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Twitter fallout: Apparently, not everyone agreed with my Marshawn Lynch column

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When I got home last night, I had 2,067 notifications on my Twitter feed. And it’s still counting with more reaction coming in this morning.

Guess not everyone agreed with my column about Marshawn Lynch and Skittles that first posted yesterday on the National Sports Journalism Center site at Indiana.

I’ve had fallout before, but not like this. Naturally, some of it was vulgar, which always makes worry about we are going as a society.

I also got the feeling that 98 percent of the people who tweeted never read the column. They were just responding to a 140-character tweet from me or someone else. Try reading the column, people.

However, there were several reasonable, well-considered tweets, and even a couple of creative ones. Appreciate the effort, Jerry Jawns. Thanks

 

Boycott Skittles: Marshawn Lynch now monetizing mocking of media

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I received considerable backlash for my latest column for the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana on Marshawn Lynch when it posted yesterday. Getting ready for round 2 today.

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Sports journalists unite: It’s time to boycott Skittles.

Don’t let your kids eat them anymore. Forget about handing out those small packets for Halloween.

Skittles should be considered poison to any sports journalist who asks for respect in dealing with  athletes.

You see, Marshawn Lynch’s stance with the media has evolved from more than just not wanting to talk. It now is a marketing vehicle.

Skittles, which is part of Lynch’s weird act, helped the Seattle running back’s campaign to mock the media this week. It got Lynch to do a fake press conference. He munches handfuls of the candy sitting in front of a Skittles logo.

The whole thing is extremely lame. He opens by saying, “I’m thankful for the opportunity to have Skittles ask me questions today.”

Of course, he is. Skittles probably paid him big money for the charade, likely much more than those annoying reporters who insist on asking him real questions.

Lynch then continued his shameless act at Super Bowl media day Tuesday. He stayed for less than five minutes and repeatedly said, “”I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Naturally, he downed a few Skittles for the cameras. For the exposure, the candy probably will pay for the hefty NFL fines that are sure to come his way.

Lynch’s media stance now has become a big story. However, at its core is one basic element: Respect.

The least you can ask for in this life is to be shown some respect from the people you interact with every day. And that includes athletes dealing with the media.

I would say the vast majority of athletes and coaches, perhaps in the neighborhood of 95-97 percent, do treat reporters with respect. There’s even an element of respect with how Bill Belichick deals with the press, even if it looks as if he would rather be getting a tooth pulled.

During media day yesterday, the New England coach talked of his media responsibilities:

“That’s our role – to be the conduit between our team and all the fans – all of you that cover the team and the fans that read or watch or listen. That’s an important part of the process,” Belichick said. “Having been on the other side of this (as an avid fan as a kid), that’s what I wanted. I wanted information. I wanted to hear what’s going on. We provide the fans who are so interested in our team with information that makes it interesting and exciting for them. That’s why we’re all here.”

OK, it would be better if Belichick was more open and quotable, but at least he understands the process. It would be interesting to see how Belichick would have put up with Lynch’s media act if he played on the Patriots. My guess is, probably not.

Belichick and the NFL know there is a larger issue at play here. What’s to stop other players from following Lynch’s lead and opting not to talk? Surely, there are many players who would like to be spared from participating in the media circus at the Super Bowl this week.

The NFL, though, wants fans to get know the players. The mass interviews only feed the hype for the big game. That translates to big ratings, which translates to big money for the league and its players.

That’s why the NFL enacted a rule that players must talk to the media. WritesMarcus Hayes in the Philadelphia Daily News:

“Lynch’s boycott of the press is no different from boycotting a meeting, a practice or a game. What if he mailed it in at the Super Bowl the way he mailed it in on Media Day? He is contractually obligated to be present at both, to perform professionally at each. It is part of his job, part of his duty.

“Duty should not be served. It is part of being a professional. It’s part of being an adult. Marshawn Lynch is neither.”

Lynch’s fans don’t care if he doesn’t talk as long as he keeps producing on the field. He also has plenty of supporters who laud him for being his own man. It was revolting to hear a  former player like Tedy Bruschi saluted his independence on ESPN on Tuesday.

