Why Was Everybody So Fascinated With The Oj Simpson Trial

Superior Essays
Why was everybody so fascinated with the O.J. Simpson trial?

When we hear the name Orenthal James Simpson we don’t think of his Heisman trophy or his first overall pick in the NFL Draft. We think about the trial of the century, the double murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The O.J. case was one of the first cases nationally televised; being televised people got to see what happened and therefore, started the fascination with the case. But what made it so fascinating? Was it him being famous, the media, a car chase, or race? Why was everybody so fascinated with the O.J. Simpson trial? One reason everybody was so fascinated with the O.J. Simpson trial was because he was a common household name. Orenthal James Simpson was
…show more content…
Simpson trial because it was the first form of reality television. The final verdict of the trial was broadcasted by nine national news channels and dozens of local news channels. About 100 million people tuned in to watch the trial of the century. People like to describe the media coverage as a feeding frenzy, so the coverage was constant. Most day time news channels would not do their daily segments on days of the trials. According to an article published by USA Today news network channels would turn “over a total of 84 minutes of their nightly newscast to the Simpson saga” (Rem Rieder). Instead of their daily segments they would start continuous live footage from outside the courtroom, but when the trial would start they would live stream the actual trial from inside the courtroom. The media coverage wouldn’t stop, the news reporters would then talk about what happened that day in the trial for the next days or until the next part of the trial was conducted. Overall the trial took 15 ½ months to come to a final not guilty verdict. This type of coverage was in some way the first type of reality television. The news coverage all started with a white ford bronco racing down the 405 …show more content…
Simpson case? Everybody was so fascinated because he was famous, the media, the car chase, and race. Being famous played a role into the fascination because people love to see famous actors, musicians, athletes, etc. fall from the once great person to a screw up or in this case, a criminal. The media played into it because it was one of the first big televised case. This type of media coverage was the first kind of form of reality television. The car chase was the first kick start to the madness behind the case; when people saw the car chase people automatically wanted to see the end results to the case. Race in any topic is very controversial, and controversy stirs fascination. Orenthal James Simpson is now thought of a murder who got off or an innocent man set

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    I wanted to see the trail and hear the facts of the case, but it was going to be after their lunch break. When you are watching the court show or your favorite movie that have a trial scene they do not show the process of how the jury is selected. This was very interesting to me. I feel…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Simpson was acquitted at trial when the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty of murder. This case also captivated the nation and brought national attention. It was a pivotal case to the prosecution of crimes in the United States because O.J. Simpson was acquitted of a crime everyone thought he committed. He was found not guilty mainly through the errors of the prosecution. The forensic evidence provided by the state did not prove helpful to the prosecution of…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Questions immediately arose along the lines of “Was O.J. murdered too?”, or “Could O.J. have done it?” One thing that was known for sure on that night was that the Los Angeles Police Department and the Medical Examiner were going to have their hands full with this case, all under the watchful eyes of the nation.…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Is Oj Simpson Guilty

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The most televised trial in recorded history was a murder trial where a famous NFL football player was accused of murder. The O.J. Simpson murder trial was controversial because of numerous reasons. He pled not guilty to the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The evidence and the time leading up to his arrest would make anyone believe that he was guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, but the jury in 1995 found him not guilty. I believe that there is overwhelming evidence against O.J. Simpson, and he should have been found guilty for two murders.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Oj Simpson Research Paper

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    and he had four or five police cruisers behind him, blocking the highway, and they just followed him, basically”, as James Beachler recalls. OJ had a gun to his own head and threatened to shoot himself if Cowlings pulled over and surrendered him to the police. James believes, “The police gave him more respect than what they do a lot more criminal because a common criminal, they would’ve thrown the tire strips down to cause a flat.” American eyes were drawn to Simpson once the “White Bronco” chase took place. And everyone tuned into the trial on TV after…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    If you were a football fan between the late 60’s and early 9’s the name “O.J Simpson” probably rings a bell. A man of much talent and fame, soon in the spotlight for a different reason, homicide. The winner of the Heisman Trophy, College and NFL Hall of famer (Pellowski 14) whose life turned upside down in one night. There were social, economic, and cultural influences on Orenthal James Simpson which affected his lifetime achievements. Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California to a poor family.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    O. J. Simpson: NFL Legend

