Newton and the Media

I know I've said it before. But, with it being an election year, I have a new example.

People have been suggesting that where you get your campaign money from will influence how a person will act as president. Bernie Sanders will apparently fight for the little people because his donations have come in little amounts. Hillary Clinton will apparently side with Wall Street because she gets money from them. That's the base assumption, and the candidates have to fight for, or against, that assumption.

So, I find it interesting that nobody thinks the media is swayed by the people that contribute to them. 

Of course they are.

Cam Newton is bing blasted for being a baby. Or a sore loser. Why? Because he walked out of a press conference. So, because he wouldn't answer questions about losing asked by people with no involvement in the game, he's a sore loser. The fact that he congratulated Peyton Manning, who was actually involved in the game, and was very humble in that exchange is no matter. He was short with the media! He needs to learn how to act. Apparently, he needs to learn to help the media do their jobs for them.

It's nothing new, of course. Think back on the Red Sox to players who were "grumpy" or "aloof" or "not fit for Boston." JD Drew. Daisuke Matsuzaka. What was their fault? They didn't fill reporter's notebooks with easy quotes. They didn't make the stories write themselves. So, they were blasted for it. Why can Dustin Pedroia do no wrong even though his selfishness has hurt the team over and over? Because he's free flowing with as many quotes as reporters would like.

Why do we stand for this? 

Why don't we insist that people reporting on the Sox distance themselves from the players. After all, it's not like we need quotes to read a story. I can see that the Red Sox lost a game by looking at the score. A reporter can probably tell me why they lost without a player saying they need to "do better" next time. So, why not cut them off completely? 

Why do we continue to let the media insist that people who treat them better are somehow the type of players we need? If Cam Newton's teammates and opponents think he's a professional, why do we let the media say otherwise based solely on how he treats them? They are not the most important thing in sports.

No matter what they say.