Fortunately, there are other former players turned analysts who see the big picture. NBC’s Rodney Harrison does not appreciate Lynch’s act.

“A lot of young African-American kids look up to him and people applaud it. It’s not right,” Harrison said.

Somebody should get that message to Lynch, not that he cares. In a few years, he will be out of the league, counting his money and eating his Skittles.

However, sports journalists, and people who value some sense of decency, can make their voices heard by boycotting Lynch’s sponsor, Skittles. Hold the candy accountable for assisting Lynch in mocking the media with the phony press conference.

Frankly, Skittles aren’t that good anyway. Bad texture and way too sweet. Also, while there aren’t any documented studies, eating Skittles reportedly makes your ledes much duller.

Try Swedish Fish instead.

 

 

Is feeling mutual? Showtime exec wants encore for Brandon Marshall on ‘Inside the NFL’

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The door is open if Brandon Marshall wants to return to Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” next year.

However, Stephen Espinoza, the general manager of Showtime Sports, knows Bears new coach John Fox, and perhaps even Marshall himself, might shut that door in 2015.

Marshall took part in a taping Monday in Phoenix for the show’s Super Bowl preview, which airs this week on Showtime. Espinoza raved about the Bears’ receiver work on “Inside the NFL” this year, but can’t be sure there will be an encore.

“We haven’t discussed it yet,” Espinoza told me in an interview. “I know he enjoyed it and learned a lot. But it was work at the same time. The threshold question between Brandon and the team is whether this is something he should entertain again. If they say yes, we’d love to him again.”

The unique set-up had Marshall rising at dawn on most Tuesdays to catch a private plane to New York. There, he would tape that week’s show before returning on a private plane, usually arriving in Chicago in time for dinner.

Espinoza is aware there was criticism of the arrangement in Chicago, especially with the Bears and Marshall having a disappointing season. However, he believes Marshall did not “compromise” on his No. 1 priority, which was being ready for Bears’ next game.

“His health was paramount,” Espinoza said. “We made sure not to infringe on what he needed to do for the Bears.”

Espinoza said he was impressed with Marshall’s commitment to make as many shows as possible. He did miss some shows due to the Bears playing Monday, Thursday and Sunday night games and after suffering a lung and ribs injury in a December game against New Orleans.

“I admit I had my doubts when things got tough and he was struggling with an injury,” Espinoza said. “I expected to get a call saying, ‘Brandon can’t make it this week.’ That call never came. He fulfilled everything we asked of him and more.”

Espinoza thought Marshall’s presence took “Inside the NFL” to another level by using a current player as an analyst. Always outspoken, he wasn’t shy about giving his opinions on touchy issues such as the Ray Rice situation. He also had the tables turned on him by fellow panelists Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms. They once chastised him after a game when he ducked from the media.

“Brandon knew everything was fair game,” Espinoza said. “We knew about Brandon’s personality going in, but could he deliver when the lights are turned on? The answer is a resounding yes. I’ve rarely seen someone in his first year be as natural, likable and substantively good as Brandon.”

Whether it is next year or when he is finished playing, Espinoza hopes he can work with Marshall again at Showtime. However, he knows there will be competition from the other networks.

“Brandon has shown a natural affinity for broadcasting,” Espinoza said. “He is going to have plenty of suitors.”

Former NFL player rips Lynch; Needs to apologize to the media

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Jeff Nixon was a defensive back for Buffalo from 1979-84. Now he writes a blog “keeping former players and fans updated on the issues affecting former AFL and NFL players.”

This week, he took on Marshawn Lynch, showing it isn’t just reporters who are upset with his boycott of the media.

Nixon, who played in an era before players made true life-changing money, clearly is irked that Lynch has little appreciation for what the game has given to him. He writes:

The fact is no one forced Mr. Lynch to sign contracts that require him and all NFL players to talk to the media.  Those NFL contracts have grossed him $57 million in his nine year career. 

