ESPN's Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon, two well-respected NBA writers based in Dallas, apparently won't be allowed to cover Mavericks games this season.
Stein, ESPN's lead national NBA reporter, and MacMahon, who used to cover the Mavericks as a beat reporter, had their credentials revoked, SB Nation first reported. The move is more or less unheard of at the NBA level, especially considering ESPN is one of the league's two major TV partners.
“We are in communication with both ESPN and Mark Cuban about this matter,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told Dallas journalist Art Garcia. ESPN, for its part, reiterated its commitment to cover the Mavericks and the NBA, regardless of hurdles.
Teams are allowed to set their own credential policies, a point of contention among NBA journalists and media relations staffs. Some teams will allow just about any outlet with readership to gain credentials, while others prefer to only allow professional outlets such as newspapers, radio stations and established websites access.
Denying a credential to ESPN, though, requires some stones. Cuban, the Mavericks owner who in the past has granted both MacMahon and Stein exclusive interviews, certainly is no stranger to controversy.
According to SB Nation, though, his reasoning was petty:
"MacMahon’s role at ESPN changed this year, transitioning from a full-time Mavericks beat writer to a more general NBA position that included other teams, something Cuban was unhappy with. After ESPN failed to return MacMahon to a full-time beat position, Cuban followed through on an initial warning and revoked his and Stein’s credentials."
The Mavericks are below their typical standard this year. Their overtime victory Sunday against the Bucks improved them to 1-5. Many expect this to be the second time in the past 17 seasons that the team misses the playoffs.
Furthermore, ESPN has pushed away from its attempts at localized coverage. MacMahon was hired to cover the Mavericks for ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth, one of several subsites launched over the past seven years and meant to compete with local newspapers. However, as there is no longer has a dedicated Clippers beat reporter for ESPN Los Angeles or Nets beat reporter for ESPN New York, the NBA partner looked to move MacMahon beyond traditional beat coverage.
SB Nation notes that MacMahon, who has extensive sourcing throughout the league as a breaking news reporter, covered Dallas' home opener and three road games. He will be allowed to cover road games throughout the season, at the discretion of other teams' policies. But he and Stein will not even be allowed to cover practices or shoot-arounds in the American Airlines Center, Garcia reports.
Cuban didn't give reasons for Stein & McMahon media ban: “They’re not banned from the building. They can still buy a ticket.” #ESPN #NBA
— Art Garcia (@ArtGarcia92) November 7, 2016
However, none of this explains the decision regarding Stein, who has not been a Mavericks beat reporter since 2000, for the Dallas Morning News. National NBA reporters need to have home bases, if only to be able to spend some time with their families and sleep in their own beds. Stein could cover the Mavericks' home games while getting access to visiting teams, a common practice throughout the league. Nearly every market in the NBA has at least one or two national reporters, including myself in Charlotte.
Cuban, for his part, has been opaque on his active-as-always Twitter account.
@TimCowlishaw @LandryLocker you are right about your business acumen . There is no shifting. Feel free to ask ESPN mgmt what the issue is
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) November 7, 2016
@LandryLocker the issues are far from obvious. I guarantee you it's not what you think
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) November 7, 2016
This decision reeks of frustration with the team's lack of success — and the trickle-down effect of it. The Mavericks have not been subject to any unusual level of scrutiny from ESPN. Most teams, including those in major markets, do not have ESPN beat reporters, and it seems outlandish to expect even the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" to take on that mission for all 30 markets, though ESPN does have beat reporters for all 32 NFL teams.
It's no secret Mark Cuban values local media coverage. That's good. But if he's revoking credentials to try to force it, that's ridiculous.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 7, 2016
Would ESPN have pulled MacMahon if Kevin Durant had signed with the Mavericks? Certainly not. But the Mavericks appear to be using credentials as leverage, demanding a specific type of coverage that nowhere near every team receives in the first place. It's an amateur move from an organization often praised for professionalism.
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