Media's irrational hatred of Bill Belichick

[DarrylS]

Disagree 100%!! The dislike is quite genuine and very real.

It does not make all that much difference, but sometimes this stuff is functional as it is akin to cross promoting each other's shows negatively...

 

[maverick4]

So many of us fans have Bill's back even if we didn't agree with the call because so many of us fans hate the pompous blowhard I want you to kiss my bum media just as much as Bill Belichick does.

Bill Belichick is a real life Howard Roark

 

[SoCalPatsfan90]

Who cares about media. Fox news shows you what media is about. Spin and rating.

I found that pretty comical, but since this isn't a political discussion, I'll leave it at that

I don't know much about Bill's earlier career, or if he was ever more open with the media when he was a younger coach. Fact is though, people hate a winner, and really hate a winner that isn't overflowing with happiness about their accomplishments.

That's all Bill does, wins and points out what NE could have done better... Even in big blowout games... lol

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Another poster has already observed that Belichick is instant copy, instant headlines, instant clicks and viewers.

They don't "hate" Belichick, they love him as a story line.

Many folks observing Sports, Politics, Entertainment, etc., don't seem to understand that, with rare exceptions, those who are responsible for feeding the insatiable appetite of today's 24/7 media and information outlets don't have "real feelings" for the people whom they cover. All they do is reflect what they perceive or can create as public opinion to generate readers, viewers and web browsers.

The fan bases in several of the biggest media outlets in the US (NY, Philly, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Baltimore/DC) as well as those in most of the major midsize media markets that comprise the heart of the NFL (St. Louis, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Nashville, San Diego, Charlotte, etc, etc) all went ape-**** over spygate because they already resented what the Pats had accomplished. It was a Made-To-Order ratings bonanza for ESPN and others, complete with a hooded villain and a team that had beaten up on the NFL for most of the decade.

People will be a lot happier if they just accept the fact that this isn't supposed to be "news" and that it's really just entertainment that makes a lot of money for a lot of people.

My point is, we really shouldn't personalize this. Is it fair? Hell no! Is it the way of the 21st century? Without a doubt.

Stop taking all of this personally. Belichick did a long time ago. It's a business. The NFL is big ratings and big bucks with, let's face it, very few great storylines.

Belichick is one of its greatest story lines. Most of Middle America (the viewers who buy the automobiles and beer whose commercials pay the bills around the league) doesn't like him. The media plays to that.

Middle America loves Paymeaton, so his story lines are generally positive.

Brady is a mixed bag for them; he draws women viewers (50+% of the population) and has an appeal that crosses over to non-Sports arenas, so they tread lightly, both praising him and also feeding the anti-Patriots haters with stories about how he gets preferential treatment from officials.

It's all completely predictable. Sit back. Enjoy it or ignore it. I try to ignore it, but also have learned to "embrace the hate" and kind of get a laugh out of it sometimes.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Fans are really gonna miss the BB and Brady era when it's over. No longer will the entire national sports media be fixated on all things NE.

 

[Zeus]

Reasonable people can disagree about whether BB's tactical decision was the right one (although people should understand that you can make the "right" decision and get an adverse outcome and vice versa). This part of the debate is fair game and part of what makes sports fun for us fans.

What I strongly object to is the media's attempt to link the Belichick's decision to some sort of personality defect (hubris, arrogance, egomania). Here there is no actual evidence to support their ill-informed psychological speculation. Rather, what they have done is petty, mean-spirited, unprofessional and intellectually dishonest.

 

[oldskool138]

Disagree 100%!! The dislike is quite genuine and very real.

LOL, they got you hook, line and sinker.

 

[HarkDawg]

Hubris is not necessarily a bad thing. The media needs to pick on somebody and they give him a hard time because he does not acknowledge interviews right after a game etc. etc. etc.

If i'm BB "get out of my face...... I don't owe the media anything"


It's not like he is getting monetary compensation for it.


BB does not owe anything to the media especially right after a game. OMFG the media is the problem not BB.

 

[oldskool138]

BB does not owe anything to the media especially right after a game.

Yes he does. He, like Tom Brady, I contractually obligated to hold a press conference after the game. So, he does "owe" the media something. He can't just stand there and say "No comment" for 5 minutes. Well, he sort of does by being as monotone and bland as possible.

 

[jmt57]

I was going to say something longer, but PatsFanSince74 pretty much said everything I was thinking (plus a bit more.)

Never forget, the media is a business; they never have been nor never will be a non-profit organization dedicated to fair and honest reporting. Stories about a polarizing figure such as Bill Belichick are the low-hanging fruit to the media; write or say anything about him and you generate more viewers, listeners and readers than you would on almost any other topic. If he wasn't portrayed as the villain in the black hat to the public, they would find somebody else to fill that role (though probably not as well.)

It's a business, and it's all about ratings and profits - simple as that.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

...

What I strongly object to is the media's attempt to link the Belichick's decision to some sort of personality defect (hubris, arrogance, egomania). Here there is no actual evidence to support their ill-informed psychological speculation. Rather, what they have done is petty, mean-spirited, unprofessional and intellectually dishonest.

And they could care less, because it plays to their audience, sells clicks and attracts viewers.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I was going to say something longer, but PatsFanSince74 pretty much said everything I was thinking (plus a bit more.)

