Today's column will address an issue that has been on my "sports fan conscience" for quite some time.
Coverage of professional sports is an expanding business and, at this point, its growth seems exponential, even in the literal sense of that word. This development should not come as a surprise, even to the occasional sports fan, as most of the core reasons for it -- the increasingly important intersection of the internet and the business, the proliferation of networks offering analysis and the emergence of technologies such as HD, just to name a few -- are obvious.
The method behind the madness, however, is not what interests me today. What does, rather, is just one of the many by-products of this sports coverage explosion--the exposure of college and high school athletes in the media, and more specifically the ways in which their "character" is scrutinized and often attacked by grandstanding members of the press.
If you hadn't gleaned it already, I'm a staunch proponent of underexposure when the issue at hand is one of a student athlete's morality, rather than his or her athletic performance.
I feel a discussion of one specific case study is the best approach to reflect upon this topic. A few months ago, I stumbled across an article written by Stewart Mandel on SportsIllustrated.com titled, "Do the Right Thing." The subject of Mandel's piece was LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, and Mandel urged LSU football coach, Les Miles, in a very hostile manner, to dismiss the wayward player from the team for academic and legal troubles.
I found Mandel's viewpoint, and in particular the way in which he presented it, right down to the disgustingly snooty title to be presumptively cavalier. What Stew Mandel and much of the media seem to ignore is that they are talking about a 20-year-old. An incredibly gifted, athletic 20-year-old but a 20-year-old, nonetheless.
Perrilloux is a person who, as a result of his athletic gifts, is privileged to have a tremendous opportunity in life. Maybe there are a lot of kids who wish they could be Ryan Perrilloux, rather than your average Jimmy or Joe, but that does not give members of the media carte blanche to sit on their high horses and take moral swipes at a kid who is still in college.
I probably should also mention how laughable it was for Mandel to act as if he were an authority on matters relating to the inner workings of a Southeastern Conference football team. The bottom line is, when it comes to coverage of athletes, particularly those at a tender age, a line should be drawn to show when a writer or media personality has gone too far in covering young athletes.
Critical analysis of their on-field credentials and play is fine -- in fact encouraged -- but critical analysis and unnecessary discussion of a player's extra-athletic issues as they relate to his morality are unwarranted -- even borderline shameful.
Ryan Perrilloux might have a laundry list of problems, but it's patently unfair to contribute to the already sinking reputation of a 20-year-old. Granted, college is a time to grow up, but Perrilloux has not even had a chance to finish.
In addition to the negative effect this has on his draft status, there is a multitude of other consequences. Articles like the one Mandel wrote can be said to only more widely disseminate sweeping generalizations about his personality that cast him in a negative light, and who knows what problems or obstacles could be created down the road for him as a result.
Ultimately, what needs to be taken away from observing this disturbing trend is a realization that they will always be high-profile young athletes who get in trouble. That's an immutable fact, plain and simple.
Given the fast expansion of media coverage of sports, however, the last thing they need is to be discussed and picked apart unnecessarily. There are countless examples of this, particularly of late.
Let's leave decisions and opinions regarding a young athlete's character to those who truly have a vested interest in that character, be they an NFL executive, coach, whoever.
Otherwise it would seem that we're perpetuating only further problems that could have life-changing implications for young athletes who have not been given a chance to fully develop and that is a huge shame.
