A Contextual Approach to Media Irresponsibility Through College Football

Atlanta, Ga--The Media in America is out of control.  It is irresponsible, unaccountable, and downright cheap.  It’s this reason we read articles on the Bleacher Report.  It’s this reason that we write articles on the Bleacher Report.  We want fresh, honest opinions and insights into the one thing we love: Sports!

I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t use this opportunity to illustrate media irresponsibility in the context of college football.  Keep in mind that the exhibits, here, are only a microcosm of the larger problem with today’s media.

To begin, we should highlight in a couple of sentences media theory applicable to our discussion.  In the early 20th Century, French existentialists visited the United States only to lament what they saw.  All around them stood monuments of commercialism and a flood of commercial images and texts drowning the citizens of the United States.

These existentialists weren’t scared of capitalism, but afraid of this product of capitalism, the manipulations of texts and media to create an idea in the minds of the American people that forced them to move in one direction or another.  They were vocalizing a modern view of an observation De Tocqueville once made about the dangers of capitalism in a young, developing America.   That sounds a bit abstract, huh? 

Let’s use an ancient example.  In ancient Greece there was a theory postulated by Plato known as Plato’s Cave.  It works like this.  Assume that you are in a cave.  All around you are black walls and a single portal to the outside world.  As you sit in the cave, all you can see are the black walls and whatever flashes across the portal, whether it be a bird, clouds, a flower growing at the entrance.

The only truth you know is what you see cross the entrance of the cave.  Movie theatres employ this theory.  Have you noticed that a theatre turns black, then the screen lights up to show you the movie on the screen?  By darkening the theatre and getting rid of all noise around you except that produced by the movie, you are fully engrossed in the movie.  The only thing you know is that there is a movie playing in front of you.  THAT is your reality. 

The moral, here, is that reality and truth are as much about what is omitted from your sight as what you actually see.  It is on this that the media thrives and drives its business.  It is this which I hope to reveal to you by looking at media coverage in college football.

Let’s back up a few months.  ESPN was roasting Mike Golic at a private function attended by Charlie Weis and others.  As the roast proceeded, Dana Jacobson took the podium saying, “F Notre Dame, F the Golden Dome, and F Jesus.”  It was one of those moments when you could hear the record scratch and everything come to a screeching halt. 

ESPN immediately began confiscating any videos of the incident and shoveling everything under the carpet.  To summarize, you have a media outlet hosting a company function where something outrageous and negative happens to the company.  ESPN controls the information, though, so they simply tried to hide the information.  Now, reverse the situation. 

Imagine Charlie Weis said "F Jews" to Dana Jacobson who is Jewish.  Do you think ESPN would have abstained from airing something this controversial?  Of course not!  ESPN not only would mention it in a serious tone on Sports Center, but it would also place an article on its website with a large, mean picture of Charlie and hammer Notre Dame until they fired him. 

When ESPN was the guilty party, though, it waited days to see what the response would be, hoping everyone would forget the incident without it being in the headlines and hope no one would find out.  When people responded, ESPN suspended Jacobson for a few days, only reporting her apology.  She is still on the ESPN, regularly.

Now, let’s look at Exhibit B.  I use Notre Dame references, because I have followed the Irish so long that I know what is being published and what is being omitted in media articles.  A case in point is the firing of Ty Willingham.  How many pundits and journalists immediately yelled, “Racism!” 

How many members of the media did little to no homework, but assumed that a black coach who was fired after three years was automatically the victim of racism?  To an unsuspecting viewer who didn’t follow football or Notre Dame football, Notre Dame’s racism would be a fact. 

The viewer would have no other reason to suspect it wasn’t racism.  Why?  Because the viewer only sees what the media shows him or her.  He or she doesn’t question what the media isn’t publicizing, because a viewer doesn’t know that there is anything else to the story.

Here are the facts in the firing of Ty Willingham.  Ron Zook was hired and fired the same time Ty got the axe.  At that time, both had been coaching three years.  Ty had a record of 21-15, while Zook had a record of 23-14.  After Quinn’s class, Ty had two less than stellar encores in recruiting.  Zook, however, continued to recruit at a stellar level and a stellar pace. 

While I am only giving this issue rather topical treatment, this treatment is more insightful than most of the media stories that attributed Ty’s firing to inherent racism at Notre Dame.  Zook had a better winning percentage in the toughest conference in the country and was an outstanding recruiter.  Ultimately, Notre Dame and Florida recognized their programs weren’t moving in the proper direction, so they made quick changes rather than delaying the inevitable. 

When Ty is fired this year, will media pundits call Washington racist?

You can see how an uninformed reader or an uninformed viewer can be easily swayed if the media fails to present all of the facts.  The media, however, hides behind the First Amendment: The right to free speech.  I am not advocating we censor the media, but there must be accountability, especially when the media makes money on its poor, deceitful, and outlandish reporting practices. 

What happens when someone’s house is burning down?  The media runs out with its trucks and takes images of the person crying as his or her dreams literally go up in flames.  Do these people get any compensation for having their misery broadcast to the world?  No, but the media outlets make loads of money from advertising and viewership.

As you follow your favorite team or write the article that intrigues you, I challenge you to exercise responsibility not only to your subject but to your audience.  Give fair, insightful, and well researched treatment to every subject you approach. 

If you are skeptical of this article, I ask you to do an experiment for yourself.  Find discussion boards for your favorite team and frequent them once a day for five minutes.  Then, read articles about that team.  After a year or two, scandals will pop up, either in the media or in inner circles.  See how the media treats your team.  See how they cover your team when they write about it. 

I use Notre Dame, because it’s a team the media likes to use due to its large fan base.  If a writer publishes something inflammatory, he knows every Notre Dame fan will read it and write him hate mail, but this accomplishes his goal: readership. 

As a writer you are entrusted with the power to manipulate the truth both in what facts you decide to use and what facts you decide to omit.  As a reader, don’t fall prey to propaganda.  Ask questions.  Find the truth.  Once you have learned these lessons in the context of athletics, take them into every article your read, whether it's an article about science, sports, politics, etc.

I hope we can all find the truth through media responsibility and accountability, but when we can’t, it is our responsibility to advocate for that truth.  Good luck!  Happy Reading!  Go Irish!