A blogger raises an interesting point: In the past, reporters have routinely complained about the Super Bowl's host city. This year? Barely a word . . . and the host city is Detroit. He thinks it's because ESPN--a related entity of ABC-- controls the entire sports media market. I suspect he's onto something, but his conclusion is a bit too sweeping.
Although ESPN may be squelching criticism, I suspect the real reason we don't see more criticism of Detroit is because it's too easy of a target. There's no challenge in swiping at it. Also: Don't forget the Jimmy Kimmel blow-up from a few years ago. Everyone's afraid of criticizing the crippled city.