Slapshot Monday
Do we love out sports stars for what they do or for how they are portrayed? When Tiger Woods was first starting out, everyone loved him and the papers were writing story after story about how great he was. Then suddenly, the stories became about how stand-off he was. How he didn’t have a good relationship with his caddy and how he was no longer the player he was. Now, he’s married, joking with the media and his father passed away… suddenly he’s the best player in golf again. In that time I don’t think his game changed at all. He may not have won as many tournaments or masters but he was still playing good golf. And since fans only know these players from what they see and what they read; the media manufactures their opinions. So somewhere along the lines the press decided it was time for Tiger to be the bad guy and now he’s the good guy again. This is looking more like Wrestling than golf.
It all has to do with the term ‘media darlings’. If you joke with the media, give them good quotes and the occasional juicy gossip then you will be the conquering hero or the hard working soul on a team of losers. But if you shy away from the spotlight or avoid interviews then every detail of your life will be cast in a negative view and displayed for the entire world to see.
Look at Mark Magwire and Barry Bonds. Mark talked with the media, had time for every reporter, met with fans and was beloved by all. When the issue of steroids came up, no one wanted to know because they didn’t want this modern day Lancelot tarnished. He and Sammy Sosa saved baseball, there’s no way he was on the juice. But Barry Bonds doesn’t play well with the press. He sits alone in the corner of the locker room with his big screen TV turned away from everyone else and his recliner until it’s time to knock the rock out of the park. So when the issue of steroids came up, everyone one ‘knew’ he was guilty.
Look at the Olympics. The ratings are horrible and I know why. It’s because NBC spends every broadcast showcasing a bunch of athletes and by the end of the piece you think the person is destined by fate to win the gold… and then they fall down on turn two and don’t even finish. But what we don’t have is any bad guys. There are no Russians or East Germans to root against. The Miracle at Lake Placid wasn’t because the USA won the gold it was because they beat the USSR. It was Rocky knocking out Draco. It was James Bond killing off Goldfinger. It was the guys in the white hats beating the guys in the black hats. But there are no black hats anymore. Hell, there aren’t even any white hats. Everyone is wearing a gray Stetson and no one cares. The media has no one to make into the bad guys. The terrorist nations don’t skate and the Canadians are just too damn polite.
The bottom line is that sports is just entertainment without a pre-ordained script. But the media still works their side of the fence like Vince McMahon pumping up Hulk Hogan then turning him into Hollywood Hogan and back again. But you want proof, ask yourself two questions: 1) Would Kobe Bryant have had so much support behind him during the rape issue if he wasn’t a media darling? 2) And now that all the steroid issues are out about Barry, doesn’t it seem he’s working really hard to be friendly with the media now?
Do we love out sports stars for what they do or for how they are portrayed? When Tiger Woods was first starting out, everyone loved him and the papers were writing story after story about how great he was. Then suddenly, the stories became about how stand-off he was. How he didn’t have a good relationship with his caddy and how he was no longer the player he was. Now, he’s married, joking with the media and his father passed away… suddenly he’s the best player in golf again. In that time I don’t think his game changed at all. He may not have won as many tournaments or masters but he was still playing good golf. And since fans only know these players from what they see and what they read; the media manufactures their opinions. So somewhere along the lines the press decided it was time for Tiger to be the bad guy and now he’s the good guy again. This is looking more like Wrestling than golf.
It all has to do with the term ‘media darlings’. If you joke with the media, give them good quotes and the occasional juicy gossip then you will be the conquering hero or the hard working soul on a team of losers. But if you shy away from the spotlight or avoid interviews then every detail of your life will be cast in a negative view and displayed for the entire world to see.
Look at Mark Magwire and Barry Bonds. Mark talked with the media, had time for every reporter, met with fans and was beloved by all. When the issue of steroids came up, no one wanted to know because they didn’t want this modern day Lancelot tarnished. He and Sammy Sosa saved baseball, there’s no way he was on the juice. But Barry Bonds doesn’t play well with the press. He sits alone in the corner of the locker room with his big screen TV turned away from everyone else and his recliner until it’s time to knock the rock out of the park. So when the issue of steroids came up, everyone one ‘knew’ he was guilty.
Look at the Olympics. The ratings are horrible and I know why. It’s because NBC spends every broadcast showcasing a bunch of athletes and by the end of the piece you think the person is destined by fate to win the gold… and then they fall down on turn two and don’t even finish. But what we don’t have is any bad guys. There are no Russians or East Germans to root against. The Miracle at Lake Placid wasn’t because the USA won the gold it was because they beat the USSR. It was Rocky knocking out Draco. It was James Bond killing off Goldfinger. It was the guys in the white hats beating the guys in the black hats. But there are no black hats anymore. Hell, there aren’t even any white hats. Everyone is wearing a gray Stetson and no one cares. The media has no one to make into the bad guys. The terrorist nations don’t skate and the Canadians are just too damn polite.
The bottom line is that sports is just entertainment without a pre-ordained script. But the media still works their side of the fence like Vince McMahon pumping up Hulk Hogan then turning him into Hollywood Hogan and back again. But you want proof, ask yourself two questions: 1) Would Kobe Bryant have had so much support behind him during the rape issue if he wasn’t a media darling? 2) And now that all the steroid issues are out about Barry, doesn’t it seem he’s working really hard to be friendly with the media now?
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