Whenever a fanbase has an issue with something a broadcaster or network states, the first thing a fanbase does is turn against whoever says it. When Kirk Herbstreit gave his opinion on whether or not Florida State should make the Playoff after Jordan Travis' injury it turned an entire fanbase against him.
Often times, ESPN is accused of propping up the SEC over every other league as ESPN broadcasts the SEC's games. As of late, even Kirk Herbstreit whose roots are with Ohio State and the Big Ten has been called a "sellout" and an "SEC shill" whenever he gives the SEC credit.
It appears that fans accusing Kirk Herbstreit and ESPN of propping up the SEC got to a breaking point leading Kirk Herbstreit to go on a fiery rant on his podcast "Nonstop".
"These idiots say, ‘How much do people pay you to say this bulls–?’ F-off, we’re talking about the sport. We’re talking about what we care about. I don’t give a s— about the SEC. I give a s— about where these teams are going to come. How are they going to find these 12 teams? Where they are going to split these hairs at No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, No. 14 — it’s fascinating to me."Kirk Herbstreit
After going off on everyone who complains about him propping up the SEC whenever he talks about the sport, Herbstreit wasn't finished. The ESPN analyst then declared that he could care less who makes the Playoff, but those who hate that "live in a fake world".
"Put Miami in. I don’t care. Put six Group of 5 teams in. Do whatever you want, I’m just saying everybody recognizes the depth and the challenge of the SEC. You can hate that. You can make fun of that. Do whatever the hell you want with that. That’s the reality of the sport. That’s the reality of the world. You can live in a fake world."Kirk Herbstreit
The fact that one of broadcasters is at the point where he feels the need to address the comments so strongly speaks to how crazy fans have gotten over the years. At the end of the day, everyone involved in the sport is paid, and to claim that Herbstreit is purposely propping up the SEC for his paycheck is unfair.
Every fan swears that a broadcaster or analyst hates their team any time that a broadcaster speaks positively of their opponent or negative about their team. Fans never complain when a broadcaster speaks positively about their team which makes it unfair to cry bias when it goes against them.