One Shining Turd: A Brief Analysis Of How CBS Ruined Its "Moment"

The consensus is that CBS thoroughly murdered basketball's great cornball anthem, "One Shining Moment." Where did they go wrong? Deadspin research reveals that singer Jennifer Hudson logged a full 12 seconds of screen time, a record.

In fact, in the 23 previous installments of "One Shining Moment," only once was any screen time given to the singer — in 2003, when Luther Vandross appeared for just eight seconds:

David Barrett, who wrote the song and initially sang it, never got on screen. Neither did Teddy Pendergrass, who took over for a spell in the 1990s. Just Vandross, for eight seconds, and now Jennifer Hudson, for four seconds more (to say nothing of the three minutes and four seconds she got to methodically butcher the song). Think about that. That's 12 seconds of someone who didn't even win American Idol that might've otherwise been devoted to, say, John Wall or Ali Farokhmanesh or Omar Samhan's press conferences or crying cheerleaders or Scheyerface or maybe this "charge" played in excruciating slow-motion four times in a row. C'mon, CBS. If you absolutely have to give 12 seconds of screen time to a gesticulating ham, at least give them to someone who plays for Duke.