My friends. It's been some time since we've interacted, having placed myself further behind the scenes on the website than normal. But that no longer matters, due to the increasing contributions and talent we're acquiring for the website, including our News Desk initiative that's expanding our focus.
Today's focus on the open thread is this: Is the media getting too petty, too trivial (or has it always been that way)? Tight end Rob Gronkowski is found dancing at a club following New England's loss. If that were a Bengals player would you be upset? And isn't the whole Tom Brady wife a bit over-reactionary?
For example. The NFL.com homepage:
Does anyone care? Patriots fans, NFL fans? What are your thoughts?
1 recs | 27 comments
I agree...
..it’s overkill. But the reality is that sports is a form of entertainment, so you kind of have to take the good with the bad. The oversaturated analysis of players personal lives is part of the that—no different than folks obsession Lyndsey Lohan or Demi More. The season is over, but the drama must live on—god forbid we lose interest or stop buying jerseys.
goffchile - February 9, 2012
nbc sports
That why i watch the nbc sports channel (old versus channel)… they much more analysis than espn and cover more topics in a couple of hours than espn does all day
who dey md - February 9, 2012 via mobile
The Show they had
On a couple days before the SB with Bob Costas was great. I can’t remember the name something like town hall with BC or something like that. Good channel though.
Bigcatdaddy - February 9, 2012 via Android app
Sports are the oldest form of reality TV
I hate that comparison but it’s true. With the emergence of the internet media you can’t fart and someone not get it on tape. I blame the big news channels for making a big deal out of something so petty and the morons that like it.
Bigcatdaddy - February 9, 2012 via Android app
that's just it
I don’t think people are obsessed with Lindsey Lohan or Demi Moore. I think they are being spoonfed shit.
supergrover - February 10, 2012
A break from ....
hearing about Tim Tebow is always a good thing. Then again they made sure to get an interview in with him at half time of the SB too. No getting away from these guys. I could care less about Gronk’s partying or Giselle’s comments personally.
Yarin - February 9, 2012
Tim Tebow
marketing to the religious sect of viewers….Thats all it is….ESPN sees the huge increase in ratings because of it….its all about the money…nothing to do with Tebow…he is mediocre AT BEST….Cant stand the Tebow coverage
ticalcaldwell - February 9, 2012
Speaking of Tebow...
Yahoo ran the story about Terrell Suggs talking about him. One minute there was 50 or so comments, the next over 10,000! (I wish I was kidding about this, but I am not, I was shocked!) I still do not understand the whole Tim Tebow phenomena, but some people can not get enough of him.
pemci - February 9, 2012
exactly
adding the religious factor into the equation just skyrockets his notoriety…..Anyone who truly studies the game thinks this guy’s days are numbered….including his own GM….jus sayin
ticalcaldwell - February 9, 2012
+1
Yarin - February 9, 2012
Gaints won
patriots get all the news storys…
hmmmmm….
But as long as we arent talking peyton manning or tim tebow (exception for his spanking of the steelers) ill be okay.
Bengalsfan024 - February 9, 2012
why are we talking about it here ill never figure out
Bengalsfan024 - February 9, 2012
I have a real problem with how celebrities are treated in this country
When someone released an unauthorized biography of Watler Payton last year, this was my reaction:
And I still feel that way. Who cares if Gronkowski goes out dancing? Is he supposed to lie in bed crying until training camp? Who cares what Brady’s girlfriend says? None of this is news to a football fan.
As usual, I blame ESPN.
indesignkat - February 9, 2012
Agreed!
Although, a slight correction, Giselle is Brady’s wife, not gf….
I am with you, who cares already.
pemci - February 9, 2012
"and that aint jersey shore....homey thats the news"
“and these the same people thats supposed to be telling us the truth”
ticalcaldwell - February 9, 2012
Non-routine stories
Football is obviously a sport, but it’s entertainment, as well. They have to package it that way to sell it and generate interest amongst the mainstream. That’s why they’re always promoting “storylines,” etc.
Football is cyclical, as well. The sports media is desperate to find non-cyclical, non-routine stories to spice things up, especially during a downtime in the cycle. Without drama, we’d only have team-building things to talk about—the draft, FA—and not everyone is seriously interested in that.
I’d rather have a sports-purist version of ESPN…but I know that it wouldn’t be nearly as successful, so they won’t do it. They aren’t pushing drama because the majority don’t want it. Unfortunately, we seem to be addicted. Celebrity drama, sports drama, political horse-race drama, Facebook drama, etc.
