Tragic? Yes. Enough Coverage? No.

In case you missed it Saturday, the Kentucky Derby was marred by the injury to, and subsequent on-track euthanizing of, Eight Belles, the only filly in the field. The death, tragic to be sure, has once again brought the safety and possible cruelty of horse racing into question. That is a complicated debate and one about which I am too uninformed to discuss intelligently.

I'd rather focus on NBC's decision to not show the injury during its broadcast. The filly pulled up lame after crossing the finish line as NBC's live shot was focused on the winning horse and jockey so the injury was missed live. However, NBC never did show a replay of what happened to Eight Belles. The network briefly showed the horse lying on the track and rapidly reported the information that track doctors relayed including the news that the injuries were so catastrophic that immediate euthanization was required. I, like many people, don't like to see animals in distress. To have shown, if video exists, the horse writhing or being euthanized would have been tasteless, but I do think NBC should have shown the taped video of the injury as it occured; the injury is part of the story of the race. Perhaps warn people to look away if they like or run a disclaimer, however, I think the injury itself is newsworthy enough to show. Many of those watching with me, including one horse owner and lover, were genuinely curious about what actually happened.

Sports networks have routinely shown gruesome replays of human injuries. Joe Theismann's compound leg fracture, Robin Ventura's foot turned unnaturally sideways as he slides across homeplate and Tim Krumrie's leg flopping helplessly through the Super Bowl air are all enough to make you queasy, yet they were replayed and analyzed. I understand that none of these men had to be put down on the playing field and maybe that's the difference. Obviously, the real issue is the sad demise of a beautiful horse on Saturday, I simply think NBC should have shown more of the story.