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ESPN Receives Criticism For Having John McEnroe In The Booth For Wimbledon Final

ESPN analyst John McEnroe "should not have been in the booth" during yesterday's Wimbledon men's final, as he was "calling a match in which he obviously had a rooting interest, and even a potential financial interest in the outcome," according to Tom Jones of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. McEnroe recently "became an adviser/coach" for Milos Raonic, who faced Andy Murray in the final. ESPN was "fully transparent, telling viewers from the start that McEnroe has been working with Raonic." ESPN also asked McEnroe to give "behind-the-curtain analysis, and McEnroe did tell viewers what kind of advice he gave Raonic before the final." Jones: "I didn't notice any glaring moments when McEnroe seemed biased. If viewers hadn't been told that McEnroe was working with Raonic, they never would have guessed or picked on it." But the fact that ESPN kept McEnroe off previous Raonic matches only "proves that the network was worried about the appearance of partiality." ESPN for the final decided to either "ignore or look past those concerns" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 7/11).

FULL DISCLOSURE: The AP's Chris Lehourites noted ESPN yesterday had Chris Fowler and Patrick McEnroe accompany John McEnroe in the booth. ESPN VP/Production Jamie Reynolds said of having John McEnroe call the match, "I'm not trying to put him in a box ... and have him be an objective observer of the match and wear two hats. I'm having him here as Milos' coach." Reynolds said that there was "no problem with having McEnroe working Sunday as long as the network is transparent with the viewers" (AP, 7/9). SI's L. Jon Wertheim noted it is a "pity that tennis is so small and incestuous that all this unseemly double dipping persists." Wertheim: "But at least this conflict is fully disclosed. Everyone knows the deal terms, the rules of engagement, and can weigh McEnroe's opinion and analysis accordingly" (SI.com, 7/10).

EVERYBODY DOES IT: SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted "no sport does broadcasting conflicts quite like tennis," which also included ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez talking about Roger Federer, who is "represented by her agent-husband" Tony Godsick. McEnroe also worked the Raonic-Federer Wimbledon semifinal for the BBC. Deitsch: "I like ESPN's tonnage at the tennis majors as well as many of the network's in-game commentators. I believe the company respects the sport given the hours it commits to it. But if you ask me whether I believe an analyst such as Fernandez is giving you unfiltered commentary on Federer or those she coaches at the Olympics, I do not." Deitsch added, "ESPN tennis announcers have pulled punches with players they work with, I do. But then again, I think print/digital journalists have done the same thing with people with whom they are involved." The truth is the majority of viewers "don't care about this" (SI.com, 7/10).

PATRIOTIC PRIDE: YAHOO SPORTS CANADA's Stephanie Myles noted for years, ESPN has had Patrick McEnroe and Fernandez -- who have led the Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, respectively -- "calling matches involving Americans." A big part of those Davis Cup/Fed Cup jobs "involves securing the players' commitments to play for the team." Thus, "any objective criticism they might otherwise dispense in the course of doing their jobs properly would surely get back to those players." Tennis Channel and BBC have also had Lindsay Davenport -- former coach of Madison Keys -- "talking about her on air" (CA.SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/9).

TWITTER REAX FOR MCENROE
: The N.Y. TIMES' Naila-Jean Meyers wrote the "thing that gets me about this John McEnroe on ESPN thing is that it's not like ESPN has no other options for analysts. They have an army." The N.Y. TIMES' Christopher Clarey wrote a lot of "insight from McEnroe on ESPN but ultimately the conflict is too distracting. Bottom line: He's Raonic's paid spokesperson. ... Ultimately for balance, if ESPN wants to continue on this ethically challenged tack, they'd need one of Murray's coaches in the booth too."

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