OTL: Avoiding “Fast Food” Sports Media Isn’t Easy

At long last, we finally have a meaningful date on the NFL schedule, as rookies report to The Castle on Saturday, and I could not be more relieved.

Ravens rookies report Saturday.

Rookies for 13 @NFL teams are scheduled to check in for training cam within the next 10 days.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) July 7, 2024

I’ll be honest with you guys: as a writer, this time of year is tough. It’s not just about waiting to get back to the sport we love, but I really want to give you all as readers something insightful and meaningful, and in the doldrums of the offseason, the news cycle naturally slows. All in all, I feel like the RSR crew does a really good job of bringing you columns with substance, and I’m grateful for that, because otherwise, the offseason is dominated with insubstantial pieces from national media going back to the well over and over again on the gift that keeps on giving: Lamar Jackson.

I’m tired of hearing from Lamar Stans! The Stink truth https://t.co/MIS6UUhAOK pic.twitter.com/klCnE846C5

— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) July 2, 2024

“They don’t keep the same type of attitude with Lamar like they do with other quarterbacks.”@CutOnDime25 believes Lamar Jackson is unfairly criticized pic.twitter.com/l0uI73IEkL

— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) July 4, 2024

Y’all… I hate this. Make no mistake, I’ll never tire of talking about Lamar, because he is truly an exceptional player. He’s done things on a football field that I’d never seen before and might not ever see again, or at least not see for a very long time. He’s a two-time MVP for a reason, and his playing style has forced football’s old guard to examine the way they look at the game. All the while, he’s doing it in a Ravens uniform, and I count myself lucky that he’s on our team.

All of that having been said, I haven’t told you (mostly Ravens fans reading this) anything about Lamar’s game that you don’t already know. You’ve seen that he’s exceptional. You’ve seen that he can hurt an opponent anywhere. You know that he’s inserted himself into the conversation for the Ravens’ Mount Rushmore, and into conversations about whether he’s the greatest dual-threat QB of all time.

Does Cam Newton see himself as the greatest dual-threat QB to play the game?

“No.

“Lamar Jackson.”pic.twitter.com/GBXvOwK5FF

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) July 4, 2024

The problem with all of this is that, as LeSean McCoy touched on in the clip above, precisely BECAUSE Lamar Jackson is that player, media members will run his name into the ground, good, bad or indifferent. They’ve done it from the very beginning of Lamar’s career, because they were acutely aware that the guy who looks different and breaks the paradigm is going to draw eyeballs. In so many circumstances, they don’t even care if they get the story right, because they know that his name drives clicks and traffic, which generates relevancy and revenue.

From a national standpoint, the discourse around his game is one layer removed from a grift, and truly, that sucks. If you don’t believe me, look at the play that Mark Schlereth had been getting from his X account and on his podcast before that clip, versus after he mentioned Lamar. Granted, visiting his social media is kind of counter-intuitive to what I’m ultimately asking of discerning football fans, but I think it’s a necessary evil to prove the point. Like so many others, Schlereth knew that he could gain traction by talking about Lamar, but then dug in his heels and absolutely refused to believe that he could be off base when challenged by people like Sarah Ellison who cover this team every day.

Our full debate with @markschlereth about Lamar Jackson

Thoughts?@RavensVault @bobbybaltim0re

EXCLUSIVE: Lamar Jackson Debate HEATS UP Between Us & Mark Schlerethhttps://t.co/Q97Rsts2Td

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) July 8, 2024

I’ve said this before, and I’ll probably say it again: if you want the honest assessment of a player or team, follow the local media folks who cover that team. Sure, you risk the rose-colored glasses effect sometimes, but it’s better than the alternative of the lazy, cursory research of analysts doing more with less. Yes, this is an endorsement of our crew at RSR, but it’s also true of any other team or player, and I encourage you to be discerning with how you consume sports media, or any media for that matter. Not only do you keep yourself from recycling tired, often incorrect, narratives, but it keeps obnoxious hot take artists from lining their pockets and hanging onto relevance by using the names of your favorite players.

The comparison I’ll leave you with is that you should look at consuming media the same way you look at food. Sure, the fast option is convenient, but a lot of times, it’s crap. It’ll leave you looking and feeling bad afterward, and after enough time, it becomes hard to shake bad habits because you get lazy. On the other hand, if you establish good eating habits and buy from sources that have an incentive to keep you healthy, it’ll treat you better. It’s not always the easiest or most convenient option, but in the end, you’ll thank yourself for it.

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