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages

    O.J Simpson When you hear the name “O.J Simpson,” do you think of a NFL legend or a murderer? As a kid, O.J Simpson was in love with football, and went on to play in college, and even make it into the NFL. After he retired one of the biggest court cases in history happened. Even with a lot of evidence, O.J was found not guilty. Simpson had even more criminal trouble later on in his life that would send him to prison for 33 years.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The biggest and most popular issue arose with the civil suit with Rodney King. As we all know, this case involved Rodney King, and two friends: Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms who were involved into a high speed chase while Rodney was under the influence of alcohol. At 12:30 am, Officers Tim and Melanie Singer, (husband-and-wife of the California Highway Patrol) noticed King 's car speeding on the freeway. The officers pursued King in a high-speed chase, all while King refused to pull over for the cops. King later admitted that he attempted to outrun the police at high speeds because a past charge of alcohol abuse in which would would violate his parole for a previous conviction from robbery.…

    • 2084 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Also, that his demeanor continued to be very poor. He was almost held in contempt of court for disobeying the judge to keep silent. In the end he was sentenced to 19 years in prison. It was also rare, that almost all jurors returned for the sentencing, which most do not attend because they are not made too. I thought about it after I had awhile to sit and think, and I wonder if others feel the way that I did when I was in the courtroom.…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The ‘trial of the century’ changed many Americans’ views on race. While race is the most notable impact and influence associated with the Simpson trial, the highly popularized case brought more transformations than creating a major race controversy. The trials multi-faceted ideas and themes, including media coverage, criminology, views on justice, and domestic abuse, impacted American culture as well. The O.J. Simpson trial had a long-term impact that went further than racial tensions to ultimately change the media, change perception of the justice system, promote better job performance, and to raise awareness of domestic abuse.…

    • 1614 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The disturbing activities of the Manson Family created a huge media sensation. Because of the constant media coverage, Manson has attained celebrity status. The reporting did not stop after the Manson Family was caught and sentenced. To this day the media keeps up on them. The fact that a convicted a man who organized multiple brutal killings could become a counter culture hero seems bizarre to me, but for some people, Charles Manson is something of a celebrity and Icon.…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Do rich people get off easier when they break the law? Rich people do get off easier when they break the law because they can pay people off to avoid charges, they have more money to get better lawyers which means they will get off the hook, and they are also seen as a privilege person. Rich people get off easier because they are able to pay people such as police to avoid charges. For example many rich people know a lot of people and they are very known.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The O.J. Simpson Trial: How the Media and Race Influenced the Decision The legal decision of The People versus O.J. Simpson forever changed legal proceedings in our country, and is regarded as one of the most controversial court rulings in American history. The murder trial was unique due to the high profile status of the people involved, the circumstances surrounding the crime, and the media attention that the case received from the media. The crime occurred in 1994 Los Angeles, a racially charged area of the country still feeling the wounds of the Rodney King incident. Due to the conditions of the crime, as well as the personal history of many of the officials involved, a lot of the American public felt that O.J. Simpson was an African-American…

    • 2073 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    Generation X Analysis

    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages
    • 4 Works Cited

    For years this generation was dealing with the mystery of this trial. This event is still one of the most talked about events of the 1990s. This event also stirred up some racial disputes. Overall this event was something that the world had never seen before. For a black NFL star to be accused of killing his wife and friend which were white, caused for some blacks and whites to hate each other even more. Although he was considered as not guilty, did he really do it?…

    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages
    • 4 Works Cited
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This exposed the use of professional informants. The judge was forced to overturn convicted cases. Some murders walked free and other high profile cases had to be retried. This potentially placed dangerous people back into society. It wasted tax payers money because now they have to retry other cases.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays