Domestic violence, child abuse, PED's...we know what's going on in the sports world
these days. But what the hell is going on with the people that cover it? I realize the
world of journalism has changed over the years with the help of the social media
super highway, but whatever happened to "journalists" who are supposed to report
on the story and not become a part of it?
Boy, has that ever changed.
On Sunday morning, Hannah Storm of ESPN was given air time to talk about
domestic violence and the NFL. Storm talked about her daughter in her first fantasy
league and how she had to answer why Ray Rice didn't go to jail or get fired from
his job for knocking out his then-fiance'. Storm was moved emotionally to the
point her lip was quivering.
Do we really care about the fantasy league of Storm's daughter and her questions?
Does Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News interrupt his newscast to tell the world
he and his daughter had a gut-wrenching conversation about the brutality in the Middle
East? "Daddy, why isn't the president doing anything about the mean guys who are
cutting everyone's head off in Iraq?" Does he tell us the video of the beheadings
are causing her nightmares? Heck, no.
Maggie Gray of SI.com told her viewers how the Ray Rice scandal is impacting her
life and career. She questioned whether or not she chose the right career path and
how she covers the league. Gray concluded by stating, "After this week, I'm wondering
if the NFL is worthy of me." (covering the league.)
Gray works hard and has paid her dues, but that statement in stunning. She's wondering
if the NFL is worthy of her covering the league? That's a little too much. Check that,
it's absurd. Will McDonaugh and Jim Murray, two legendary sportswriters who covered
the NFL for years, must be rolling over in their graves at that comment.
You might say, "Paul, Cris Carter, gave his view on Adrian Peterson and his alleged
child abuse case and brought his personal experience into the story and you're not
ripping him."
That's right. Carter played the game. He overcame drug abuse and getting released to
become a Hall of Famer. Carter, like all analysts, gets paid to give their insight and share
their experience. I was riveted by the story of his mother raising seven children by
herself and disciplining her family the old-fashioned way. Carter said his mother made
"1,000 mistakes" and she wasn't always right when it came to dishing out punishment.
The analysts are paid for the their expertise and opinion, anchors and reporters are
not. I know things have changed, but they should report the facts and defer to the one's
who played the game for their insight. We don't care about the fantasy league
of Storm's daughter. Peter Jennings didn't bring in his family into his reporting,
neither did Jim McKay, the sportscasting legend.
Storm wondered "what the NFL stands for?" Why wasn't she asking that after
Michael Vick was killing dogs or when Donte Stallworth killed a pedestrian while
drunk in his car or when Josh Brent killed a teammate after getting drunk out of
his mind? Oh, that's right, because the domestic violence issue in the NFL is like
the Internet's Ice Bucket Challenge: a hot issue that has everybody's attention and
won't go away.
Storm's speech is "trending" all over the place now, which is probably a good part
of what Storm was attempting to accomplish. It's all about the Q-rating for television
personalities and if nobody's talking about you, it's not a good thing.
But it's not a good thing that "journalists" wonder aloud if the NFL is "worthy" of
them covering the league or what it stands for. We all don't like our jobs and the
real world can be harsh, but journalists are getting paid to report on the news, not
become a part of it.
Do you think Scott Pelley of CBS enjoyed reporting on the father who killed all five
of his children or another American who got beheaded by the terrorists? That's his job
and he does it like a true professional.
Make a name for yourself, but don't use a sensitive subject like domestic abuse
to get up on your pulpit and wonder if the NFL is "worthy" of you covering the league.
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