Sports World Not Happy With ESPN's Adam Sandler Decision
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 06: Actor Adam Sandler in action during a celebrity doubles match on Day Eleven of the 2012 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
Plenty of stars watched the Los Angeles Lakers dig a deeper hole with Saturday's Western Conference Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets. If witnessing the Game 3 defeat wasn't bad enough, ESPN not so subtlely remarked on Adam Sandler's age.
During their broadcast, the network shared a photo of Sandler attending a Lakers game in 2008 before showing the 56-year-old courtside Saturday. His baby face gave way to a beard and some gray hairs.
Viewers didn't think the then-and-now comparison was necessary.
"Why did ABC feel the need to show us Adam Sandler in 2008 & then him now?" FanDuel's Gabb Goudy asked.
"For no discernible reason, ABC just went, 'Hey look how old Adam Sandler has gotten in the last fifteen years,'" a fan commented.
"ESPN made it look like Adam Sandler has been held in captivity for 15 years," Mike Beauvais said.
"They did Adam Sandler dirty for no reason at all," another fan wrote.
Aside from Paul Rudd, most people have aged in the last 15 years. That's how time works.
A lot has happened since 2008. Although Sandler corroborated with Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson on Anger Management five years earlier, neither Funny People nor Grown Ups had been released yet.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have won three championships, two behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Phil Jackson. However, all Lakers fans aged poorly during six straight losing seasons from 2013 to 2019 before LeBron James led another title run in the Disney bubble.
This is the first time in a decade the former Staples Center has hosted a deep Lakers playoff run, but ESPN may push Sandler to take Happy Gilmore's advice and go home for Monday's possible elimination game against the Denver Nuggets.
