We Want Media

It seems that Major League Baseball just can't avoid controversy. Bud Selig, the commisioner of MLB, has appointed former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to head the internal investigation of steroids in baseball. However, Mitchell not only serves as the director of the Boston Red Sox, but is also chairman of The Walt Disney Co., which owns ESPN.

How can a man with such vested interests in the major league game be objective while leading this investigation? There has already been a backlash against the decision, and Yankees manager Joe Torre has even voiced his opinion on the issue.

Not only that, but how will media coverage of the issue be affected by this? Disney owns ESPN, the world lead in sports news. ESPN also has a television deal with MLB and a new Barry Bonds television show. I can't imagine coverage of steroids being skewed due to Mitchell's involvement, but I don't want to even have to think about it.

Selig defends his actions, noting that Mitchell is a former judge. But I guarantee there are plenty of former judges with a great knowledge of baseball that could fit this bill. This deiscion is not only a conflict of interest between the investigation and baseball, but also the investigation and the media. I hope the black cloud of steriods does not find a new victim to rain over in the form of ESPN and the news coverage of the investigation.