There was a time in the not-so-distant past where the media, no matter the field, was a respected entity. That has since been replaced by shock-jock journalism, headline grabber articles, page-click trolls and seriously uninspired attempts at humor. The sports world has now started to feel the wrath of said journalism.
And the integrity of the career that many of us have chosen has now taken a back seat to silliness, downright hypocrisy and utter ridiculousness. The New York Jets signing of Michael Vick further proves this.
The way some in the media responded to the Michael Vick signing was a representation of a troll job gone wrong. Here are some prime examples.
The New York Post went there pic.twitter.com/133JgC8Lw2
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) March 22, 2014
Yeah, why don’t we just hit on every single aspect of Vick’s mistakes, which he has attempted to overcome with civic duty and community service in recent years? You have to give the New York Post credit for its ultimate troll job here.
Unfortunately, media isn’t supposed to be where troll-like behavior is spread to millions of households around the New York metropolitan area. Well, maybe that’s a pie in the sky mentality on my part. Either way, the headline of their Saturday paper is disgusting.
Michael Vick abused and murdered dogs, dogs that looked like my dog Lucy. So the Jets can go to Hell. http://t.co/mYvtXfAf5e
— Philip Bump (@pbump) March 21, 2014
Before doing research for his piece, I had no idea who Philip Bump was. He’s apparently a news and politics writer for The Wire. What exactly does his tweet above have to do with his profession, which has enabled him to become verified on Twitter?
Do his readers honestly care too much about his view on how animals are treated? Is he utilizing that platform as a guise to make his own political point? Listen, I have pets and was infuriated over Vick’s actions of nearly a decade ago. Isn’t it time to move on? I understand Bump’s mentality as a dog owner, but he’s not going at it the right way. The tweet embedded above is a prime example of that.
Here are some other distasteful tweets that immediately followed the Vick signing…
The Jets signed Michael Vick. Well, the bible-thumper didn’t work out. Why not try the dog murderer?
— Steve Hofstetter (@SteveHofstetter) March 22, 2014
Dog-Eat-Dog League: Jets Sign Michael Vick, Release Mark Sanchez: The New York Jets thought so highly of Mark … http://t.co/uBcOrE3mPt
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 22, 2014
There were many more where these came from. At some point we look worst than Vick himself for continuing to bring up his past. The new Jets’ quarterback made a mistake and paid his dues. He’s moved on and has become a better man for it. Maybe it’s time for the media to become better itself and move on.
I will now retire into the day waiting for P.E.T.A. to send me a harshly worded email or tweet, only after the one that it sends to both the Jets and their new quarterback.
Photo: Kirby Lee, USA Today