortunately, that demographic includes people like me, who crawl to sports seeking reprieve from the rest of life.
So this fall, do yourselves and your football-watching guests a favor. Just mute the commercials.