| | | "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities." -- Albert Einstein
"If the people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's going to stop 'em." -- Lawrence Peter Berra
Outside The Lines Sunday will explore the most significant news of the week, providing our audience with a story that will provoke both passion and thought. Our stories may not always be those with catchy, front-page headlines. They will be stories that offer a comprehensive picture of the most provocative development from that past week.
We will distinguish this broadcast in three ways:
By respecting sport as a distinct element with culture and society
By respecting athletes as persons and individuals, and not viewing them simply as performers and entertainers
By respecting the intelligence of our audience by avoiding the gimmicks, clichés, and repetition that have become the industry standard
We will tell the stories of individuals and of organizations. We will grapple with the issues that affect us all, but that particularly impact athletes and athletics. We will constantly challenge ourselves to tell the audience why we are doing a particular story, and why they should make the effort to care. Our reports will vary from breaking news to analysis to investigations. We will utilize the vast editorial and production resources of ESPN, as well as news and film archives, league properties, and, where appropriate, privately held material.
Our stories will be designed to establish an issue that will be discussed further by Bob Ley and the guests. We will work to incorporate as much information as we have obtained, and know to be accurate, in each piece. The discussion component of the broadcast will shed further light on the subject by including the most responsible, reputable and knowledgeable voices in the discussion. Perspective, not celebrity, will guide us towards voices for our guest seats.
We will work together as a team, reinforcing the theory that together individuals can produce greater amounts than the sum of their parts. We will become recognized for how well we communicate with each other, and for our receptiveness to ideas. Strong story ideas derive from a host of sources, primary among them researchers, camera people, and sound engineers, and should not be seen as the exclusive domain of correspondents and producers.
Together, we have the opportunity to establish our broadcast as a defining standard in this medium. We have the vision, we have the resources, we have the individuals, and we have the skills. All we have left to do is to do it.
So let's do it, but let's not forget to enjoy what we are doing. For if we don't enjoy building our broadcast, our audience won't enjoy viewing it.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|
|
|
Bob Ley investigates the role of "Contract Killers" in Major League Baseball.