ESPN is the symptom, not the cause. And let’s be honest…I think we’re all looking forward to playing Carson, next year, and it’s not because of nuts-and-bolts football…
Big Sky Bengal - February 9, 2012
I'm looking forward to playing Carson next year
because of all the defensive TDs we’ll get
indesignkat - February 9, 2012
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/02/report-peyton-manning-cant-throw-the-ball-in-workouts/1
“He can’t throw the ball,” Lombardi said. “I’ve talked to people who’ve caught the ball for him. He can’t throw the ball to his left. He can’t throw the ball across his body, because he doesn’t feel it. People that catch the ball for him say he doesn’t really have velocity on the ball yet.”
pemci - February 9, 2012
Bradys Wife is Just A football Fan Who Happens to be Married to Tom Brady
I bet every fan in NE had the same take about the dropped balls.
Why is the story twisted?
Just a bad News Day is my quess.
The Press needed black on white.
Why did the Press single out one person? Was she simply a fan who happens to be married to Tom Brady?
Why not ask Joe Blow the fan from NE the same question and story on him?
Gisele is like us. Just a Football Fan.
Go Girl. Tell is like is is!
Chili Dog - February 9, 2012
For once Chili I understand
and completely agree
Helmsy - February 9, 2012
The fact that she stood up for her husband...
Says a lot about the integrity of that woman. Every man (and woman) wants a spouse who will stand up for them and stand by their side when the going gets tough.
However…just like any relationship…she should be careful of the fights she picks, as what she says as it could be perceived as voicing an opinion for the both of them. By her throwing Tom’s receivers under a bus, she could be implying that Tom also threw his receivers under the bus as well in a private or intimate conversation meant for her ears only. At that point, it crosses the fine line of defending and meddling, and that can be disaster for the team’s chemistry. If I’m Wes Welker, and I hear her say something like that, I’m telling her to tell her husband to put the ball in a spot where I can catch it without having to make a highlight reel to do it.
TrivialPsychic - February 9, 2012
"Tight end Rob Gronkowski is found dancing at a club following New England's loss. "
why would any one have a problem with that? Did he not play in the game?
Would it really be any different than if he was at the club after a win?
now, if he was clubing the night before, I think that would be a different story….
AMAS85 - February 9, 2012
I dont have a problem with him partying...probably felt good to blow off steam
I DO have a problem with how he was dancing….I may be just me….but he looked like a complete moron in the video….lol…but I really dont care if he parties…good for him….after his season…hes earned it
ticalcaldwell - February 9, 2012
lol did see the video, but imma have to check it out now
AMAS85 - February 9, 2012
The whole thing with Gronkowski is ridiculous...
Especially when Rodney Harrison came out with his comments where he called Gronk out, saying he was immature and self centered for dancing the night away after the Superbowl loss. I would say that it was actually quite the opposite in terms of maturity. The fact that after a crushing defeat, Gronk was able to go out and party like it’s 1999 shows me a lot of maturity. Gronk was not arrested, didn’t overdose, didn’t get into a fight (and you know that there had to be Giant’s fans at that club who were probably goading him on…) and the fact that he was smart enough to go with teammates and security actually shows a lot of maturity on his part.
Gronk gets it, that in the end, it’s a game, and there are better things to do than sit around at home, pouting about it and sobbing over a bottle of Jack Daniels. He’s still on a good team, and they have as good of a shot next year as they did this year of winning it all. It had to be hard enough on him as is. He was legitimately injured, was partly responsible for not breaking up a key turnover, and in the end, still had a chance to win the game if he only would have been standing 3 feet to the left of where Brady tossed that jump ball. He could have sat in his hotel room all night “Bradying,” but instead, Gronk tried to make a positive out of the situation by leaving the hotel with some teammates, possibly hook up with some nice young ladies, and celebrating what they HAD accomplished. I’d say that’s a pretty good attitude.
Did Gronk look like an ass stumbling around drunk with his shirt off? Yes, but he’s also a young man. Alcohol (hopefully) is still a fairly new experience to him and hopefully he’ll drink just a little more responsibly as he gets older (and keep his shirt on as well, but if I was as cut as that guy is with that many young ladies swarming around me, I might remove mine as well.) It might have looked silly on the video, but at least when he removed his shirt he proved to security that he wasn’t carrying a firearm in his trousers. =P
TrivialPsychic - February 9, 2012
I personally hate this stuff
Harrison called him out for being unprofessional… He was suspended for four games for using PED’s. If we’re looking at brass tacks, what is a worse message? Having a good time with friends and getting too rowdy or cheating at a game you came to covet. It’s all filler and BS, what they should talk about is the quality stories. No one has discussed the Giants enough, why pour it on the Pats? Victor Cruz’s story is an incredibly good sports story as is the linebacker recovering from cancer, barely making the team, and then being in the superbowl. Realistically, its just sports, who cares what they do off the field as long as it doesn’t affect them being on the field.
JerseyBengal - February 9, 2012
It's those damn Patriots
They think they’re a higher class than the rest of the league. The think they have fight club rules up there, 1st rule don’t talk about the Patriots. They even made a big deal about Chad using twitter WTF! If you play for the patriots you have to be invisible at all times off the field. Jerks!
Bigcatdaddy - February 10, 2012 via Android app
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Cincy Jungle to post a comment.