Growing up on the West Coast as a sports enthusiast, I, expectedly, heard the phrase “East Coast bias” more than a few times.
But what does this widely used expression mean, anyway?
Does it refer to the national media’s insatiable love of the Miamis and Dukes of the world and the disregard for West Coast powerhouses such as USC football or Gonzaga basketball?
I doubt it, because all the aforementioned schools receive copious amounts of attention, whether deservedly or undeservedly so.
So, “East Coast bias” must refer to the fact that the national media blindly assumes there is simply better football, basketball, baseball – anything with a ball – on the East Coast.
After all, that’s what some Oregon football players claimed as the reason for their perceived snub during bowl season.
But how can that be when three of the last four Heisman Trophy winners hailed from USC, although USC could be considered in a different class than its other western counterparts? Yet, how about the publicity Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison received during March Madness?
Considering these factors, how can a person assume an East Coast bias exists?
Well, that perception became much clearer to me after last month’s NFL draft.
That epiphany occurred after an NFL Network’s pre-draft show host said he considered “Haloti Nagoata” (pronounced like it looks) a step or two down from Florida State’s Brodrick Bunkley (Ngata was selected two spots ahead of Bunkley).
While Bunkley and Ngata (not “Nagoata”) both certainly had outstanding seasons and deserved their first-round draft status, how is anyone supposed to believe the NFL Network’s commentator and draft expert (I use that term loosely) ever watched an Oregon game when a name is butchered that badly.
We’re talking about a player in Ngata whom Oregon coach Mike Bellotti calls the best to ever put on a Duck uniform.
And this guy can’t even pronounce his name?
Here’s another example. A writer for the Web site Chicagosports.com wrote about Tim Day’s chances of making the Bears’ squad after the former Oregon tight end went undrafted. In the piece, the author described Day’s collegiate career and noted that he played under former Bears offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, which “helped the Beavers reach the Holiday Bowl.”
The Beavers? Though it’s probably just a simple mistake, it’s one that’s about as offensive as it gets for a Duck.
How little the author of that article must follow West Coast football if he can’t distinguish the mascots from two schools involved in one of the oldest rivalries west of the Mississippi River?
While I attempt to firmly hold my belief that the East Coast media bias is simply a conspiracy theory by West Coast whiners, sometimes, when bloopers like these occur, I can’t help but think twice: Do the national media really care or notice what’s going on out here?