“The soap opera angle is what the savages live for and TNT could not wait to show images of a teary-eyed Isaiah.”
Ben Maller thinks the media coverage around the tragic death of Isaiah Thomas’ 22-year-old little sister, Chyna, killed in a car accident near their home in Washington stats hours before Boston's opening round game vs. Chicago, saturated the pregame's storyline to incredibly uncomfortable levels.
Maller believes the television networks tried to entrap viewers in a provocative tale of tragedy instead of broadcasting a basketball game, as they couldn’t resist making Thomas’ their lead character to pump ratings.
“Did television exploit a family tragedy?,” Maller asked. “This is the seedy underbelly of sports television.”