Graham's Maybin article on ESPN

[BillsNYC]

Nothing we do or say here has any impact in the W/L column...so why do you do it?

 

Its a good story that gives us some background on a new 1st round pick - the fact you took issue with it enough to post certainly reveals some emotional issues. Perhaps you should sit the next few plays out?

 

I'm tired of the Bills being a laughingstock of the NFL toting how great of people their players are, if that's an emotional issue then I guess you're right.

[Lori]

Why? Because I pay $1,000 for seasons and want a winning product on the field? Look, half these guys have stories of overcoming the odds to get to the NFL, they're great to root for. But in the end, this is about winning and other than making it a little more meaningful to root for a player, these back stories are just that, a feel good story. They have little impact in the W/L column.

 

I'm tired of hearing about what great guys the Bills are, we've been hearing that for years. I want to read/hear about them winning games for once after a decade of being laughing stocks. I don't think that's being a jerk.

It's May. Training camp doesn't begin for two more months. And there's nothing wrong with learning a little more about the newest Bills players before then.

 

Chill.

[MRW]

Why? Because I pay $1,000 for seasons and want a winning product on the field? Look, half these guys have stories of overcoming the odds to get to the NFL, they're great to root for. But in the end, this is about winning and other than making it a little more meaningful to root for a player, these back stories are just that, a feel good story. They have little impact in the W/L column.

 

I'm tired of hearing about what great guys the Bills are, we've been hearing that for years. I want to read/hear about them winning games for once after a decade of being laughing stocks. I don't think that's being a jerk.

So... should there not be any stories about our draft picks? What is there to talk about at this point besides their backgrounds? I still don't understand why you posted to tell us something we all already knew.

[nemhoff]

Bill, I hear what you are saying. If you don't want to hear the stories then don't read them. My point was that I hope he turns the success he has had in life into success on the football field. Hopefully that equals more Bills wins.

 

I also hope that he succeeds because there will be a constant comparison between him and Orakpo. I wanted Orakpo (who apparently is tearing up Skins camp this week - news from my pathetic Skins loving cousin) and hope that Maybin is able to make an impact down the road.

[MattM]

Bill, here's a way it translates to the field, which is what you seem to be focused on (understandably to some of us). Someone with such character and maturity is a heckuva lot more likely to (a) work his arse off to make the most of the God-given football talent that he has, (b) be a smart player on the field and © not do self-destructive things off the field that hurts both himself and his team (are you listening, Mr. Lynch?). All of that is to the positive in terms of getting a better Bills product on the field, and it's just an added bonus that he's actually a decent guy to boot.....

[BillsNYC]

Bill, here's a way it translates to the field, which is what you seem to be focused on (understandably to some of us). Someone with such character and maturity is a heckuva lot more likely to (a) work his arse off to make the most of the God-given football talent that he has, (b) be a smart player on the field and © not do self-destructive things off the field that hurts both himself and his team (are you listening, Mr. Lynch?). All of that is to the positive in terms of getting a better Bills product on the field, and it's just an added bonus that he's actually a decent guy to boot.....

 

Thank you for the kind response, much better than "chill" or basically calling me a terrible person. I get you on that, I just think we've had a lot of players like him and it feels like we're spoon fed how great guys they are, instead of what great players they are. This is especially true for BuffaloBills.com. I'd like to know why Maybin came out this year, and how he plans to gain/maintain his weight. What kind of person is he on the field? Is he a softy like Dockery, or a pit bull like Wood? Obviously time for that story, but feel those are the questions that relate to his game and I'd like to see answers to. In the end, if he doesn't live up to the #11 pick, fans won't care about his back story. They'll throw him to the garbage like they've done so many times with feel good players.

[Watching since 1964]

When a lot of the news sadly is focused on athletes failings, these kind of columns, for me at least, help balance my view out of the well paid and privileged athlete.

 

Looking at the early lives of certain stars that will go unnamed in all sports who seem to constantly be in trouble, self destructing their short careers; a common thread seems to be that they were intentionally or unintentionally abandoned in some way by one or both of their parents.

 

I haven't had that happen to me, but I would guess they try to harden themselves so much to pretend they don't hurt and they don't care. Trying to prove they don't care is one thing that seems to get them into so much trouble.

