Things I Don’t Like About Television, Episode 22: Author Avatars

Have you watched a TV show to watch one character take on more and more characteristics of the creator? This may happen to the main character or another can gain an increasing scope in the series which each successive season.

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Relatively Harmless Examples

On one hand, author avatars can relatively harmless. For instance, a show may work well if it is in fact built around a character meant to resemble the creator. A beloved character can be based on a writer on the show or creator.

‘Avatar’ is in the Name of the Show

Two examples of a relatively harmless author avatar apparently are Aang and Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The characters are based on creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, respectively.

You can see the resemblance.

Both of these characters are beloved and respected by the fanbase, as are many others, due to the great writing and voice acting.

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Discovering New Blogs (March 21, 2016)

This weekend, I saw a Tweet from Bloggers Meetup that mentioned a new session for Blogging 101: Commenting Bootcamp. In that instant, I decided to join because of how wonderful the last Blogging 101 course went for me. Also, I still need work in the areas of finding new blogs and commenting on them.

The Commenting Bootcamp course just started this Sunday. The first assignment is for each blogger to find three blogs to comment on. The blogs don’t have to be run by those who have recently joined this course, but they have to be blogs we never commented on before.

Of course, it was very easy to find more than three blogs, but I will stick to three for this assignment.

The first comment I made was on GeorgieMoon’s blog, for the post “Do you understand me?” The post looked at an article from The Daily Mail that covered old British sayings, their meanings, and origins. Since I recently started a series of featured posts that deal with famous sayings this post clearly stood out to me.

The next blog post that intrigued me was a post by Majka. She is taking part in a Color Your World Challenge. I left two comments actually, for the post entitled “COLOR YOUR WORLD – RADICAL RED.”

The third comment I left was for the post entitled “Doing Nothing” on A Grammas Life. This was a nice, calm post to start the week.

This assignment was fun and easier than I expected when I found the time. It’s always good to find new bloggers and start up a conversation with them.

Famous Sayings: #2 — ‘Money Is the Root of All Evil’

March 20, 2016

Money is the root of all evil.

Today, I’m taking us to church. No, not really, but…Believe it or not, the saying in its current form is a misquoted Biblical verse. This means I will be talking about the verse and other pages of the Bible in order to provide some context for the words. Regardless, I think what was written holds plenty of relevance today for just about everyone.

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The Biblical Verse in Question

In my research, I found that the saying was derived from I Timothy 6:10. Admittedly, I am not really an expert on the Bible, so I went to one in order to read the entire the first Epistle (Letter) from the Apostle Paul to Timothy in order to view the full context of the letter. In short, Paul was guiding one of his disciples (Timothy) and telling him about how the latter was to act as a minister.

Things I Don’t Like About Television, Episode 21: Taking Sides

This is an entirely new subject I added while restarting this series and so much needs to be said. Since this is about television, I can thankfully limit my complaints somewhat. What I have to say may make this the most controversial post in the series to date.

Now, before we begin, I’m not necessarily saying that stars shouldn’t be involved in politics or disputes. On one hand, I don’t have much of a problem with opinionated stars when I agree with them — or they’re generally right. I also don’t have a problem with someone who is very thoughtful in their response, even if I disagree with their opinion. What I do have a problem with is when that person is clearly wrong, misinformed, acts like a bully, and inserts themselves in other people’s fights.

There should be rules where news outlets, shows, and entire networks are concerned. While shows in particular can have an overriding message, it takes away from it when the writers take sides politically and in regards to personal beefs. This is doubly true for news outlets and networks, which work best when they are more or less neutral.

How I Came Up with My Username (WAW)

What does this image have to do with anything? I used it on YouTube once. And I would rather this be the top image.

For my second entry for Write Anything Wednesday, I have decided to share a story. This was inspired by vinneve, who asked me the question days ago.

About 7 years ago, I was thinking of a name to use for a DeviantArt account — when it was still written as deviantART — and possibly for YouTube. I wanted the name to be something unique and something that I wouldn’t mind using year after year.

