Opinion: Self-righteous media blasts Marshawn Lynch for their self-created pointless controversy






This was the reaction of various media members gathered to hear Seattle Seahawks star running back Marshawn Lynch speak today.

Lynch isn't known for talking to the media. In fact, he hasn't done it all year, and he was fined heavily for it: $50,000 to be exact.

And so, there was a great stir in the media about whether or not Lynch would speak before the Super Bowl or if he would pay the $100,000 fine that would accompany a no show. Lynch ultimately did speak to the media today, though it was clear he was unhappy about doing so.


Video via: Doug Kyed, NESN

Lynch is uncomfortable talking to reporters. Despite the prodding by media members today about why exactly he doesn't like to talk, he kept those reasons private. His reasons, obviously personal, did not seem to matter in his critics' eyes.

Sports are not a serious topic though often we treat them as such. No one is more guilty of this than the sports media, and rightfully so, it is their job. I, a sports blogger, am guilty of this as well. Still, to chastise Lynch and paint him as a villain, simply because he does not like talking to reporters is taking that level of seriousness to a realm of the absurd.

Is getting quotes from Marshawn Lynch that integral to creating a story for the Super Bowl? What is each media member's purpose in the self-created frenzy they've surrounded the subdued running back with?

Media members blame Lynch for creating a stir, for putting himself above the team by doing..well.. nothing. A tremendously meta sentiment that echos the days of reporters asking Jets players if having Tim Tebow on the roster was a distraction. Where of course, the person asking that question about it being a distraction, is in doing so creating that distraction. Don't ask the question, and there is no distraction, Tebow there or not.

Lynch was asked how he felt about Seattle fans putting money together to pay his fines for not speaking to the media. In that act, Lynch saw the pointless nature of the crowd that surrounded him, and the stir that his not speaking to the media caused.

"If y'all say y'all is a bridge from the players to the fans, and the fans really ain't really tripping, then what's the point?" Lynch says in the video above. "What's the purpose? They got my back. I appreciate that. But I don't get what's the bridge being built for."

Lynch spoke very little, but when he did, he made a world of sense that hopefully got each press member standing in front of him questioning just what they were doing there in the first place.

Ultimately, the fans do not necessarily need to hear Lynch speak. Fans in Seattle didn't hear a peep out of him all year, and when Lynch was punished for that, they grouped together in support of him. They clearly do not take the media's side.

So, what then, is the point of the media not only shoving microphones in Lynch's face, but getting indignant when he doesn't answer them?

As Lynch says, the media is supposed to be a bridge between the fans and the players. If the fans couldn't care less that Lynch doesn't want to talk, why does the media?



Really? Is that what is so important? Is that what the fans want? Even if Lynch were to give thoughtful answers and be as charismatic as his teammate Michael Robinson, who sat next to him in this interview, would that dramatically alter the Super Bowl coverage? Would it generate twice as many clicks?

In the end, what does Lynch being uncomfortable with talking to the media really damage?

Apparently, it's the egos of the sometimes arrogant media that were hurt by Lynch's awkward press conference. It certainly wasn't the game, or the fans, or anything that really matters.



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