Opinion: Media acts after Super Bowl 53 were disgusting

By Jacob Grant, special to Napa Sports News

napasportsnews@gmail.com

Twitter: @NapaSportsNews

As part of the next generation of sports media, I observe how working media acts at sporting events for my own growth as a young professional. What I saw this last Sunday was egregious and disgusting. For the New England Patriots it was a moment of joy and fulfillment and for the Los Angeles Rams a moment of defeat, but for the on-field media it became a feeding frenzy reminiscent of Shark Week. To be an effective journalist in the sports world you need a few things in your toolbox, a passion for the sports you cover, an above average vocabulary, and a willingness to travel. One that is oft forgotten by even the most prominent in the field is good ole’ professionalism. What brings this to my attention, is the horrendous post-game display by the working media at Super Bowl LIII. Tom Brady of the Patriots won his sixth ring in an underwhelming game, but a Super Bowl win is a Super Bowl win. He should have been given time to celebrate with Rob Kraft (Owner), Bill Belichick (Coach), and the rest of the 53-man roster; but instead he faced an onslaught of cameras and reporters that visibly frustrated a normally jovial Brady, he couldn’t speak to his coach, owner, and family without NFL staff pulling the rabid crowd off of him.

I wouldn’t be so alarmed if this was my first time seeing this, but it seems to get worse and worse every year. The current working media needs to realize that they are only observers, they are not the quarterback, wide receiver, or waterboy; they are not a part of the team. The post game emotions can be observed and reported on, but they shouldn’t be disrupted. That’s what locker room availability and post game press conferences are for.  The best moments to write about and take pictures of, are the events and moments that actually get to happen. This should go without saying, but let the players have their moment. They sure as hell earned it.