As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Have I mentioned how much I hate the media?
Here's the latest. On radio talk shows... on the internet... in the newspapers... the latest trend with respect to the Michael Vick fiasco is to ask "why are we giving this so much attention?" or "aren't we overreacting?" or (my favorite) "why don't we pay this much attention to crimes against humans?"
Let's be perfectly clear here. The media is responsible for this whole thing. The cycle goes like this:
1. Build up a young exciting player by over-hyping him as "the next ______" even before he plays a down in the league.
2. Continue to build him up even as his actual peformance shows serious limitations, to the point where endorsement deals bring him to near iconic status.
3. Break the big story of his fall from grace, then splash it on the front page for weeks.
4. When people start getting bored, take the other side and accuse the public of making too much of the story.
5. Make Michael Vick the victim.
6. Hope he comes back so you can really sell a "from the ashes" story.
We've seen it before. Mike Tyson went through the whole cycle. The media is itching for guys like A-Rod to fall. Even outside the sports world, we see the same pattern with actors and musicians.
The reality is that Vick is almost certainly guilty of crimes that deserve punishment. Others have done worse things, but that does not excuse Vick or reduce the necessity to deal with his actions harshly. But all that said, if Vick were merely an average NFL QB (let's say Chad Pennington or Aaron Brooks or Jeff Garcia) who wasn't built up like Vick was, it wouldn't be such a big story.
Mark Twain said it best. "If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do, you're misinformed."
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
That is a great Mark Twain quote. The media is very powerful and the masses are easily entertained. Michael Vick has risen and fallen with the media's attention. He would not be much without them.
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Just finish digging Vicks hole. Throw him in and cover it up, already.:)
I want to read about the RAMS.:r
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
exactly rams all the way baby.
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Quote:
Mark Twain said it best. "If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do, you're misinformed."
Couldn't have said it better myself!
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Avenger...buddy...are you serious? The "media" is responsible for the Vick fiasco? Come on. Did the media look for the next black quarterback darling they could hold up against all the successfully white quarterbacks? Yes. Did they overlook his obvious shortcomings by sensationalizing his escapes and runs? Yes. But to try and establish a nexus to a man that fought dogs, and if they didn't perform, drowned and hanged them providing the media fodder to create a Caesar-like rise and fall storyline is....well....like believing I'm Superman. Hmmmmmmm....maybe you have a point after all!
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/1...errandyms2.gif
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
avenger, i agree with the general premise of your post, but more importantly, i am continually impressed with your neverending ability to pull literary references out of your buttocks. Quoting mark twain in the context of the michael vick situation is truly one for the ages.
ramming speed to all
general counsel
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Yes, they're always looking for an angle that sells, but unfortunately we the people are in part responsible. After all, the ratings come from what people choose to watch. When they hype the next young player, we check it out. When he struggles and the hype continues, even his detractors still watch and read the articles so we can make our claims about how overrated he is. When he falls, whether he liked him in the first place or not, we still read about him and watch the news as it breaks. To an extent, the media is just a reflection of our society's desires.
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Not necessarily.
As fans, we crave football news, so we turn to the providers of that commodity. If some were talking Xs and Os, while others were focusing on Vick, we could choose what we want. Unfortunately, every media source has been shoving the Vick story down our throats, so there's not much of a choice other than cold turkey (which, by the way, has been my choice for the most part and will continue to be until the regular season starts).
Re: As Vick falls, the media begins cycle of shame anew.
Mike Vick had everything on a Silver platter - and he messed it up himself.
Take Kordell Stewart - he was immediately a Media Darling. The media absolutely loved him, although he never became a top-flight QB, the Media didn't bring him down!
Kordell Stewart didn't get arrested and wasn't investigated by the Media - Off Coordinators just gave up on him and went into retirement.
Did the Media give Vick a $130 Million dollar contract?
It's called Personal Responsibility.
