Broadcast news-less

First of all, it's not because it's Duke. Well, OK. Maybe it is. A little.

No, it's not the school that has the Blob in full Get Off My Lawn mode right now, or even that it's playing basketball at a time when its basketball players should be, you know, enjoying life in a way that doesn't involve back-cuts and halfcourt traps. Lots of college teams take summer exhibition trips out of the country. It's a bonding thing, like summer camp -- plus a sneaky way to get in even more basketball in a season that already seems wall-to-wall.

That's not the problem.

The problem is, Sportsball Media is acting like this matters.

And so here are the clips popping up on ESPN of Duke freshman Zion Williamson -- the most electric player ever to come out of high school, apparently -- throwing down crazy dunks. And R.J. Barrett, Duke's other insanely talented freshman, doing the same. And, for just a few pennies, you could even subscribe to ESPN+ and watch all of Duke's exhibition games in Canada, plus an eight-episode documentary.

Say that again, slowly: An eight ... episode ... documentary.

And if you're wondering here how giving Duke basketball 11 instances of free advertising does not constitute an impermissible benefit -- how it's not the very sort of unfair advantage upon which the NCAA built its 500-ton rulebook -- then your mind is right. And if you're wondering if things haven't gotten completely out of control when ESPN is airing college travel exhibition games ...

Well. Then your mind is even righter.

Seriously, what's next? Wall-to-wall coverage of the NBA summer league?

Oh, wait. We've already got that.

No, I suppose next ESPN will be going LIVE to Camp Stashyourkidaway for its summer camp basketball. Watch out for those kids from Cabin 12! They can throw down like ... like Zion Williamson!

Look. I get it. Everybody wants a first look at those stud recruits they've heard so much about. And Duke apparently has cleaned up in that department this time. But what do you think you're really going to see on one of these trips? Duke tooling up on a bunch of Canadian jamokes who were brought in specifically to get tooled up on?

I mean, it's not like a bunch of  Dream Teams they're playing. That I might actually watch.

No, these trips are what Blob acknowledged a few paragraphs back: Team-building exercises. The coaches and players might also take them seriously as basketball games, but no one else should. They're exhibitions. They're meaningless. Zion Williamson dunking over the McKenzie brothers doesn't mean the Dukies are gonna go undefeated and win the national title.

If that's the case, then why even play the upcoming season? Why not just end the eight-part documentary by handing Mike Krzyzewski the Big Trophy?

Well ... maybe because everyone was ready to do that with Kentucky a few years back. And we all what happened that time.

Wisconsin happened. And Kentucky didn't even get to the championship game.

This Duke team?

Yeah, maybe they will run the table. But first Coach K will have to convince them they're not the Greatest Team Ever Assembled. Because that's surely the message these kids are getting right now with all the cameras following them around three months before the season begins.

Good luck with that, Coach. Oh, and good luck against the McKenzie brothers.

Not that it matters or anything.