For that kind of money, I would talk to the press like I was being water-boarded by the CIA!

Nixon then staged his version of how Lynch should conduct his press conference at Super Bowl media day.

First, I think Marshawn should have a prepared statement that reads something like this:

“I want to apologize to the Media for my behavior in not answering your questions, both before and after games. I know that you are just trying to do your job and that all you are asking for is an opportunity to share my thoughts with your readers, listeners and viewers. By not talking to you, I have given some of you the impression that I don’t like you and that your questions are stupid, irrelevant and beneath me and don’t even deserve the dignity of a response. That all changes today because I’m not going to let my past problems dictate my future behavior. As members of the media you have the power to write articles that can show me in a negative light or a positive light. I want the latter. In addition to commenting on the game, I want everyone to know that what I do on the football field is just one aspect of my life. I am more than one dimensional. My “Beast mode” is ok on the field, but I’m going to learn how to turn it off when the game ends.

At this point, I will take your questions:

Media: What would you like to say to the Commissioner and the NFL owners who have fined you for not talking to the media?

ML: “I want to apologize for my behavior these past few years. I signed contracts that obligate me to talk to the press, but I have not honored those contracts. A man’s word is more important than his signature on a piece of paper and going forward I will do my best to honor my word. I have come to realize that the NFL is just trying to market pro football and “protect the shield” from bad press.  Their image (and the image of their employees) is important to effectively selling the game to the public. The more money the NFL brings in, the better chance NFL players – both past, present and future – will have of getting more money and better benefits. It’s a win, win, win situation and all of us should do the best we can to promote the game. Obviously, it helps if players conduct themselves with integrity both on and off the field. That is what I promise to do to the best of my ability.

OK, Nixon knows that’s not going to happen.

Finally, Nixon concludes with a message for Lynch, not that he will listen.

Back when I played, our Buffalo Bills Trainer, Eddie “Abe” Abramowski had a poster on the wall next to his taping station that said: “Fame is a Vapor; Riches Take Wings; The Only Thing That Endures is Character”

All players, including Marshawn Lynch, would do well to remember that old quote.

 

The dreaded ‘talk about’ question; Why it is bad journalism

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Today is media day at the Super Bowl, one of the worst days of the year if you are a serious sports reporter. Some of the lowest forms of journalism will be on display.

That includes the dreaded “talk about…” question. The over-under of how many times a variation of that opener will be used today has to be 2.4 million.

Bryan Curtis at Grantland wrote an interesting examination of the laziest way to ask what really isn’t a question.

Talk about the most insipid thing you hear in locker rooms.

What? You wanted me to ask a question? A passive-aggressive command wasn’t enough? Let me try again. What makes sports reporters venture the same cowering, deflated non-question in press conferences across the country? I refer, of course, to the Talk About.

Talk about the mind-set of this team. Talk about what it means to you to win in the playoffs. “I hear it every single day, and every night, at every game,” said Roy Firestone, who hosted Up Close on ESPN for 13 years. “Somewhere, it’s a Talk About. People should be crazy about this.” True, the Talk About is but one of many reporterly grunts, as Deadspin’s Barry Petchesky has noted. But through its sheer repetition, Talk About has become the quasi-official question of the postgame press conference, and a sign of its crack-up. What “How do you feel?” is to the crime beat, Talk About is to sportswriting.

Marcus Mariota got hit with six Talk Abouts in a single press conference before the national championship game. At his postgame presser, Urban Meyer got four. One was: “Could you talk about the future of the program and just how bright it is?” (Meyer, of course, was glad to.) The week before, the question that begat Meyer’s stunned “Oregon won by 40?!” exclamation was also a Talk About.

Last year, my colleague, Malcolm Moran, head of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana, wrote a fine piece about the plague.

When reporters across all platforms – print, broadcast and digital hybrids — pass those lanyards attached to credentials over their heads, they should do it with the understanding that “talk about…” is not a question. It’s a command. At the very least, it’s lazy and rude. It displays no thought, conveys no respect, offers no genuine invitation to some form of information, insight, emotion, enlightenment or dialogue. The command reflects the worst of 21st Century Mad Libs journalism, no initiative required, just the insertion of some phrase behind the official designated soundbite cue: Talk about X.