 

Another factor is that some have been spoiled since their talent began to manifest in high school and they haven't been held accountable by anyone really since then. No one has told them 'no' in years. Some athletes seem to be trying to make others pay because they can't get back at the parent(s) who left them. Others crave intention and do anything to get it, both on and off the field/court/rink because they never got it from a parent(s) while growing up.

 

I actually believe someone reading the ESPN article might be influenced to make better choices as a parent or as a child.

 

When Mr. Maybin took away Aaron's being on the wrestling team for awhile because of poor grades, he risked his sons rejection of him.

 

But he chose not to give into that fear and spoil his child. He held him accountable.

 

Some parents sadly wouldn't...preferring to be their childs' 'buddy' I guess.

 

Aaron learned a great lesson from that and I think others can to.

 

Although this article certainly has a lot of non-NFL related content in it, Mr. Graham takes care of the football nuts and bolts portion by writing this:

 

"The biggest question about Maybin is whether one great season is enough to project NFL success."

 

I believe Mr. Graham also assumes his readers know that being a well grounded #1 pick doesn't insure success on the field, but it surely is a great weapon against preventing the failures we see so many talented players have.

 

Some sadly are no longer even allowed on the field.

[Ham Sandwich]

It was very well written. Maybin seems like a great kid.

 

But is this the first time you've read a story like this? I doubt it. Go to just about any team's site at this time of year and you'll find a similar tear jerker. Is every team drafting not just great football players but heroic human beings as well? Is there a secret, second Combine for measuring the dramatic power of players' personal histories? I doubt it. Why bother; the writers can just create it.

 

Sports is a business. Anybody question that? The Bills are a business. ESPN is a business, and Sports Illustrated is a business that has been publishing articles like this for as long as I can remember. The master himself, Rick Reilly, got $3 million a yr to bring his syrupy ink from SI to ESPN last year. Writers don't win awards for cold hard analysis, they've got to pull at the heartstrings. But do we really need our athletes to deliver heart wrenching personal stories as well? Can't we just stick to Oprah for that stuff?

 

I know, I know what you're thinking... "this story shows that he's human just like us." I disagree. I think it portrays him as more human than us. Not only is he Superman but he's Clark Kent too.

 

I'm not questioning the writers' integrity. They're not trying to deceive, but they're a product of their environment. They've seen what brings a writer success, and they want to write something with emotional impact. So I don't blame them. They're giving everybody what they want. Except for skeptical jerks like me who question what the media has become.

 

Personally, I like to think of the players as regular people. I prefer to save the praise for what they do on the field. That I can see for my own eyes without a "storyteller" whispering in my ear. But if you like this kind of thing and want to become emotionally attached to people you've never met, be my guest. However, on behalf of us heartless fans who choose not to watch Oprah, I ask that you cut us some slack. We have a right to express our opinions too.

[Lori]

I'm not questioning the writers' integrity.

Actually, you just spent the better part of 350 words doing PRECISELY that.

[Ham Sandwich]

Actually, you just spent the better part of 350 words doing PRECISELY that.

 

 

Writing an emotional personal profile doesn't mean the writer lacks integrity. It means they value this kind of story more than I do. A lot of people value this kind of story more than I do. And they're not wrong.

 

But it would be nice if fans thought twice about how well they can possibly "know" any celebrity, and how much that should even matter to them. It would also be nice if raising that question didn't get you chastized.

[Lori]

Is there a secret, second Combine for measuring the dramatic power of players' personal histories? I doubt it. Why bother; the writers can just create it.

...

Writers don't win awards for cold hard analysis, they've got to pull at the heartstrings.

...

They're not trying to deceive, but they're a product of their environment. They've seen what brings a writer success, and they want to write something with emotional impact. So I don't blame them. They're giving everybody what they want. Except for skeptical jerks like me who question what the media has become.

If that's not "questioning integrity," I guess I don't know what does qualify.

[Watching since 1964]

Ham Sandwich,

 

I think your screen name is causing more wonderful cured meats to be consumed.

 

I don't agree with your criticism of the article, but I give you credit for bringing up these same points to Tim Graham in the 'Ask Tim Graham' thread.

