Leave Plaxico Alone
If you need anymore evidence as to why media day and the super bowl hype is the worst thing in professional sports, take a look at Plaxico Burress and “Guaranteegate.” (It doesn’t quite have the same ring as the other “gates.”)
A reporter who needed a story asked Burress for a prediction. Burress just said the first thing that came to mind. 23-17. He didn’t even specify which team would win. His intention was to both be funny and dismiss the question. Burress’ answer had nothing to do with the actual game or his feelings about the game. The two numbers were his high school basketball and football numbers.
Of course now the whole thing is one of the biggest stories of the week. Tom Brady is responding. Burress’ teammates are responding. And it’s all because of one stupid question that Burress decided to answer with a tongue-in-cheek response instead of a “no comment.”
Here’s the big question I’m getting at: Isn’t this terrible journalism? How does asking Burress for a prediction accomplish any of the things journalists are supposed to be doing? There’s no new information. There’s no twist on old information. Nothing of value is added. The only outcome from these stories in an insignificant fake news cycle about a lighthearted comment. I know people have jobs, but writing these kinds of stories is the equivalent to writing about what D-list celebrities are pregnant. Nobody cares. Tell us something interesting about the game.
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