Just how did I come up with Shmaltz and Menudo, though? I combined two terms that were “out there” in terms of daily usage — in my life and mainstream America. I first heard of the term “schmaltzy” when a film critic was basically panning the movie “Pay It Forward.” I had to look that up. The term “Menudo” was only familiar to me because of the now-defunct Puerto-Rican “boy band” that allowed Ricky Martin to jump into show business. I looked up both terms (for schmaltz and Menudo) before finally settling on this name.

Well, as you can see, I never used that name for DeviantArt and it took me awhile to use it for YouTube. Why is that? Snap decisions in regard to the former site and technicalities on the latter.

Things I Don’t Like About Television, Episode 20: Bob Costas, Et Al.

Over the years, there have been a host of sports analysts, reporters, and sportscasters I don’t like. Of course, most are on the ESPN networks.

There are some I have gone from mildly disliking or loathing to tolerating or appreciating. One of these is Mike Wilbon (mild dislike –> appreciation). Although what he says at times may be hard to hear/read, he is very honest and right more times than not. Another is Keith Olbermann (loathing –> appreciation. Yeah, really). He knows that he rubs some people the wrong way, but I find most of his monologues and interviews amusing.

Anyway, to get to the point of this post, there have been too many sports talk personalities that have gotten on my nerves to count, but there have been four in particular who have consistently irked me: Bob Costas, Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith, and Trey Wingo. I will also add Jim Nantz, Phil Sims, and Cris Collinsworth.

Famous Sayings: #1 — ‘It Takes a Village…’

March 14, 2016

“It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.”

My map-making skills need quite a bit of work, but this was an excuse to work in Illustrator!

While this is certainly not the oldest saying, it one of the first sayings I can think of. I’m sure many of us have heard this as it is often repeated and thus ubiquitous. In fact, all or part of the saying has been used in the titles of various books (including Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 1996 literary offering).

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Where Is The Origin of the Saying?

From my research, this appears to be an African proverb, specifically spoken in Igbo and Yoruba in Nigeria. There are variations of this proverb in other African nations. In Tanzania, the Sukuma changed it to “One knee does not bring up a child.” In Swahili, the proverb sounds like “One hand does not nurse a child.”

Here’s more on the first two groups I mentioned. The Igbo (pronounced EE-bo) are concentrated mainly along the southeastern region of Nigeria and we estimated to be numbered around some 20 million near the beginning of the 21st century. They tend to live in various villages yet share a common language. The Yoruba are one of the three largest ethnic groups of Nigeria and are concentrated in the southwestern part of the country and Benin. Many African-Americans have traced their lineage to the Yoruba. Current-day Yoruba generally live in large city-groups as opposed to villages.

Things I Don’t Like About Television, Episode 19: Sports Reporting

I am quite familiar with sports reporting. I watch sports programs and read sports news stories every day.

Of course, this means I appreciate play-by-play and color announcers (for the most part), debates over sports matters, opinion panels, and most opinion pieces by journalists. This is especially true when the journalists and analysts are fair, factual, honest, and unafraid to criticize even the franchises and players they love and admire (ex.: Mike Wilbon).

What I don’t care for is the sports reporting that glances over important information or commentary that is rooted too deeply in bias, unsubstantiated speculation, and is conducive to mean-spirited discussion and fawning. ESPN in particular is criticized for this, along with the oversaturation of certain storylines. The criticism comes with the territory, but the complaints are totally valid.

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Male Athletes Are Ridden Hard for Their [Perceived] Lack of Talent …

While successful male athletes are praised ad nausem, provided they fit a certain mold. Sports commentary is built on the narratives I talked about in the previous post. What annoys me the most is this “need” to stick to persistent narratives for certain athletes, good or bad, because it takes away from the entire experience.

If a male athlete has a rough few years to start any sport, he may never live it down. Since that player is not being coddled to, I may hear something like, “This players is boring,” or “That player cannot do this, this, or that.” And it doesn’t matter if the “limited” athlete goes on to disprove his critics, they will always have something to say to discredit him, which ESPN and others will feed on.

What’s worse is when that disdain for the player is transferred to whatever team he may play for. I don’t care to see certain players or teams denigrated for not being “elite,” not being flashy, or not being in a larger market. Even if a sports news outfit uses humor in discussing certain items, there is no excuse for insulting athletes or the teams they play for — unless they are bona fide cheaters in their respective sports and the athletes are serious criminals (and awful human beings).

All the while, we’re told to root for the successful guys and practically ridiculed for liking others for their understated talents and overall character. I do not like to see coaches and players who are severely overrated and possibly built up so they could be torn down later. The analysts should critique these guys on their merits, considering their circumstances and the eras they are playing in.

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Talent Might Not Be Enough for Some Female Athletes …

Or it might not be a requirement, if they’re pretty. Beautiful women are promoted even if other athletes in their sports are more talented or consistent winners.

At one point, tennis player Anna Kournikova was given so much attention because of the way she looked, and she only won one tournament before her early retirement. Fellow Russian Maria Sharapova — albeit a far more successful tennis player — has been given endorsement deals mainly due to her looks. In fact, she has been the highest-earning female tennis player for 11 straight years.

In NASCAR, Danica Patrick is grabbing headlines, although she has never finished above 7th place in any Sprint Cup race. While she is the most successful woman in the Indy Car Series (winning the Indy Japan 300 in 2008), most of the attention she grabbed since 2005 was due to her looks. There were other women there before her, but they had trouble finding sponsors.

Women who aren’t largely considered beautiful are given demerits.

Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova has been largely ignored her whole WTA career.

Serena Williams has been insulted primarily due to her looks.

In 2013, Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli won the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Tournament. She was chastised because of her looks, particularly in comparison to her blond opponent, Sabine Lisicki.

All this does a disservice to the sports in general. It’s bad enough that women’s sports hardly register a blip on the radar in most cases. They should at least get some mentions when there are a group of good female athletes and on those occasions when the women’s side is more entertaining than the men’s side — which is sometimes the case with tennis.

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While on the Subject of the Williams Sisters …

Let’s not forget about the racist element. It’s there and we can see it by how black athletes are often covered and questioned.

I mentioned above that Serena Williams is hated due to her looks, but more importantly, it’s due to her (and her sister, Venus’) dark skin. They have been called every name in the book and disrespected by some opponents, but that behavior was never really called out until long after the sisters obtained success professionally.

It doesn’t end there.

Black quarterbacks like Cam Newton aren’t expected to succeed and they are judged more harshly due for their celebrations.

Black athletes like Richard Sherman are taken to task for being boastful and generally talkative.

Athletes like Marshawn Lynch are criticized for not being very talkative — to the press — and are thus rooted against.

You’ll hear coded terms like “thug” or “primadonna” to describe these guys while nutjobs in the mold of Bill Romanowski are allowed to get away with so much more.

An Asian athlete might run into trouble, too, especially if that person has some success in a sport where Asians are more rarely seen.

Look at the case of Jeremy Lin. In 2013, he stood out on the New York Knicks when Carmelo Anthony was out with an injury. During Linsanity, we were “treated” to all kinds of Chinese puns until one poor, unfortunate soul finally came upon one that could be construed as racist.

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Sports Analysts Like to Stir up Even More Controversy …

There are also times when players are pitted against each other, even in the absence of any back-and-forth initiated by the players themselves.

More successful athletes are compared to those who struggle. At one point, Peyton Manning was used as a stick to beat Ryan Leaf with — although the latter would need no help doing himself in.

There are times when one thoughtless comment by one athlete is repeated to another due to speculation that it was aimed at that person in particular in order to drum up more controversy. (See the 2013 dustup between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.)

When one athlete really is talking down another, one of two things will happen: Either a clip will be played repeatedly in the news or the first athlete will be ostracized because he is “spitting in the face of a god!!!” (See golfers’ reaction to the Tiger Woods scandal and DeAngelo Williams talking about Peyton Manning.)

The opposite is largely ignored.

For example, Ronda Rousey suffered her first UFC loss to Holly Holm in 2015. Up to that point, Rousey made disparaging remarks about Floyd Mayweather. After her loss, he surprisingly took the high road and refrained from belittling Rousey after that loss, but that didn’t garner much attention.

Also, it looks like Serena Williams took a gentle approach with Sharapova. (As of March 8, 2016, Sharapova was under investigation for the use of Meldonium, a banned substance in professional tennis. She says she used it for medical purposes. Unless she can prove this, she faces suspension. In the meantime, her endorsement deal with Nike is on hold until the investigation is completed.) I wonder how much attention that will garner for Williams’ part.

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… While Ignoring Real Stories with Real Concerns …

Take the case with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014. Near the end of the 2013-2014 NBA season, a recording emerged in which then-Clippers owner Donald Sterling was talking to his mistress, V. Stiviano. In that recording, Sterling told Stiviano, who is part black, that he didn’t want to see her hanging around black people.

In the past, Sterling also made disparaging remarks about his black players and his then-wife, Shelly, took part in housing discrimination. However, this important information was never really talked about much until 2014.

What we were shown was a team “distraught” with the revelations from the tape. Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and the others were dealing with a “morally delicate” situation although Sterling’s prejudice was known in NBA circles for years. Give me a break. It would have sent a powerful message if black players had protested playing for Sterling. Moving on…

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Here’s My Biggest Complaint about Sports Reporting

Many sports analysts try to govern thought and they succeed. Add up everything and this becomes obvious.

When I think about it, it appears The Powers That Be don’t like REAL underdogs. They don’t or they wouldn’t do so much to promote only a few stars across leagues.

It’s too obvious at times. One can tell by the way certain games are packaged and promoted. One can tell by the questions some athletes are asked in comparison to others.

And these analysts even have the nerve to treat the advantaged athletes and teams like underdogs when that couldn’t be further from the truth! Members of the press are governed by this and then they tell all their viewers what to think. People fall for this more than they’ll admit.

How do these analysts get away with this? There are at least three reasons.

Reason 1: Money

Of course, money is the main issue here and sports leagues are heavily financed by TV deals (which are funded by sponsors) and dedicated fans.

The thing about TV deals is there seems to be a correlation between which stars are pushed by the leagues and the stars who have the most sponsorship deals.

The dedicated fans fund leagues by buying much of the merchandise and season tickets. What’s more is a die-hard fan will likely convince others (often, children) to follow a sport and team. Those children will grow up and may have children of their own.

As long as the former isn’t questioned and the latter stays put, the sports leagues will have a steady stream of revenue.

Reason 2: League Executives and Types of Media

Leagues may influence members of the media to push certain narratives and make the leagues themselves look good. On top of that, television is a powerful tool and people are easily influenced by what they hear and see simultaneously. This is also true of the Internet, which utilizes video and audio files and can thus serve as an echo chamber with the presence of forums and social sites like Facebook.

Reason 3: Bandwagoners

Look at it this way:

People can abandon a team or sport, but there will be more people to replace them. Even if some of those aforementioned children grow up and move on, chances are they had already convinced even more people to follow that sport and most of them will stick around, even if they eventually change their allegiances. Sports and winning are addictive, and executives know that many people will continue watching the most popular sports and teams regardless of controversy.

Teams, leagues, and other businesses have realized that they can get more money by squeezing it out of the people who like to follow winners and winners only. That, plus the bandwagoners will naturally outnumber the die-hard fans, so far more money will come from the bandwagoners.

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That Said …

I just don’t care to be told who or what to root for. Even if my team sucks, it’s my team.

Rick Garcia once made a thoughtless comment when the Niners were having an awful season. “They’re dreadful … go root for the Sharks.” You know how I responded: I have hated that anchor and the San Jose Sharks ever since and I don’t even watch hockey.

I like certain athletes and teams for various reasons, character being among the most important. I will appreciate the talents of the best in their profession, but I don’t have to be a fan.