[Ham Sandwich]

If that's not "questioning integrity," I guess I don't know what does qualify.

 

My questions to ask regarding integrity: did the writer embellish, write a story that isn't supported by the facts, ignore contradictory facts, fabricate dramatic elements? The answers are clear for this article - the writer didn't do any of that.

 

You can tell from his writing that Tim Graham has the highest regard for professional integrity. He's one of the good guys. He's one of the best sports writers out there and we are very lucky to have him covering the Bills. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have covering the Bills. On top of that, he's intelligent and insightful and you can tell that he's knowledgeable about more than just sports. He's accessible to his readers and tells it like he sees it. And he's got a sharp wit too.

 

I'm sorry that he takes criticism so hard. But I guess that's just another indication of how important his professional integrity is to him. I think he is beyond reproach. Someone should write a personal profile of Tim, because he is clearly a model for other writers.

 

So if it's not Tim Graham that I'm doubting, what the hell have I been going on about? Well, I just don't go for this type of sentimental sports coverage that has become so predominant. I used to read those Sports Illustrated articles as a kid and get sucked right in. I loved them. But there have been so many that these sentimental portraits have become a genre of their own. I imagine that any writer who grew up reading Sports Illustrated just kind of assumes that this stuff is rightfully a large part of what sportswriting is about. But it's really gone too far. The coverage of the Olympics has taken it to new heights and others are following suit. Anybody remember the Teddy Bruschi primetime game after his comeback? It was disgusting. The game itself was a sidelight to the heroic Teddy.

 

Readers should think twice about how they are getting sucked in. Case in point - we were all lead to believe that Donte Whitner was the second coming of Ronnie Lott before he had ever played a game. And the Whitner bandwagon charged on for 2 years, all in the face of very scarce evidence that he was anything but ordinary. The articles kept coming and then game announcers repeated the popular opinion back to us. But finally the skeptics came forth and subsequently the vitriol flew in both directions all over the message boards. This never would have happened if the writers had taken a more balanced approach from the start, both in regard to his abilities and his supposed intangibles. But again, it's hard to blame the writers. They're trying to make a living at a tough job. Everything around them says that these articles are the epitome of sportswriting and a showcase for their talents. They should start to consider bucking the trend but I doubt they will. You can't push back against a tsunami.

 

As fans we should just learn to take these articles for what they are. Enjoy them as a glimpse into an athlete's life. But don't get carried away. You can't get to know these guys through 1000 word articles. And you don't really need to to be a fan.

[Lori]

I still disagree with your basic premise, but I appreciate you taking the time to expand and clarify your thoughts.

 

I never sit down at the keyboard thinking I have to "tug at the heartstrings," and I sincerely doubt Graham does, either -- we're just trying to tell the story. What you call a "sentimental portrait," I call learning the kid's backstory, what makes him tick, how events in his past might influence his future while he plays for the team I like.

 

So you're saying the "writers" are to blame for the backlash against Whitner, who has yet to turn out to be the next Hall of Fame safety? I think his top-ten draft status has more to do with that than any 100,000 words written on the topic.

[Ham Sandwich]

[quote name='Lori' date='May 6 2009, 02:20 PM' post='1420801'

 

So you're saying the "writers" are to blame for the backlash against Whitner, who has yet to turn out to be the next Hall of Fame safety? I think his top-ten draft status has more to do with that than any 100,000 words written on the topic.

 

Yes. When he was drafted in the top ten it was labeled a reach, so fans immediately had plenty of doubts. However, by the time the season started he had massive fan support. Where did that come from? (You already know my answer.) I couldn't understand why fans were raving about this guy who really wasn't showing much on the field. After a couple of years skeptics like me started to call him out.

 

The real backlash though was targeted at the Whitner fans who wouldn't let go of this unsubstantiated belief that he was a great player and a great leader (also put forth in the articles based on flimsy evidence of true leadership). I attribute that to the steady flow of articles that fans seem to swallow whole, without chewing even a little.

[Ham Sandwich]

I guess all my rambling will soon be irrelevant anyway. The players are bypassing the media.

