Friday, August 13, 2010

Best Job Ever: Ombudsman

I think I may have found the perfect job. The title? Ombudsman. What exactly is an ombudsman, you ask? Webster's defines one as "a public official appointed to investigate a citizen's complaints against local or national government agencies that may be infringing on the rights of individuals."

In other words, a watchdog. What can be better than that? Providing critique without having to do anything? I've found my calling. At any rate, many media outlets, such as New York Times, have installed such a person.

Interestingly, ESPN has installed Don Ohlmeyer as its ombudsman. Ohlmeyer, a long-time producer of ABC's Monday Night Football, recently wrote a scorching critique of ESPN's role in Lebron's "The Decision." He writes:

"It was billed without irony as "The Decision." But for those who thought ESPN could agree to televise live LeBron James' announcement that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat -- ultimately served up with ample hype in the form of an awkward, uncomfortable, staged one-hour network special -- and still be free from public controversy, it might as well have been called "The Delusion.""

To read the rest of Ohlmeyer's rant, click here

Although the guy is known to be a close friend of OJ's and was a prick to Letterman during his final days at NBC, he's as right as rain here. ESPN is dysfunctional. Maybe this guy can knock some sense into the higher-ups over there.