With Super Bowl Sunday coming in just a short while, the anticipation for the big game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks is kicking in. And with anticipation comes desperation, desperation from the media to make anything a story.
Marshawn Lynch not speaking to the media wasn’t the story I had in mind.
The NFL managed to create a story out of a star running back not speaking to the media on a day where the media asks some of the most insanely idiotic questions. Such questions include (via sbnation.com) “Is this a must win game?”, “Who has the smelliest farts in the locker room?”, and (my favorite) “Would you rather see Andy Reid or Mark Mangino in a thong?”.
Yes, these are all questions that were actually asked on Media Day, and we wonder why Marshawn Lynch has a disdain with the media and refuses to talk in the first place.
“Talk is cheap”, as the old saying goes. It applies to the NFL because of how the athletes play. What they’re like off the field on interviews does not matter. They can say whatever they want, how they want, wherever they want, no matter how ridiculous it may be. What matters is how they played on the field, from the starting point to the thrilling finish.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Marshawn Lynch’s 2013 season stats (work with me here, it all adds up in the end). 1,287 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns in the regular season. In the playoffs? In the 2 playoff games the Seahawks have played in thus far, Lynch has 249 rushing yards (career high in the playoffs), an average of 5.0 yards per carry, and 3 touchdowns.
Where in any of these stats does it say Lynch has to talk with the media? Nowhere. Lynch lets his incredible strength and speed do the talking. In fact, considering NFL players are forced to take part in the dumbest day in NFL history, they should speak however they want with the media.
We should be encouraging a diverse amount of personalities in the NFL, not killing off the vast majority of them only to have responses that appeal to the status quo. What makes Marshawn Lynch’s short interview refreshing (this also includes Richard Sherman from the NFC Championship game) is that he did not live up to the status quo. Instead, Beast Mode did the interview the way Beast Mode wanted to do the interview; by being himself. Richard Sherman did the exact same thing last week. He was himself, like it or not.
Ultimately, the NFL’s backbone relies not in its players’ skills, but the culture of its players. By killing away personalities and encouraging the status quo, you not only make players boring, but also limit the right AND the freedom to speak your thoughts how you want to. The NFL is a tough sport, and it should not surprise people if someone acts tough and confident in an interview.
Now obviously I’m not saying everyone should trash talk. Take Peyton Manning for example. Terrific player on the field, humble and classy postgame, always about the team. And Russell Wilson, whether or not we think he’s a star QB, is always about the team first and foremost.
What I am saying is that we should not riot over when someone doesn’t embrace the status quo of interviews, especially those on Media Day. Sometimes we should let the play on the field talk, and not the interview. The media is entitled, and they will spin a story into something that gets a reaction. So when someone like Lynch refuses to speak to them, the publicity stunt is created, and the real story (The Super Bowl) is taken over by an inane, unnecessary one.
NFL media treats Super Bowl week like it’s the biggest drought in news. I would rather see 24/7 hype on the championship game than something that really doesn’t matter in the end. We know Roger Goodell loves gossip, good or bad, and we know he loves this gossip in particular. Unless this changes to back when it used to be about the action and not the media attention, it’ll continue to be this way, an endless cycle.
Ignore the noise, because talk is cheap. Pay attention to what happens on the field, not on the podium.
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