Coming Up Next: Monday Night Football, On Al-Jazeera TV

While visiting my parents last January, we tuned into the local Philadelphia news reporting on the Eagles on the weekend they were to play the NFC championship (which would send them to the Super Bowl) and asked why the mainstream media couldn’t cover politics the same way they cover their local sports teams. In other words, when you watch Philadelphia’s Action News at 6:00 PM, you know they want the Eagles to win. When the national ABC news comes on at 6:30, it’s not at all clear they want America to win. (Just ask the late Peter Jennings.)

But what if the reverse were true? John Ham of Carolina Journal Online wonders what would happen if ABC’s Monday Night Fooball was reported the same that ABC news covers Iraq. Here are a couple of excerpts:

Watching Monday Night Football the other night, it occurred to me that if one imagined the mainstream media covering that game the way they cover the war in Iraq (or the economy), the absurdity of their reporting would be plain for all to see.

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The Colts have become a target of critics since going undefeated so far this year. That so many Colt players have openly expressed a desire to go undefeated the whole season is seen as arrogance and a sense of exceptionalism by many, causing many former friends to turn against them.

The staunch Pittsburgh defense, though out-manned and out-gunned, managed to battle the Colts to a standstill in the second quarter, allowing them only six points. Those familiar with the Colts say this second-quarter swoon reveals a lack of depth on offense due to unmet recruitment goals during the off-season.

The insurgent Steelers, striking sporadically with lesser equipment against the hegemonic Colts, inflicted serious damage with several tackles, a sack and some pass breakups, holding Indianapolis to only two field goals in the 15-minute span. Observers said it looked as if the tide were turning in favor of the insurgent Steelers.

In the third period, the Steelers again held the Colts to a single touchdown, damaging the Colts