CBS Praised For Not Showing Broken Leg Replay
If you watched the Midwest Regional final between Duke and Louisville yesterday, you have may have witnessed Kevin Ware’s gruesome injury. But only if you were watching it live. CBS stopped showing the broken leg replay due to its graphic nature.
According to Mercury News, CBS showed the broken leg replay twice after the injury. The network didn’t zoom in on the injury and warned viewers about what they were about to see.
CBS commentator Clark Kellogg said: “If you can bear to watch it, take a look but it’s a gruesome-looking injury.”
Once the network realized just how graphic the injury was, they decided to stop showing the video. Instead, the network focused on reaction shots of Ware’s teammates.
One image that was repeatedly shown by the network was of three Louisville players sitting near the foul line as their teammate writhed on the sideline.
Yahoo Sports reports that the network also showed medical workers attending to Ware but did not show the actual injury. Which is a good thing since after the game coach Rick Pitino said that the bone popped out through the skin.
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said: “In retrospect, it really was an easy call to make because of the gruesome nature of the injury … It almost took the second replay for it to sink in what you were seeing …We handled it as well as you could in a difficult situation.”
Several people took to Twitter to compliment CBS on how they handled the situation.
Good call by CBS to not replay video of the injury to Kevin Ware during the halftime show.
— TJ Holmes (@tjholmes) March 31, 2013
Fox Sports writer Jason Whitlock complimented CBS on how they handled the injury but noted that the network hasn’t always handled “curveballs” well. Remember the Super Bowl blackout?
CBS Sports handles this curveball (Ware injury) masterfully. Now 1-for-2 with major curveballs this year (Super Bowl blackout).
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) March 31, 2013
Of course, CBS’ decision to stop showing the broken leg replay didn’t stop people from seeing it. The injury was quickly available on YouTube. [You can watch the video here. But again, it’s a gruesome injury so watch at your own risk.]
But not everyone was happy with the network’s coverage. Bill Simmons criticized the network for not cutting away to a commercial after Ware was injured.
Show some dignity and go to commercial CBS.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 31, 2013
Did you watch the basketball game last night? Do you think CBS handled Kevin Ware’s injury right?
Ware, if you were wondering, had successful surgery today.
