The subsequent few hundred phrases will do me, and my career, no earthly good.
I don’t assume everybody writ massive hates journalism or journalists. I feel most individuals don’t assume a lot, if in any respect, concerning the media and its operate. Despite the fact that it’s the first career talked about within the First Modification of this nation’s Structure, its mission considered as that essential to the Founding Fathers.
I do, although, assume lots of people on social media — if they’re, certainly, folks, and never bots — hate the media, and can take each alternative to crap on it, and its mission. As a result of it’s in the most effective curiosity of these folks/bots to corrode journalism and journalists, whether or not they cowl the Jacksonville Jaguars or the president of the USA, to make what we do appear meaningless and irrelevant, and to take us down a peg by delegitimizing the significance of our work.
If we’re taken down any additional, we’ll hit the earth’s core.
To be clear: This newest smackdown of the press was, largely, an personal purpose — a defensive overreaction by many in my trade to, let’s say, an uncommon postgame alternate between Lynn Jones, the longtime affiliate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press, in its fortieth yr of serving the Black group of Jacksonville, and Jaguars coach Liam Coen.
Jones has coated the Jaguars for years and makes no pretense that she’s a supporter of the crew as a result of it’s a part of the group she and her paper serve, and the presence of an NFL crew is sweet for her group. On this, Jones and her paper have each proper to be at a information convention and ask questions, and definitely as a lot proper because the Florida Instances-Union, the large paper on the town, or The Related Press or ESPN or The Athletic for that matter.
Jones didn’t ask a query when given the mic after the Jaguars’ powerful, last-second loss to the Buffalo Payments on Sunday. She gave an clearly still-emotional Coen a pep discuss, an announcement of assist. And completely nobody exterior of that press room would have given it a second thought had ESPN’s insider Adam Schefter not solely reposted the alternate Sunday afternoon, but additionally given his seal of approval for it to his 11 million X followers.
What adopted was as a lot a response by media folks to Schefter’s approval as to the precise occasion.
Lots of sports activities reporters went on-line to take situation with Jones’ feedback to Coen, saying “it’s not our job” to consolation anybody after a troublesome loss. A number of the response was excessive and inappropriate to the second — which was, in spite of everything, only a second. It’s not like Jones went into some mawkish, minutes-long dialogue with Coen that bled out the time the opposite reporters had with him. She mentioned what she mentioned, for about 20 seconds, and gave up the mic.
Some tried, with out rancor, to easily clarify that what Jones did will not be what reporters usually do in postgame conditions. Others, comparable to my pal Jemele Hill, have been sympathetic, however solely to some extent. Their tone, although, didn’t matter. All of them have been dunked on with the quickness.
Non-journalists excoriated the media’s response. A lot of it was justified. What was flawed, many requested, with a reporter being an individual for as soon as — a human being — and reaching out to somebody who was hurting and wanted a pat on the again? Might you not learn the room? What on earth justifies you being such a stuffed shirt while you cowl sports activities for a residing? Get off your excessive horse.
Responsible, on all counts.
As a result of, guess what? Reporters are human beings, too. We mess up typically.
Reporters reacted that method as a result of we’re below siege. Our enterprise is below siege. Not as a result of we’re doing our jobs badly, however as a result of we’re doing our jobs in any respect.
You don’t get wealthy being a reporter, however you may make an honest buck. In distinction, ChatGPT can write an honest paragraph or two, at no cost, and by no means complains about having to fly Southwest to get to Cleveland.
We discover out issues that groups don’t need us to know, as a result of we’ve entry to gamers, coaches and administration every day, and we typically discover out issues that is likely to be essential. However team-owned media has simply as a lot entry, whereas not being in any respect desirous about reporting issues about their groups that can make possession sad. And an increasing number of of them are being credentialed, for day by day and sport entry to the groups that write their paychecks, and writing or broadcasting team-friendly content material.
Most reporters for conventional media don’t have rooting pursuits. (Anybody who says “we” when speaking a few crew that they purportedly cowl is persona non grata in my enterprise. Except you’re getting tackled, or standing within the batters’ field, you’re not a part of “we.”)
We root for tales, not groups or folks. Is it simpler in the event you cowl a profitable crew? Certain. Everybody’s in a great temper and stays at their locker for so long as you want. However a crew that really stinks is fascinating in a far completely different, however no much less potent, method. Who’s toughing it out, and who’s leaping ship? These tales are good, too.
However persons are getting credentialed for video games and to cowl groups who by no means ask a query, who’re there simply to get “content material” for his or her Substack or their YouTube channels. And lots of of them don’t have any drawback expressing their fandom. Which is ok in and of itself, besides it’s at odds with readers and followers of groups who actually do need the entire, unvarnished fact of what’s occurring with their squads.
We write tales on deadline that present readers with colour and perspective and evaluation about why a sport was gained, or misplaced. Besides nearly each encounter between the media and gamers after video games is now instantly downloaded to each crew’s web site, offering followers of these groups entry to the quotes round and thru which we write our assume items and sport tales. Once more, nothing flawed with that — in the event you’re a fan. Not so good in the event you’re a reporter attempting to feed the knowledge beast with considerate content material.
