Lead ESPN announcer Mike Breen is the latest NBA voice to pan the league for reducing player access.
Piggy-backing off comments from ESPN teammate Brian Windhorst last week about the lengths teams have gone to to push out media in favor of lesser replacements like player-hosted content, Breen said the loss of access risks ruining the best part of a broadcast.
Breen also explained why that type of storytelling is becoming more challenging due to changes in the NBA and within networks like ESPN.
“It gets more challenging every year, because every stoppage of play, every time somebody goes to the free-throw line, there are sponsors that you have to get in, you’ve got promos. Broadcasts now are so loaded with that that you really have to be concise when you (go off-topic),” Breen said in a recent interview on The Ryen Russillo Podcast.
“But I think especially if it’s relevant to what’s going on on the court and the player who’s involved in it, there’s nothing better than hearing that. And I hope that we don’t get away from that. Because for me, when I’m watching at home, I want to hear all the relevant stats and why a team is struggling against the zone defense, et cetera, et cetera. But most of the time, the thing that I take away most are a particular story about a player, and what makes him tick or what’s going on in his life or something from his background.”
[embedded content]
The answer came after a question about the freewheeling conversations Breen often led while working with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson for years at ESPN. While some don’t like the off-topic chatter or might mock it as an on-air podcast taping, Breen remains committed to adding a more conversational touch.
Yet, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, Breen believes personal access to players has worsened. The league has made it easier for players to avoid the media, making it harder for broadcasters to put on the best show for fans at home.
“We used to be able to have so much access to players when the game wasn’t going on,” Breen explained.
“And you would find such interesting things that made you really root for these players because of something they told you about their personal life, growing up, or some interaction they had with a coach or another player. And we don’t have as much access as we used to, and I think that hurts overall. I know there’s so much information out there; players have their own podcasts now, and you get a lot of that stuff. But I hope we never go away from that because I think it’s an essential part [of a broadcast] … that’s what makes me care so much about the league.”
In his initial comments, Windhorst explained how teams have built media workstations further away from practice courts in recent years and given players more rooms to go to pre- and postgame during typical access periods.
Breen isn’t on the hunt for information in the same way as an insider like Windhorst, but even the legendary announcer feels the effects.
