ESPN is what destroys sport.

Sports media and sports advertising has done a lot to destroy sports but the biggest contributor is the sports media giant ESPN.
Because of ESPN we have gotten the highlight reel.
Now players are concerned with only making the highlight reel. It's created a generation of athletes that only care about showboating and dancing so they can make the Top 10.
Then you've got all these sportscenter anchors who are nothing more than 40 year old white guys trying to sound hip and cool. They don't sound hip and cool and unfortuantely they teach young aspiring journalists that this is the way to write and sound. Sports articles in the newspaper and on television shows has been reduced to nothing more than a bunch of cliches.
Plus the way they run coverage of certain things into the ground, just like other mediak creates a problem when you have athletes like Terrell Owens. ESPN gives him so much coverage that he knows all he has to do is something very small and he'll get play on ESPN for 2 weeks.
Then you've got the fact that ESPN only covers their favorites. Barry Bonds, ARod, the Yankess, TO, Reggie Bush, the Cowboys, the Giants, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, the Lakers, USC, Notre Dame, Duke, etc. Many young fans of sports or casual fans think this is all their is out there. They think that's the cream of the crop when it's not true.
It doesn't help that ESPN flat out makes things up about these players or teams. One anchor called Reggie Bush the most dynamic offensive player in the NFL. This was at a time when he had like 3 total TDS and less than 300 rushing yards, while LT was running, throwing, and receiving touchdowns on a regular basis.

Advertising and media coverage has done a lot to damage sports but ESPN has been at the forefront of crappy decisions and styles that harm sports.