Tag: sports

Peter King of MMQB is a good football reporter, but he doesn’t seem to fully grasp the nature of his job is little different than the “social media screamers” he laments.

SOCIAL MEDIA SCREAMERS
In your MMQB this week, you made the comment that circumstances surrounding the Greg Schiano situation are “a disgrace to thinking people,” and that those that scream loud enough can overcome reason. I couldn’t agree with you more. To me, there are at least two consequences of this ongoing issue. First, the effort (or lack thereof) of decision makers, such as the Tennessee AD and his team, to perform due diligence and make decisions is becoming less relevant than making sure that the screamers agree with you. Second, thoughtful people are becoming less likely to be in positions of authority, as powerful people start to believe that only the decision’s reaction matters. It has become more important these days to scream than to think. Sports often mirror society, and I’m afraid that’s happening here. I’m hopeful that we’ve bottomed out on this issue, and that rationality and respect start coming back into vogue.​
—Benjy T., Statesboro, Ga.

Thanks, Benjy. We’re in a strange time in our country’s history. Intelligence and thinking have been devalued. Who can yell the loudest has greater value. We’ll see how long it lasts. I’m hoping it’s a passing fad, but I can’t predict it.

MEDIA HYPOCRISY
The result of mainstream media is in turn a direct result of people on social media using their platform to announce a  “guilty before proven innocent” verdict which is unfortunately the environment we live in now. How can you as columnist use your platform to continuously make it known your dismay for our current president? Can’t that be considered a mainstream media lynch mob attack, instead of a social media attack? Or can mainstream media also influence social media? However, this failed coaching hire is deemed a social injustice by you because the people/alumni of The University of Tennessee didn’t want a coach who potentially could have known about this abuse. This is now to be considered a social media lynch mob? Aren’t you in fact guilty of the same accusations that you are publicizing? I am fed up with the powerful left using every platform they can to push their agenda. I don’t want to see politics in my sports and I surely don’t want to see them in my sports articles. I know you probably won’t read this and some intern will, but at least I got someone to read it.  ​
—Chad H.

A lot of people feel the way you feel, and I can’t say you’re wrong and I’m right. I don’t know if I’m right. I just know that when the president does something I consider absolutely stupid and insulting to the American people and terrible for the country, I’m going to point it out on Twitter or maybe in an opinion part of my column. He has debased the presidency and in turn the country, and, obviously, I’m not afraid of saying so. I never want to wake up one day if something truly disastrous happens as a direct result of this president’s actions or inactions and say, “Why didn’t I say anything? Why was I silent?” I respect your right to criticize me, but to say it’s a media lynch mob … Chad, I assume you didn’t spend any time in journalism school in your life. I just wish you had. We’re about calling it the way we see it, most of us, and about trying to report—and comment on—facts.

Now, I think the decision of the Tennessee athletic director was abysmally stupid too, although I have been corrected as to the responsible parties, and it was not SJWs, but rather, deluded UT fans who think that their program merits a higher status football coach than Greg Schiano. Which is ironic, because the one thing Schiano can actually do is help a longtime underachieving program catch up to its historically more successful peers, which would seem to be a talent that is not irrelevant to UT football.

But Peter King’s obliviousness to the way in which his behavior is no different than people expressing their opinion on social media demonstrates the way the media resents the public having access to a voice of their own. Of course, this is why the SJW-converged social media giants have been increasingly trying to shut down everyone who is genuinely on the right, in order to maintain the Left’s control on the public discourse.

And be warned, if you’re going to use this as an excuse to talk about yourself and things you don’t do, I will spam you without hesitation. I am thoroughly sick of the precious snowflakes who believe anyone else cares about their opinion of someone else’s interests so I’m going to start spamming all of them. There are many things I don’t do, and I don’t leap in to express my opinion about any of them whenever someone mentions one. If you’re not interested in the topic of a post, that’s absolutely fine. Don’t comment on it.

UPDATE: As he so often does, Mike Cernovich explains this particular media phenomenon:

It’s HARASSMENT when the right does it, it’s ACTIVISM when the left does it. Understanding that key Rule to Social Justice (and its various permutations and implications)…. and it all makes sense.

UPDATE: As one might have anticipated, no one wants the UT job now.

The University of Tennessee’s comical/pathetic search for a head coach now includes being spurned by an alumnus. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will not interview for the vacant Volunteers job. After firing Butch Jones, the Volunteers offered/rescinded former Bucs coach Greg Schiano, and have been turned down by Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, a former Vols assistant, has also declined to interview for the job.