You don’t count on to be beloved doing this. However you count on to be heard. It’s harder to be heard in the present day above the cacophony of infinite “debate” on tv, which isn’t in any respect debate, however canned sports activities theater. And that’s consumed. And meaning “persons are speaking about” whether or not Ja Morant must be traded or Nick Sirianni must be fired. Which is then filtered all the way down to us, as one thing about which we must always write, or discuss. Which retains the churn going.
Our professionalism and work ethic can, typically, get us one-on-one time with our crew’s star participant, or gamers, who can come to belief us over time, once we present ourselves to be reliable.
Besides, gamers are reducing out the intermediary/middlewoman — journalists — altogether, and utilizing their very own platforms to middle themselves, and their ideas, about what’s occurring. Or occurring The Gamers’ Tribune and writing first-person accounts. Or agreeing to softball interviews with present or former gamers on their podcasts and exhibits. These get-togethers have worth, to make certain, however don’t problem the gamers in any vital method.
And, our merely asking a troublesome query — those so many keyboard warriors insist we don’t ask — usually will get us labeled as “pretend information.” Or, typically, “enemies of the folks.” Which is able to come as an actual shock to the First Modification.
Pat McAfee, the punter-turned-internet/ESPN sensation, pays Aaron Rodgers to be on his present. It’s not a platform upon which Rodgers is pressed about why he and his offensive unit struggled Monday evening to generate any offense in any way in opposition to the Texans. It’s a platform upon which Rodgers can speak about no matter he desires to, and by no means be challenged. Why ought to he count on to be? McAfee is his pal.
We’re not — properly, we shouldn’t be — buddies with the folks we cowl. We’re pleasant with them, as they are often with us. We ask them about their children, they usually ask about ours. However we will’t be buddies with them. Your mates would possibly let you know the reality about issues, however not with a smartphone of their arms, taping your response to their questions and placing it out on social media.
Which is why I’m not going to be lectured concerning the efficacy, or lack thereof, of my career by Pat McAfee.
In a protracted X put up concerning the Jones/journalism controversy Monday, McAfee decried most in my enterprise as “curmudgeon bums” who “hate sports activities,” amongst different epithets.
Love seeing these sports activities “journalists” getting ABSOLUTELY BURIED for being curmudgeon bums..
OBVIOUSLY NOT ALL OF THEM however a LARGE % of these items hate sports activities.. they hate what sports activities are for folks (happiness).. They hate what sports activities are for society (unifier).. they’re… pic.twitter.com/KOVLOUwXQ6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 12, 2026
I don’t “hate” sports activities, or individuals who play them. I occur to like protecting sports activities. Protecting sports activities for nearly 4 many years has helped me dwell a beautiful life and pay for my kids’s schooling. It’s allowed me to see the world, and to write down about folks and occasions that I’ll bear in mind fondly, and meet different individuals who have been buddies for years and years. I’m not envious of athletes or the cash they make; when sports activities leagues are doing properly, I and everybody in my trade additionally do properly. As a result of we’ve stuff to write down and speak about!
However I don’t care how wealthy you’re (very), or how a lot affect and energy you have got within the hallways of ESPN (substantial), or how many individuals tune into your present each day (hundreds of thousands). I don’t equate fame or fortune or energy with journalistic competence. Having a giant platform and entry to a number of hours of airtime each week doesn’t make you certified to speak about what I do for a residing.
And, guess what?
I’m not certified to speak about what athletes do for a residing!
Take it away, Jim Mora.
This is likely to be the truest factor ever mentioned on a podium.
He was completely proper. We don’t know! We aren’t skilled athletes or coaches.
And that’s why we ask questions.
Most of us accomplish that with out rancor or anger. As a result of we’re attempting to be taught why, and the way, groups and gamers do what they do on a area or court docket. We need to know why what occurred on a play occurred, or what was purported to occur, and didn’t. And that’s why the time we’ve with coaches and gamers, whether or not in the course of the week or after a sport, is so valuable to us. As a result of we don’t know. As a result of we need to discover out the reality, or method the reality, not less than, within the fleeting time we’ve in entrance of gamers and coaches. As a result of our credential provides us the proper to be there and to ask these questions. And that is true whether or not we’re protecting the Jacksonville Jaguars or the president of the USA.
It doesn’t imply we’re all good at this. It doesn’t imply we don’t all fail at this once in a while. Our job is to simply strive, each day, to make sports activities a bit of extra accessible to some extra folks. To get folks to grasp a bit of extra concerning the video games and groups they love a lot. However the value of that’s having a free and impartial press, which isn’t purchased and paid for by bazillionaires. And it’s why we grumble and gripe about “guidelines” that don’t make sense to anybody exterior our little group of misfits, and assume ourselves a lot too self-important. And good folks like Lynn Jones, who do their jobs and serve their communities yr after yr, typically get caught up in our hubris.
The principles (the principles!) of my firm don’t permit me to hyperlink to the subscription web page of the Jacksonville Free Press — considered one of 230 Black newspapers nonetheless publishing in the USA in the present day. However I feel it might be nice in the event you subscribed. It might be a constructive technique to present that you simply actually do care about papers like hers, and folks like her, that shone brightly in the previous few days, whereas my career claws its method at nighttime, nonetheless trying to find the sunshine.
