It’s not uncommon in the NBA to have a team’s radio or television broadcasting crew unabashedly slant their coverage in favor of the home team. In fact, many clubs prefer it, even if the coverage can be off-putting to the more neutral observers forced to listen to a particular broadcast.
The Pacers fall into this category, apparently, as their radio play-by-play man Mark Boyle had some strong words for Heat fans near the end of Indiana’s Game 2 victory in Miami.
“These losers are leaving,” Boyle said, via Page Q Sports. “They are flocking to the exits with their team down by three. This city does not only not deserve this team, they don’t deserve any team.”
You can listen to the comments yourself by clicking here.
Is there anything really wrong with what was said? The radio crew is employed by the team, and the majority of the people tuning in to a Pacers feed of a nationally televised game this deep into the playoffs are going to be Pacers fans.
Sounds to me like someone just playing to his crowd and telling them what they want to hear, although it’s worth noting there’s more than a little irony in the Pacers taunting the fans who show up to another team’s games, considering that Indiana ranked near the bottom of the league (25th out of 30 teams) in average attendance for the season.
[via HoopsHype]