More than one critic or fan has rapped ESPN on the corporate and journalistic knuckles for the various ethical binds it gets into when it cozies up to athletes and sports power brokers. Well, the Worldwide Leader got out of a rather sizable conflict of interest Tuesday and it didn't have to lift a finger.UPDATE: Magic Johnson Could Bring NFL to Los Angeles
Magic Johnson's sale of his piece of the Los Angeles Lakers closes a huge ethical loophole for ESPN, if Johnson returns to its NBA telecasts on ABC this season. Incredibly, ESPN permitted Johnson to serve as a commentator on NBA games and events while he owned a piece of a league franchise.
Indeed, Johnson was seen quite prominently on the podium in June when the Lakers claimed their latest championship trophy, not as a member of the ESPN broadcast team, but as a member of Lakers management.
To be fair to ESPN, Johnson was permitted the same deal while he was with Turner. It reeked at that time, and it smelled while he was with ESPN. Now, the ethical stench has been removed and ESPN and all media outlets for that matter should take the pledge not to hire people with active ownership stakes of any size to comment on the teams they own or compete against.
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