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I turned on ESPN Saturday morning expecting to see an analysis of the Lakers-Blazers series or the usual weekend warm-up coverage. Instead I came across startling news – Minnesota Timberwolves forward Malik Sealy was dead at the age of 30.

Not too many thought Sealy ever would have been a symbol of the NBA. But there he was last Saturday, the lead story on Sportscenter.

It was the quintessential example of sports transcending the sporting world. And it is getting harder and harder to find the positives in sports when you combine recent tragedies with the violence and substance abuse that has haunted athletes in recent years.

The positives of sports seem to be outweighed in media coverage by its disasters and misfortunes.

It seems as if sports journalism is increasingly turning to the world of scandal where everywhere you turn you are confronted with yet another episode in the saga of professional sports. Media outlets now choose not to rely on pure coverage of sporting events in favor of the personal lives of the athletes that are so much more entertaining (and accessible).

I would much rather see stories about future superstars or athletes doing charity work than see Ray Lewis being led to a courtroom in handcuffs. The mind-numbing hours spent on OJ coverage and the Dennis Rodman fashion hour could have been used for quality news stories on topics that get lower air play, such as non-mainstream college athletics.

True, the television audience isn’t crying out for Caribbean Jai Alai coverage. Also, it seems that the public licks its proverbial chops anytime an athlete gets in trouble, and the media has a duty to cover those events. But is it justified to make a soap opera out of a sentencing hearing?

Take for example the attention given to the Mike Tyson trial a few years back. Tyson was at the top of his career and was the center of the boxing world. He also became a celebrity outside of the sport and his life was followed like he was in the royal family. The coverage of his life was separated, however, with sports news covering sports and tabloids covering his nightlife.

When the rape scandal struck, the media world turned topsy-turvy. Suddenly, ESPN and other sports papers spent countless “in-depth” hours dissecting the trial. They didn’t just beat the horse dead, but their audience as well.

The Tyson epic was not an isolated incident as countless stories have been given the too-much-coverage treatment. While stories about the deaths of Sealy and Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills deserve media attention, I do not agree that it should take airplay away from other quality stories.

The future looks bleak for Australian badminton, however, until either the public or the media start to care more. The world of sports has the ability to capture our minds and hearts outside of the sport in the real world. Athletes are placed on pedestals of immortality and anytime that notion is challenged it leaves the audience baffled at how such a tragedy could happen. In that respect, the fact that we can’t do anything about an athlete’s fall is the hardest part.

But don’t worry, Hungarian handball, as soon as your athletes gain superstar status or commit a felony maybe you’ll get the media attention you richly deserve.

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