Kirk Herbstreit hits Twitter to debunk the ESPN, SEC bias myth

Oct 4, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN College Gameday after the game picks prior to the Mississippi Rebels game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN College Gameday after the game picks prior to the Mississippi Rebels game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kirk Herbstreit went on an enjoyable Twitter rant defending ESPN against SEC bias.


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Kirk Herbstreit was looking to open up a social media can of worms on Monday morning and, boy howdy, did he succeed. After ESPN opened its first day of college football camp coverage in Columbus with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Herbstreit took to Twitter – always a forum for civilized discussions – to address whether his employer has an SEC bias.

Emojis, double question marks and exclamation marks galore, Herbie let the world know that there’s no SEC bias up in Bristol. He parried and thrusted as detractors came through the pike, all the while stating that ESPN only cares about championships. That if the Big Ten won seven consecutive national championships ESPN would be all over the Leaders and Legends.

Enjoy.

https://twitter.com/KirkHerbstreit/status/630764042584522752

While a valid argument, Herbstreit errs with his audience. Ohio State and Big Ten fans weren’t the ones loudly complaining about SEC bias last year; that chatter came largely from Florida State followers.

Whether or not it was a lucid gripe at the time in a vacuum of memories, Noles fans have a bit of a leg to stand on. It’s hard to finger one moment from last year when coverage of FSU didn’t center around controversy – Jameis and the crabs, Jameis and the FHRITP, New York Times investigations, independent hearings, Karlos Williams allegations, etc. And while there was definitely plenty of controversy in Tallahassee last season, it all seemed to take precedence over a dominant team on the quest for a repeat.

All the while, the SEC West was being lauded as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Cross-promotional segments featuring SEC apologist Paul Finebaum and other members of SEC Network (notably Tim Tebow) also enhanced the image of ESPN coddling the Southeastern Conference.

As far as Herbie’s Twitter spiel is concerned, it’s perfect timing. Nothing like rattling the cage and ruffling some feathers in the lead up to the season. The Mothership makes an easy target, as does being an apologist for one’s employer.

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