Have the industries of journalism and mass communications become so dehumanized, so indifferent, that we can’t take the time, just a few seconds, to pose a well-framed question? No wonder Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks has left skid marks as soon as the National Football League Fine-O-Meter said he can leave media sessions with his paycheck intact.

The longer I have taught college-age journalists how to develop their craft, the more I have realized that additional time has to be spent discussing the art of asking the question. The selection of the topic. The proper, antiseptic wording. The awareness needed to follow up if necessary.

Both stories should be must reading for current and future sports journalists.

Flashback: Young Ernie Banks vs. Mickey Mantle in Homerun Derby

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It is a shame that so much of the footage of Ernie Banks is from later in his career. His knee problems led to him being heavier and looking less athletic.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many highlights available from earlier in his career. I can’t remember ever seeing any footage of Banks playing shortstop.

So I was glad to stumble upon these classics from Homerun Derby from 1960. They offer a different perspective of Banks. Much slimmer and a bit more subdued in personality. Remember Banks was shy as a younger player. He didn’t stay that way.

Enjoy.

Banks vs. Gil Hodges.

Why wasn’t this done sooner? ESPN lobbies for playoff semifinals to be on Jan. 2

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John Ourand and Michael Smith of Sports Business Daily have a story about ESPN and next year’s College Football Playoff.

Next season’s semifinals at the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl are scheduled for Dec. 31 but ESPN is pushing the CFP to move those games to Jan. 2, 2016, a Saturday with relatively little competition on TV. The NFL’s regular season concludes that Sunday, Jan. 3, and the league hasn’t had a Saturday game during the final week of its regular season since 2007.

Sources say that senior network executives as high up as ESPN President John Skipper are pushing for the change as a way to get better television ratings, but the CFP is unwilling to make such a move because it is committed to the original plan to hold tripleheader bowl games, including the semifinals, on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

“We’ve started a new tradition and we don’t want to back away from it now,” said Bill Hancock, the CFP’s executive director.

As I noted previously, it is a stupid tradition. People go out on New Year’s Eve. If college football wants to protect the precious Rose Bowl for Jan. 1, then move the semis to Jan. 2. Viewers still will be nursing their hangovers two days later.

Also, why didn’t ESPN push harder for Jan. 2 semis prior to signing this monster deal? Maybe the network did, and is going back for another round after this year’s big ratings for the semis on Jan. 1?

Ourand and Smith note the CFP also has other issues when the NFL decides to expand their playoffs.

Meanwhile, the CFP is facing pressure on another front. The NFL is considering expanding its playoffs and moving one of the new games to Monday night when it would compete directly with the CFP championship.

Sources say NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell initiated a series of high-level meetings with some of the CFP’s most influential commissioners, including the SEC’s Mike Slive and the Big Ten’s Jim Delany. Goodell approached the commissioners to discuss the potential impact an NFL playoff expansion would have on the CFP championship game.

That didn’t go over well.

Hancock said his office has voiced its opposition to putting an NFL playoff game against the CFP championship on Monday night.

“We picked Monday night because it was open and it was the best night for our game. We announced that in June 2012,” Hancock said. “We established that our game was going to be on Monday night for 12 years.”

 

Memories of Ernie: The day I showed Mr. Cub his picture file at Tribune

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Our town lost one of the faces on its sports Mt. Rushmore yesterday with the passing of Ernie Banks.

In listening to the tributes last night, what struck me was how everyone had a personal memory of being with Ernie. I can’t imagine a more accessible superstar ever. The platitudes were more about the person than the player, and man, he could play.

Luckily, I was fortunate to have a few encounters with Ernie. I’m going to share a few of them here.

My first meeting occurred during the 1994 baseball strike at a golf outing. To fill the massive space void in the Chicago Tribune with both the White Sox and Cubs not playing, we decided to run a classic games series, complete with box scores and old photos.

