Sports Media Literacy: The Eagles Are Clearly Sick of Jalen Hurts

It's obvious, like it or not

I’m calling this bit, “Sports Media Literacy” because I believe there’s a level of denial that follows reporting on uncomfortable situations. Fans hate The Media, and I understand the hostility from people who feel like journalists are more about other incentives than their supposed mission of telling hard truths. I’m no defender of The Media, but I observe the irony that reporters often get the most blowback for doing, rather than shirking, their jobs.

My most memorable encounter with the dynamic followed Kevin Durant lashing out at me for saying he planned to leave Golden State. He was angry, but never publicly expressed a desire to return to the Warriors. His teammates also declined to speak out against what I wrote. From the inside, this was all obvious. If Kevin wanted to stay, he’d just say so, so why would anyone who wanted him here get mad at me?

It was easy to read between the lines and yet, of course, there were fans and other media members who wouldn’t. People tend to believe what they want to believe. It’s also more intuitive to react to what’s said than to pick up on what isn’t. I now see this pattern elsewhere. Reporting reveals Uncomfortable Situation, backlash to the reporting ensues, Uncomfortable Situation gets tacitly confirmed by lack of backlash from situation principal characters. This week’s example is Jalen Hurts. I think it’s pretty obvious that his teammates are sick of him, even though he’s indeed the reigning Super Bowl MVP. I believe that most opinions to the contrary are manifestations of cope and denial.