It bothers me when some analysts insist — even tacitly — that I must like a Lebron James, or a Tom Brady, or a Peyton Manning, or that it would be wrong and evil to have a dissenting opinion. Please.

Next in the series is the final post dealing with sports, but it deals with on-air personalities I don’t particularly like.

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• Introduction
• Episode 18: NFL Narratives
• Episode 20: Bob Costas, Et Al.

What I Need to Do to Improve My Art (WAW)

I meant to write a post like week for Write Anything Wednesday, but I had such a busy week. (Hey, it’s still Wednesday where I am. Forget you, Greenwich Military time!)

Anyway, I have been meaning to make this post for quite some time.

As I have stated in some posts and my “About” Page and in my Gravatar profile, I am an aspiring artist and writer. While I can see that I have already made some improvement as a writer, I still need quite a bit of work to do as an artist.

Much of that is my own fault. Since childhood, I have loved to draw and I did this more consistently, even without proper tools. But I abandoned much of it for years after reaching adulthood.

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Where I Struggle

I went back to school so I could earn a degree, but I didn’t make the type of progress I wanted to. For one thing, I struggle mightily with figure-drawing. I do have some books and references to use, but it will take me some time to get my art to where it needs to be in this area.

Things I Don’t Like About Television, Episode 18: NFL Narratives

The number 18 is appropriate, because here is where I talk about specific National Football League storylines that have been pushed year in and year out. After much thought, I realized that this post should deal specifically with NFL narratives. I have to get into topic this before I revisit sports reporting in general because it has pissed me off for so long.

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How NFL Narratives Differ from Those in Other Sports

When you look at the issue of sports narratives, you may be able to see a few in the NHL, the MLB, the NBA, the PGA, or just about any sports league. In all of these sports, there will be a few narratives that persist.

In the NBA

Up-and-coming athletes will be incessantly compared to the greats. Every now and then, certain players, like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, are constantly compared to Michael Jordan. This isn’t fair in that Michael Jordan is considered the greatest athlete of all time across all sports. Kobe’s case is funny, in particular, since MJ would attest that Bryant took many of MJ’s moves.

Hockey

The NHL has a similar problem with promising players being compared to Wayne Gretsky. The same goes for promising young PGA golfers being compared to Tiger Woods.

In the MLB

I will still hear about the Steve Bartman incident. He’s blamed by Cubs fans and former Cubs players still, although unfair. Just remember this is the same team and fanbase that blamed an actual goat for losing the World Series.

Beyond That …

Most narratives tend to have shorter lives than the ones you will find in the NFL. In these other sports, teams or just the hottest athletes and coaches will be celebrated in a given time period. I’m not particularly bothered by this as it would make sense to promote the people or groups who are currently performing the best in their given sport. When teams or individual athletes who are currently struggling eventually turn it around, they will get their due, as well.

It just so happens that the NFL has far more persistent narratives. This might be due to how short the NFL season is compared to the others. In any case, the quarterbacks are focused on more and this is where more of the narratives will be created.

In particular, there have two persistent narrative surrounding two quarterbacks in particular: Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

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The Elite Quarterback

Before I can get to those two quarterbacks I mentioned above, I must discuss the annoying narrative of the “Elite Quarterback.” This element quickly gained ground when, oddly enough, Peyton’s younger brother, Eli, was asked if he thought he was elite in 2011. The focus on the Elite QB reached fever pitch in 2012 but is still discussed today.

And boy, do people obsess over this. All teams are told they NEED the best quarterback in the league in order to have a chance at a championship. As a result, any promising college prospect is fawned over and lavished with attention and hype. This was certainly the case for Andrew Luck when he was a senior at Stanford and it continued for 3 seasons.

Nowadays, just about every quarterback who does not meet some measure of accomplishment could be negatively compared to Manning, Brady, or Aaron Rodgers. This is of course fueled by television programs.

• I will give a short mention to TMZ, which mocked Eli Manning and his then-fiancé (now wife) prior to Super Bowl XLII. Both were compared negatively to Brady and his wife, Giselle Bünchen, respectively.

