In American & European history, there’s an iconic play that was one of the most famous and revered playwrights ever created; titled Much Ado about Nothing. If William Shakespeare was a sports fan today, he would most likely use this very title to describe almost half of the top stories coming out in the sports world. This is probably because it’s that time of the year again. The summer is in full effect, which means Baseball is the only relevant league sport being played at the moment. Moreover, unless it is in reference to a certain soccer tournament that happens every four years; this is the only section of the year where sports in general is not a top priority with the majority of sports fans. Hell, even the “WORLDWIDE LEADER OF SPORTS” (ESPN) feels the same way. Why else would ESPN, the most relevant sports Network in television, stop running its most relevant TV show segment, consisting of its two most popular personalities , Skip Bayless & Stephen A. Smith? In the old days, people used to stop following sports all together and enjoy the “Fun in the sun” that come with the summer season. But in this instant gratification age of stories and scandals, there truly is no time off when it comes to the media’s following of the two dominant sports in today’s American society; basketball and football. Unfortunately, the stories being reported today bare no true relevance to the actual sport being played months from now in the fall. Because of this frivolous coverage I must revert my first statement about Shakespeare’s famous play; so many coverages of today’s news on the NBA & NFL, are “Much Ado about nothing.”
Take Johnny Manziel for example, the most popular NFL rookie to come into the NFL is about to embark on his very first Training Camp in the big boy league (NFL). And yet, all we have been hearing about Johnny Football is his “alleged” off the field antics, which ironically enough, have absolutely NOTHING to do with his future performances on the football field. (Which is why he is so popular in the first place)! It seems that at least once a month there is some headline involving Johnny Manziel that is neither 1) Preventing him from playing football (i.e. committing an actual crime/getting injured) or 2)Improving his craft as a potential “Franchise Quarterback”.
In fact all of the headlines involving Johnny Manziel seem to be related to what probably 99% of NFL players have been doing since Mini-camps ended, which is enjoying their time off from the season. However, major News outlets & networks like ESPN, NFL Network, and FOX Sports, seem to insist on creating these irrelevant “Debates” like “What does Johnny Manziel’s return to Las Vegas mean for the Cleveland Browns?” and “Should Johnny Manziel be taking pictures with Justin Beiber & Floyd Mayweather!?” Oh and let’s not forget about our most recent headline coming to a Talk/Radio show or internet column near you. “Johnny Manziel’s photo taken in a public bathroom TIGHTLY rolling up a $20 Bill!! ” Now…..in some alternate universe…..if I was a Cleveland Browns fan and I didn’t know any better, I would probably be reading all of these aforementioned reports with this exact reaction (see video below).
But thankfully, I’m not and neither should any other Cleveland Browns fan….or ANY NFL fan for that matter. These kinds of reports may be interesting to those that love to hear about gossip and tabloid fodder. But in the end, these news coverages have no effect on what really matters most for Johnny Manziel’s fan or any casual NFL fan; which is winning football games. Partying in Vegas won’t make Johnny Manziel any more accurate throwing the football, Justin Beiber certainly can’t teach Manziel to read defenses better, and for all we know that $20 dollar bill that was so “Tightly Rolled up” could have been used to be put in a tip jar for a bartender, or even for the doorman trying to give paper towels and refreshments to all of the male patrons coming out of the latrine. Either way, there all irrelevant to what matters most, which is Johnny Manziel’s potential as a “Franchise Quarterback” Also, what matters is how Manziel can help the Browns win the AFC North for the first time in history. Five months from now, NFL fans will view whether the Browns are in the Playoff hunt, have 0 Wins, or if Manziel is the starting QB. Shoot, we also might see if Manziel “Relevant/Irrelevant backup QB” since Tim Tebow. But again to reiterate, none of these scenarios will have anything to do with Johnny Manziel taking pictures with Justin Beiber, going to Vegas, or rolling up dollar bills. Therefore, making all these different headlines are completely useless, but I guess people still need something to talk about in sports right?! I just hope you legitimate sports fans out there don’t take this kind of reporting as serious as the professionals that are doing it for a living. Because truth be told, the one’s getting paid to post this crap probably feel the same way that Shakespeare would about the “Johnny Football Summer Saga.” Which is of course….”Much Ado about nothing.”
–JRC
Product Of Society 