Sports media is overwhelmingly negative.

You might say, “Emerson, all media is negative. Turn on any news station, and you will hear about how the world is ending.”   

I would say you are not wrong in the slightest. But media and news are two different things. 

Remarkable things happen in sports every day. But usually, when you turn on ESPN or other alternatives you hear about how everything sucks, and everything was better in the 1990s and 2000s.   

I am not saying that nothing bad ever happens in sports, because that is sadly not true. Controversy happens, people get injured and people get fired.  

But nowadays when you go on to ESPN, you see articles about how some teams should fire their head coach and how this player is not living up to the hype.    

These things being said about people have some serious negative effects.  

An example that I think shows my point perfectly came in December, when JJ Redick was discussing why NBA viewership is down. He said, “If I’m a casual fan, and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch the product.”  

Inside the NBA sports personality Charles Barkley did not share the sentiment. Barkley, on live TV, said, “He [Redick] said something about, ‘We’re the reason people ain’t watching this crappy product we got.’ Yeah, us. Like we out there jacking up a hundred threes a night.”  

I find it ironic that, when accused of being overly negative, his first thought was to double-down on the negativity. 

Sure, teams like Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors or even my favorite Indiana Pacers shoot a lot of threes. But if you don’t want that, go watch other teams. Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is one of the most exhilarating stars to watch in today’s game. The man dunked on Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and made it look like nothing.  

Remember when Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers got in a physical altercation with a columnist?  

Marcus Hayes from the Philadelphia Inquirer had written a column calling out Embiid for not playing in any early season games, saying that he was the reason the 76ers were performing so badly.   

You can make the argument that this is a correct statement, but what Hayes wrote went deeper. He got Embiid’s family involved.   

While the exact quote has been removed from the article, it discussed how Embiid’s lack of play was a disrespect to his child and his dead brother.   

You should never insult someone to that degree, especially as such a prominent member of the community. But all columnists should know that there is a line when criticizing someone, and Hayes didn’t just cross the line, he destroyed it.  

I feel like rookies have it the hardest in the eyes of the media, especially when you are supposed to be a savior of some sorts. Sometimes it feels like the media expects you to be averaging 40 points/20 rebounds/10 assists out of the gate.   

I don’t think there is a better case than Caitlin Clark. Clark had 10 turnovers in her debut game, the most by any player in their debut game in WNBA history. People were already wondering if she was a bust.   

But low and behold, at the end of the season she is rookie of the year.   

Caleb Williams, the newcomer quarterback of the Chicago Bears, has the term “bust” thrown at him all the time. I understand why Bear’s fans and the media are scared. The Bears are a team known for taking quarterbacks high and then turning out to be disappointing. Look at both Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields.  

But this does not mean you should doubt your rookie quarterback who only played a single game in the NFL. Rookies need time to develop.  

Do people still turn out to be busts? Of course. But we will not know by someone’s first game.  

I think Roy Kent from “Ted Lasso” puts it best, “We’re just on the outside looking in. Just judging them.”  

“So, Emerson,” you say. “What’s the solution?”  

Well, it isn’t as simple as telling people to be more positive. Bad stuff happens, but what I am proposing I think puts a good balance on it.  

The norm should be positivity. When the bad happens, cover the bad, and if someone is underperforming you can talk about how they are underperforming.   

But it shouldn’t be all we talk about. So please sports media, change.  

Emerson Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or at etreynolds@eiu.edu.