• Russell Wilson was all but ignored in Super Bowl XLVIII — played against Peyton Manning’s Broncos — but we all know how that turned out (a 43-8 victory for the Seahawks).

• This past February, Manning got another ring, but mainly due to his defense. (He was also carried to his first SB by the Colts’ defense and despite throwing 3 TD and 7 INT that entire postseason.) Anyway, many people took the opportunity to lambaste Cam Newton the whole time.

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‘The Sheriff’

Peyton Manning has been praised since he was born, really. His father, Archie Manning, was a beloved figure in New Orleans and Mississippi (as an Ole Miss alum), despite never having a winning record in the NFL. The Manning brothers’ childhoods were regularly documented and Peyton Manning’s decision to attend the University of Tennessee garnered a press conference.

Of course, Manning’s time at Tennessee and subsequent entrance into the NFL (as the #1 overall draft pick in 1998) was met with great fanfare, as well. He would go on to set a few rookie records — although the passing yardage record would be broken by Cam Newton in 2011 and then again by Andrew Luck the following season.

Why Peyton Praise Is Annoying

In short, Peyton Manning has lived a charmed life and various members of the press would easily heap praise upon him. And they’ve done this to the point that they would overlook any of his transgressions — and stat-grubbing tendencies. When he lost, you would hear some people taunt him and say that he couldn’t win the big game, but others would make excuses for him and insist that his teammates were to blame and they owed him for having being carried by him.

It’s so bad that even some fans insist it would be “un-American” not to feel the same way about Peyton Manning as they do or at least root for him at all. Michael Smith actually stated this when speaking of Peyton Manning before Super Bowl XLVIII and that made me bristle. (Well, I guess every real Seahawk fan, or those of the other AFC teams who rooted for the Seahawks are un-American.)

Manning finally retired this week and even that garnered so much attention. Although I understand how hard it can be for many athletes to quit their respective sports cold turkey, Manning was in the league for 18 years, he got the rings, he broke all those records, and he just wasn’t the same quarterback as he was even two years prior.

It was like the time in 2012 when Manning was deciding on a team to join when Colts owner Jim Irsay cast him aside to draft Andrew Luck. After a while, all the coverage really pissed me off. “Just pick a team, man!”

In any event, the press could have done a better job besides shoving each Manning story down our throats, but that’s the state of journalism today.

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The Best QB EVAR!!!!11111OneOneOne!

Brady is constantly compared to Joe Montana, particularly in terms of the greatest QB Ever argument. I’m admittedly biased here, but most would defer to the differences in era and some would even point out the Bill Belichick factor.

Sure, Brady has already thrown for more yards and touchdowns than Montana and has won more postseason games than any other QB and some franchises. But Brady did it in an era where passers throw far more, defenses are handicapped by some of the rules, and his division (the AFC East) and conference haven’t been able to get their respective acts together. I would mention the level of cheating the Patriots have been accused of, but one egregious fact is that Brady will always get away with intentional grounding.

But I digress.

What Really Annoys Me About Brady Coverage

For those who have followed Tom Brady’s career — and partook of any on-air analysis of it — there have been the occasional douchebag comments made in his favor.

One in particular was a “neener, neener, neener” comment aimed at his sisters. When Brady was growing up, his older sisters were known for being successful at their chosen sports, so the little brother was in their shadow. After the Patriots won their first Super Bowl, with Tom Brady as their QB, some genius had to point out that this young man enjoyed an honor that none of his sisters could ever enjoy and how much more famous he became than they could ever dream of being.

What was the point of that? This guy could not just let one family be happy and celebrate the little brother who worked hard to get where he was. It wasn’t his sisters’ fault that they were born first, didn’t have penises, and grabbed a little attention growing up.

Another type of thoughtless comment I have comes in the form of people ridiculing teams for not drafting Brady sooner in the 2000 NFL Draft.

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And Now, Here’s the Main Reason I Made This Post

I have seen “The Brady 6” documentary (2011), which was a joint venture between ESPN and NFL Films.