One of those games happened to be from a Mr. Cub day at Wrigley Field. It included a photo of Ernie with his family.

“Did you see the picture, Ernie?” I asked at the golf outing.

“I sure did,” Ernie said. “Where did you get that?”

“Ernie, the Tribune library has a stack of your photos as high as the Hancock Building,” I said. “You should come down sometime and see them.”

“You know what, I’m going to do that,” Ernie said.

It definitely sounded like one of those things that never would happen.

A few days later, I got a call from the front lobby at the Tribune. “Ernie Banks is here to see you,” the man said.

“What?”

I went downstairs, and sure enough, there was Ernie.

“I’m here to see my pictures,” he said in that distinctive upbeat tone, making it seem as if this was going to be the highlight of his life.

“OK, let’s go,” I said.

When we walked into the library, I said, “Ernie Banks is here to see his pictures.”

This was in the days before digital. Pictures were kept files. When one got full, you went got another.

As I told him, there were literally stacks of files with Ernie Banks pictures. Slowly, he started to go through them.

It seemed as if every picture had a story. Ernie saw a shot of him with Stan Musial. “What a wonderful man,” he said.

On and on, it went. We were in there for nearly two hours going down his memory lane.

The whole thing felt surreal. Ernie was one of the heroes of my youth. Never in my wildest dreams when I was 12 did I imagine I would get a chance to spend an afternoon with Mr. Cub.

I also got my first up close look at that magnetic personality. When people walked in the library, he let out in a rather loud voice, “How are you? Are you having a great day?”

As this routine went on, I laughed at the stunned reaction of my colleagues. It isn’t everyday you get greeted by a baseball Hall of Famer in the Tribune photo library.

Finally, we exhausted his files. I got ready to escort him out when he asked where I was going next. I told him I had to get ready for our daily sports planning meeting.

“Oh, can I come?” Ernie said. “I’d love to see that.”

So off we went to the sports editor’s office. Again, the reaction on the other editors’ faces was priceless when they walked in and saw Mr. Cub in their midst.

Ernie listened to us going through the rundown. Typically, he stayed in character. A few times, he said, “That’s going to be a great story.”

When it finally came time for him go, he thanked me. “This was really great,” Ernie said.

I assured him it was going to be a day I’ll never forget.

As it turns out, it wouldn’t be our last meeting. Ernie loved golf and Tiger Woods. Thankfully, our paths crossed many times when I assumed the Tribune’s golf beat in 1997.

More to come.

 

 

 

 

NFL is everywhere: New league channel debuts on youtube

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The NFL’s domination of all things media now has extended to Youtube.

The league announced the launched this morning of youtube.com/NFL, an official channel on the platform. this partnership will enable fans to engage with NFL video content on PCs, tablets, and mobile phones.

More details from the NFL’s official release:

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Located at YouTube.com/NFL, the NFL’s official channel on YouTube allows viewers to access a uniquely packaged, seven-day-a-week NFL content programming schedule. Content posted to the NFL’s official channel on YouTube will include game previews, in-game highlights, post-game recaps as well as clips featuring news, analysis, fantasy football advice, and other select content from NFL Network and NFL.com.

Additionally, official NFL game highlights and content will be available through Google Search. A simple Google search will display official NFL video along with related news and information all delivered to the user in one distinct box at the top of the search results. Kickoff time and broadcast information for every NFL game will also be prominently displayed in Google Search.

Days from the kickoff of Super Bowl XLIX, the newly launched NFL channel will contain clips of many of the top plays, games, and performers from the 2014 season, as well as content featuring the sights and sounds from Arizona and previewing the matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The official NFL channel on YouTube and Google search results will also contain in-game highlights from Super Bowl XLIX.

“Partnering with YouTube and Google provides the NFL unique access to millions of highly engaged fans through the global leader in video and search,” said Hans Schroeder, Senior Vice President, Media Strategy, Business Development, & Sales for the National Football League. “We continue to see an insatiable appetite for digital video content, and this partnership further expands fans’ ability to discover and access NFL content throughout the year.”