Will the fans buy into players' self reporting as readily as they eat up sportswriters' articles? Or will they see it as player-controlled PR, and not to be trusted. This could be a good thing if it means we pay more attention to game performance and less to the celebrity stuff.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4137488

[stuckincincy]

[quote name='Lori' date='May 6 2009, 02:20 PM' post='1420801'

 

So you're saying the "writers" are to blame for the backlash against Whitner, who has yet to turn out to be the next Hall of Fame safety? I think his top-ten draft status has more to do with that than any 100,000 words written on the topic.

 

 

Yes. When he was drafted in the top ten it was labeled a reach, so fans immediately had plenty of doubts. However, by the time the season started he had massive fan support. Where did that come from? (You already know my answer.) I couldn't understand why fans were raving about this guy who really wasn't showing much on the field. After a couple of years skeptics like me started to call him out.

 

The real backlash though was targeted at the Whitner fans who wouldn't let go of this unsubstantiated belief that he was a great player and a great leader (also put forth in the articles based on flimsy evidence of true leadership). I attribute that to the steady flow of articles that fans seem to swallow whole, without chewing even a little.

 

Ham:

 

Pro football is a 4 act play that has been playing for over a hundred years. Everything that essentially needed to be written about it has been written before anyone here was born.

 

We all know that. We know it's show biz. Like the movies, plays, fiction - Man against Himself, Man against other Men, God against Man, Man against Nature, Man against God - the 5 plots.

 

Football is enjoyable to watch. It's enjoyable to discuss this or that, and not delve deep into hardened absolutes. A team has 53 members and to predict how 53 people act or fail to act over 60 minutes is quite the task. You, I, countless others could write a cold, clinical article about any football game played.

 

Thud.

 

The opinions, the observations - outlandish, cynical, prescient, flippant - all welcome. Certainly there are flippant sports reporters. And those that work hard and long to get some info, all the time having to dance on the reporter's tightrope...become a toady for access and get fed the line?, try to get the trust to be able to report facts and still maintain a working relationship?

 

Us fans: Consider the boiled stadium hot dog. Pretty low on the cuisine chain. Stadium food. Certainly not anybody's idea of value, by a long stretch. Dry popcorn. Commodity beer. All at wildly inflated cost.

 

But somehow, very satisfying. Logic says no. The moment says yes.

 

Folks have communal spirit about sports. That's a good thing...it's taken quite a beating elsewhere through the years.

 

I don't see much gain in parsing sports columnists, reporters, pundits, down to the atomic level. They peddle their wares, as we all do, and we can all read and enjoy or reject.

 

Don't parse and judge them so much. It's just chit-chat, this or that, about something that we have interest in and extract enjoyment from.

[TheLynchTrain]

Too bad nobody mentioned this humorous fact about Maybin as Easterbrook did...

 

Bills first-round draft choice Aaron Maybin majored in "integrative arts" at Penn State. Electives in the major include a course on Elvis Presley ("eight chronologically arranged units of study that trace Elvis Presley's life") and a pop arts course with this incredibly rigorous requirement: "Every two weeks, students will be required to see, read, or hear an assigned contemporary work of popular mass media art."

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...mp;sportCat=nfl

 

 

If that isnt a major tailored to football players, I don't know what is.

[Ham Sandwich]

Ham:

 

Pro football is a 4 act play that has been playing for over a hundred years. Everything that essentially needed to be written about it has been written before anyone here was born.

 

We all know that. We know it's show biz. Like the movies, plays, fiction - Man against Himself, Man against other Men, God against Man, Man against Nature, Man against God - the 5 plots.

 

Don't parse and judge them so much. It's just chit-chat, this or that, about something that we have interest in and extract enjoyment from.

 

I agree with the gist of what you're saying.

 

But I don't think we all know it's show biz. Many fans are invested in the drama to an unhealthy degree and they can't see the forest for the trees. They'd never admit that this is anything like what the readers of US magazine and People and TMZ are up to.

 

I'd like it if more fans took a step back saw it as just chit-chat and entertainment, with all of the marketing and packaging that we expect to come along with things like movies and celebrity.

[stuckincincy]

I agree with the gist of what you're saying.

 

No...you picked out what you liked by quoting a selected, truncated version of my post, and then sought to assuage me by saying "I agree with your gist".

 

Nice try, but no soap.