Despite all the attention surrounding #DeflateGate and the New England Patriots pre-Super Bowl, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch still received his fair share of attention after providing the same response to questions at media sessions leading up to Sunday.
“I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”
Sports columnists and media personalities lambasted Lynch for mistreating reporters during a required press conference leading up to the Super Bowl. This is not the first time Lynch has chosen to not cooperate, but it’s definitely the most memorable considering all the attention that comes with the Super Bowl.
As someone who wants to become a journalist after I graduate, I sympathized with the reporters — at least at first. They all have jobs to do besides sitting around and dealing with an uncooperative player. It’s just a waste of time and energy. Lynch is getting paid millions of dollars a year, so some could argue he should go with the flow because talking to the media while receiving that kind of paycheck is nothing compared to Americans who have to work three to four jobs for a living.
But then I started to think about all the other athletes who have cooperated with the press in the past. Terrell Owens, LeBron James and Richard Sherman (to name a few) have never committed a crime. Yet because of their showboating demeanors and loudmouth personalities, they are constantly seen as thugs by media personalities as loud and rambunctious as the players. If you don’t fit a certain All-American persona, you can’t win with the media no matter what you say. We, as a society, consistently foster negative portrayals of athletes who are cast by columnists looking to cause trouble.
So, why should Lynch not cooperate? Before recent episodes, Lynch was already misunderstood and often received criticism from the media. It’s better for him to just shut up. Control the message. Social media and websites like The Players Tribune already allow athletes to control what is published — it’s a scary concept for journalists, if more players begin to follow Lynch’s lead. Until we stop listening to the negative articles on athletes without a thread of factual evidence, there might be more men like Lynch in the NFL who stop playing by the rules.
NOTE: A special shoutout goes to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who declined to be interviewed by NBC’s Bob Costas regarding the various controversies involving the league throughout the year but still chooses to fine Lynch and other players when they decline to speak to the media.
In case you missed the interviews, here are two videos:
