Well, here we are, three weeks into the NFL season, and here I am, back onto my favorite whipping dog (no Michael Vick reference intended), sports talk radio.
Let me start with a disclaimer. I was probably the original sports radio junky. When the world’s very first 24-7 sports talk radio station was launched, here in the NY area, I was listening. When the very same sports talk radio station moved down the dial from 1050 to the now-iconic 660, I was listening. When the very same sports talk radio station hired Don Imus for the morning show, to the outraged displeasure of the rest of the “true” sports jockeys, I was listening. When Imus’ ratings dwarfed those very same sports jockeys’ ratings, I was listening. When the very same station fired Imus for a politically incorrect characterization of a local sports team, I was still listening. In short, I was a huge sports talk radio fan. Over the years, my opinion of sports talk radio has changed and week 3 of the NFL season gives me the opportunity to illustrate why.
To make my point, let’s go back to week 2 of the NFL season. That’s right, back into ancient history, 9 whole days ago. What were the various sports jockeys talking about? Here’s the short list: The NY Giants need to hold quarterback Eli Manning’s feet to the fire for the poor start of the Giants (anybody that makes $100 million dollars ought to be able to carry a team, no matter who his teammates are). New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin is too old, so if the Giants don’t make the playoffs this year, he should be fired. New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese needs to be fired for letting Wide Receiver Steve Smith and Tight End Kevin Boss go to the hated Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders, respectively. In addition, Jerry Reese needs to be fired for not spending whatever needed to be spent to land some top tier free agents, like the Philadelphia Eagles did. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who is apparently already a better quarterback than Eli Manning (according to at least one sports jockey) is not yet the quarterback the Jets need or as good as he should be. The New York Giants have virtually no chance to go into Philadelphia and beat the hated Eagles.
Now, I understand that the job of these sports talk jockeys is to stir the pot and get sports fans talking, but it’s my contention that they do so to the detriment of the teams they are supporting. Now, before you tell me that these stations are supposed to be objective, let me remind you that, of the two major sports talk stations here in the New York area, one is the home of the New York Mets, the New York Giants, the New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils, while the other is the home of the New York Jets, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. These stations, therefore, have a vested interest in the performance of those teams (i.e. the teams perform well, the ratings go up). Now, I ask you, do you seriously think that calling Eli Manning a bum or questioning Mark Sanchez’ ability in front of their entire local community (roughly 18 million people, depending on how you slice it) will really make them play better?
Here is one of my favorites from 2 weeks ago, before game #2: A local sports radio personality tossed out this question to his loyal listeners – Is this a must win game for the NY Giants? Mind you, this is the 2nd game of the year in a 16 game season! Here is the correct, no-brainer, duh-moment answer for any of you who were wondering: No, there is no such thing as a must win game in the second game of the season!!! Could it be a big game? Yes. Could it be a huge game? Possibly. Could it be a must win game? Not by any definition of the phrase!!!
To make it even better, when a caller responded and said it was not a must win game, this genius host responded “well, how will you feel about the Giants chances if they lose this week?” What in the world does that have to do with whether it’s a must win game??? I never feel good about my teams’ chances after a loss! If my team had a record of 12 wins and no losses and lost their next game I wouldn’t feel good about my team, because if this opponent found a way to beat them, another opponent could figure out how to beat them as well! Just because I won’t feel good about my team’s chances if they lose doesn’t make this a must win game!!!
Now, for my favorite story of the week – Joe Namath thinks Rex Ryan may have built his teams confidence level too high, leading to speculation that some of his players may not prepare well enough (hence the loss to the Raiders). In my opinion, this is the biggest non-story of the year (followed by Eli Manning thinking he’s in the same category as Tom Brady). What makes this my favorite story of the week is the response of the same local radio personality mentioned above; whose said something along the lines of “Joe Namath should just keep quiet. He played so long ago; I don’t think they had electricity back then.” Is it even possible to show less knowledge of, or appreciation for, the history of the sport you are supposedly an expert in?
Okay, let’s consider this entire story for a minute here. Joe Namath. Arguably one of the top five sports stars of the last fifty years (Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, Michael Jordan, Yogi Berra… am I forgetting anyone?). The same Joe Namath that guaranteed the he and his team would beat a team that many people considered to be unbeatable, then went out and delivered on his guarantee. The same Joe Namath who has been described by many of his peers as one of the headiest players ever to play the game. The same Joe Namath that Bear Bryant once called one of the two best athletes he had ever coached. This Joe Namath should not be able to voice his opinion?!? As opposed to some radio personality with no professional football experience, who has apparently never even read a book about the history of the sport he is covering, Should be able to voice his opinion on whatever subject crosses his mind? Maybe we’ve got this all backwards. Maybe we should be calling for the jobs of the radio personalities instead of the sports professionals they attack. Hmm…
So, how does all this relate to my headline, “Why don’t we ever learn”? Well, let’s see, what did we learn this weekend? 1.) The NY Giants are capable of beating the “Dream Team” Eagles after all. Didn’t we learn a similar lesson when the NY Giants beat the NE Patriots in the Super Bowl? 2.) A lowly team like the Oakland Raiders can beat the mighty NY Jets. Didn’t we learn a similar lesson when the NY Jets beat the mighty Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl? 3.) Eli Manning CAN play football and was in fact named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Didn’t we learn a similar lesson when he won the Super Bowl MVP award? 4.) Long time Sports Illustrated football reporter Peter King says Tom Coughlin can really coach. Didn’t we learn a similar lesson when he led the NY Giants to perhaps the most unlikely Super Bowl run ever? 5.) 2nd year man Victor Cruz (a Jerry Reece draft pick, by the way) makes 2 incredible plays in helping the Giants to a huge upset, while rookie Jacquian Williams was all over the field against the Eagles recording 10 tackles. Both of these are Jerry Reece draft picks, and I haven’t even mentioned other picks like Ahmad Bradshaw, Mathias Kiwanuka, Jason Pierre-Paul and many others who have contributed hugely over the past few years. 6.) A lowly team like the Buffalo Bills can beat the mighty New England Patriots. Haven’t we learned a similar lesson nearly every week for the last 20 years? Need I continue?
So, why is it that we are still shocked when things like this happen? Why do we never learn from years’ past that these types of shocking events happen ALL THE TIME? Maybe it’s because these talk show “experts” are constantly telling us how team A could never beat team B, or that team C will never get to the Super Bowl with player D as thier starting (insert the position he plays here). Maybe my beloved sports talk radio stations should start hiring people based on their knowledge of sports and not on their ability to create controversy. I’m just sayin’…