Sometimes these pro football sportswriters make me laugh – just so I don’t cry.
They often haven’t a clue, yet somehow, have become “experts.” Especially in their own minds. I’m not sure I’ve ever met one who even played the game.
They write prosaic, well-structured sentences due to their formal training. Unfortunately for the football fan, that training is in writing the English language, not in, say, football, their actual topic. This can lead to embarrassment.
These days it’s gotten even worse because these big-time sport’s journalists shoot amateur videos of themselves pontificating about their articles. Does anyone even watch those things? I don’t; I tried.
SPECIAL KIND OF IGNORANCE
This is the time of the season – Festivus to draw on Seinfeld, Kramer and the gang – where they really display a special kind of ignorance.
When I first read about how a team should purposely lose to maintain or improve their draft pick status I wanted to scream.
In fact, I screamed just this week.
Talk about clueless. Never in my life have I heard nor witnessed a player or coach advocate losing or attempting to lose a game for any reason other than gambling, which is an entirely different perversion.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!
To those who actually play the game, the suggestion of trying to lose is infuriating, laughable and in the end, just plain sad.
Imagine a sportswriter intentionally writing a stupid, ill-conceived, loser of an article in order to help his organization increase its chances of finding a better replacement for him the following year.
Wow. Talk about a team player.
Everything a sportswriter publishes is on their resume. Everything a player puts on film is on his resume. Why don’t they understand this? Would you want a guy who tried to lose on your team? Or even writing about your team?
BUSH LEAGUE
Recently I read a story wherein the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were accused of running up the score against the coach-less Lions. The “Bush-league” card was played calling out the Bucs for their downright bullying of poor Detroit. The writer complained even the NFL has it out for the Lions.
Wah! Cry me a river.
Let’s get one thing straight – both teams are paid, quite handsomely, to play hard for 60 minutes and to WIN THE GAME! This is pro sports. Pro.
In professional sports there is no such thing as running up the score.
The first step to getting better is to take responsibility, not blame everyone else when you get your ass kicked. Write about that.
EVERYBODY GOT A TROPHY
To cry or whine about such a thing is pusillanimous. It’s almost like some of these sportswriters are part of the “It’s not fair – Trophy Generation.” They got hardware just for showing up and sucking on orange slices during halftime. Now everyone could feel good about themselves whether they deserved to or not.
God forgive us.
SHUT HIM DOWN!
Then there is the old “They should shut the star QB down when there is nothing to play for” article. Saw one of those this week, too.
This is utterly ridiculous.
First, there is always something to play for. Some call it pride. But let’s flip it for a minute. Should the news organization shut down their top writer to save his precious typing fingers to cover the upcoming draft since they advocated losing to enhance it?
This is the ultimate in ignorance. If a guy is healthy, under contract and on the active roster then he owes it to himself, his teammates, his coaches, his family and his Maker to play and to play his best.
How this is lost on these “professional” sportswriters is lost on me.
I’m not saying all sportswriters share this lack of understanding. But it seems the ones covering the Lions have raised their game to the level of their main subject.
The Lions level.
Photo from Seinfeld YouTube video
