Guy In Charge Of Policing ESPN's Ethics Completely Ignores LeBron Debacle

As ESPN ombudsman, Don Ohlmeyer is tasked with examining any professional questions or conflicts of interest raised by the network's coverage of sports and sports news. So naturally, this month's column, posted today, is about vuvuzelas.

Ohlmeyer's got a thankless job. Every month it's, "here's something the network should have done differently," and then nothing ever changes. So it wouldn't shock me if he just threw up his hands and decided to write about a complete non-controversy that's a month old.

What can be said about LeBron: The Decision that hasn't been said better and angrier, here, here, here and here? Not an ESPN scribe among the detractors, but we wouldn't expect that. We would, however, expect the ombudsman to weigh in on this incestuous union of breaking the news and making the news. It's his job.

Nary a word from Ohlmeyer. As the front page of the site is filled with LeBron LeBron LeBron, he devotes 1800 words to whether ESPN should have removed the sound of vuvuzelas from their World Cup games, and another 2900 to disgruntled fans of hockey and track.

It's possible that Ohlmeyer wrote this a while ago, and is only covering issues from June. I don't know what Don's 9-to-5 looks like, but someone should have planted him in front of a computer for the single instance when people actually want to read what he has to say. And if he gets around to covering LeBron's primetime special in a month or so, we'll all be far beyond the point of caring.

For those of you wondering, Don Ohlmeyer thinks ESPN was right to leave the vuvuzelas in the broadcast, because "that's what these games actually sound like."

Sound decision [ESPN.com]