What It Was About

Apparently, six quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Mr. Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft; he was finally picked by the New England Patriots at No. 199 in the sixth round. The program goes back and forth between interviews with Brady, his father (Tom Brady Sr.), old coaches, and some of the other players in question.

The special relays how short and miserable the careers of Chad Pennington (18th overall to the Jets), Giovanni Carmazzi (65th — 49ers), Chris Redman (75th — Ravens), Tee Martin (163 — Steelers), Marc Bulger (168th — Saints), and Spergon Wynn (183 — Browns) were. For various reasons, all these quarterbacks had early retirements, and each — except for Carmazzi, who “has five goats” (LOL!!!) — were lined up to give interviews and commiserate over how the other thirty teams totally ruined their futures in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Additionally, Drew Henson — Brady’s teammate at Michigan and a quarterback who had to split starts with Brady one year there — was interviewed, as well. Henson had a short, unspectacular Major League Baseball career and a very brief stint in the NFL.

What I Think About It

To borrow an idea from “Family Matters,” I will describe the 46-minute program as slowly driving by to see someone picking up trash on the highway. That is what it is, basically. The whole tone of the special seems so vindictive to me. It was like the other players picked ahead of Brady and decision-makers on other teams were being paraded around and laughed at.

How dare you scrubs get ahead of Brady? Look at you now, losers.

Hey Spergon. You’re an energy trader with one son? Well, Brady has 3 SB rings and he gets to bang Giselle Bünchen.

Have fun with your goats, Carmazzi.

LOL Henson.

Tee Martin, if you can’t do, teach, right?

Oh, look at those other teams who passed on him. Don’t you wish you could have a do-over? Sucks to be you guys.

What is wrong with ESPN sometimes?

If you have seen the documentary, you might be thinking, “Girl, this documentary just showed how drafts can be gambles. It was not meant to poke fun at those other guys.”

Then I would remind you that the documentary was called THE BRADY 6, as in those six guys who went ahead of Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft. If there was no vindictiveness whatsoever in that special, why are we constantly reminded of this? There was no need to interview these guys at all with regards to Tom Brady. Are you telling me there was?

And I think Brady crying on camera was a slap in the face to those other men, anyone else who went undrafted, and anyone who was drafted/signed only to be cut shortly after. I wanted to tell Brady to STFU, seriously. He was fortunate.

The Truth Is …

Sure, Brady had to wait and fight for his spots, but waiting beats not being drafted at all. It beats not getting so much as a callback. Being carried by the team beats getting cut during or after preseason.

There was just no guarantee Brady would have the type of success he had with the Patriots if he went to any other team. The Patriots — with Bill Belichick — were perhaps the best situation for him.

Sure, the Niners had a pretty decent offense, an improving defense, and Mooch (at the time), but the front office was a mess with John York taking over for Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. The team was never the same since 1998.

The Jets might have been decent for a few years in the 2000s, but Brady would have to go up against Belichick’s defense twice a year.

And don’t get me started on the Browns. Some writer at NFL.com had the nerve to say the team should have drafted Brady in 2000. Hindsight is 20/20 but Brady was not as fit then as he is now and there was no way the Browns would have given up on Tim Couch so soon. The team did draft Wynn that year, but only as an insurance policy.

Even then, Cleveland has not a great place for quarterbacks. Don’t give me this BS about how Brady is so boffo awesome he would have overcome everything. Please.

Anyway …

What the Documentary Should Have Been About

“The Brady 6” special would have been much better if it just focused On Brady’s development and path to success. Then the crying — although still whiny — would not have pissed me off so much.

ESPN can do better than this and it has. “The Book of Manning,” although a tad pretentious, was fairly decent. It was informative, touching, and no one had to be torn down to raise the Manning family up. The “30 for 30” specials I have seen have been very good since they have given new perspectives on different athletes (current and retired) and treated the subjects with more respect. That’s what I want to see from that type of documentary.

Next up, I will talk about a sports reporting and the commentary in general.

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• Introduction
• Episode 17: NFL Game Scheduling
• Episode 19: Sports Reporting