Never forget, the media is a business; they never have been nor never will be a non-profit organization dedicated to fair and honest reporting. Stories about a polarizing figure such as Bill Belichick are the low-hanging fruit to the media; write or say anything about him and you generate more viewers, listeners and readers than you would on almost any other topic. If he wasn't portrayed as the villain in the black hat to the public, they would find somebody else to fill that role (though probably not as well.)

It's a business, and it's all about ratings and profits - simple as that.

You actually said that better than I said it, since you were so much briefer.

 

[brady et al fan]

Another poster has already observed that Belichick is instant copy, instant headlines, instant clicks and viewers.

They don't "hate" Belichick, they love him as a story line.

Many folks observing Sports, Politics, Entertainment, etc., don't seem to understand that, with rare exceptions, those who are responsible for feeding the insatiable appetite of today's 24/7 media and information outlets don't have "real feelings" for the people whom they cover. All they do is reflect what they perceive or can create as public opinion to generate readers, viewers and web browsers.

The fan bases in several of the biggest media outlets in the US (NY, Philly, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Baltimore/DC) as well as those in most of the major midsize media markets that comprise the heart of the NFL (St. Louis, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Nashville, San Diego, Charlotte, etc, etc) all went ape-**** over spygate because they already resented what the Pats had accomplished. It was a Made-To-Order ratings bonanza for ESPN and others, complete with a hooded villain and a team that had beaten up on the NFL for most of the decade.

People will be a lot happier if they just accept the fact that this isn't supposed to be "news" and that it's really just entertainment that makes a lot of money for a lot of people.

My point is, we really shouldn't personalize this. Is it fair? Hell no! Is it the way of the 21st century? Without a doubt.

Stop taking all of this personally. Belichick did a long time ago. It's a business. The NFL is big ratings and big bucks with, let's face it, very few great storylines.

Belichick is one of its greatest story lines. Most of Middle America (the viewers who buy the automobiles and beer whose commercials pay the bills around the league) doesn't like him. The media plays to that.

Middle America loves Paymeaton, so his story lines are generally positive.

Brady is a mixed bag for them; he draws women viewers (50+% of the population) and has an appeal that crosses over to non-Sports arenas, so they tread lightly, both praising him and also feeding the anti-Patriots haters with stories about how he gets preferential treatment from officials.

It's all completely predictable. Sit back. Enjoy it or ignore it. I try to ignore it, but also have learned to "embrace the hate" and kind of get a laugh out of it sometimes.

that's insightful but I think it only applies to the national media. Many of the local guys really do have an axe to grind with him for various reasons. See Borges, Shaughnessy, Maz, etc. BB openly disdains most members of the media and they know it. They relish ANY opportunity to bash him. These guys aren't dumb. They know when they are not liked. Its an unfortunate side of human instinct to be vindictive and petty when you see an opportunity.

Now I admit to hating the media from the start so my bias is against them. My bias is against anyone who would bash my team. And it does not sell for me. I have had to tune out Maz and Felger this week because they have been so intolerable over the whole 4th and 2. Likewise Shaughnessy. I never read him anymore as he proved to be so agenda-driven that reading his articles ceased being enjoyable entertainment for me.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

I think a lot stems from when Belichck gave a big F. U. to the Jets in order to come to the Patriots. A lot of media comes out of New York. He has been vilified ever since.

Yes I totally agree and that's part of it.

Everybody loves an underdog Hates a Winner. 1st they loved us then we started winning and "they" had nothing to pin on us as New Americas Team BUT then came I'm sorry to bring it up again, Spygate. EVERY jealous hater came out in swarms. Its like they needed an excuse. What makes matters worse is that BB stands his ground gives nothing. Who Cares?! All he does is just win.

 

[DejaBLue]

 

[TennesseePatriot]

So many of us fans have Bill's back even if we didn't agree with the call because so many of us fans hate the pompous blowhard I want you to kiss my bum media just as much as Bill Belichick does.

Great stuff and on the money!!!!!
The Media Continues To Pile On With Their Irrational Hatred Toward Belichick Boston.BarstoolSports.com

" But let’s stop kidding ourselves that it’s about the merits of what he did or did not do at Lucas Oil. The anger and bitterness on this issue all stems from the fact that His Hoodedness doesn’t play grabass with these guys, period. All he cares about is doing that which is going to put his team in a position to win, not curry favor with the toner-stained wretches in the press. It’s not successful all the time, but it’s the reason his players… past and present… admire the guy and the media detest him. And why the fans continue to have his back, the press be damned"

Cold, Hard Football Facts.com: 4th-and-2-Gate fallout

"There are two main conclusions we've come to in the wake of 4th-and-2-Gate:

ONE - The most sober, reasoned, rational, fact-filled and well-thought responses were provided by the citizen-journalists in the dreaded "blogosphere."

TWO - The old Molotov-****tail-tossing character assassins from the traditional mainstream media paraded through the streets of cyberspace as if it were Kill-a-Jew Day in the Gaza Strip. "Death to Belichick! Death to Belichick!"

It's a fascinating dichotomy."

In reality whenever a team becomes dominate the media and everyone else begins to hate them. Trust me. I root for Alabama in college.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

LOL, they got you hook, line and sinker.

How did they get me hook, like and sinker? WEEI has been a ratings monster for years. They don't need to set up bogus animosity storylines with each other to draw ratings. Welcome to the world of big media and WEEI is a big time radio powerhouse. If you think media outlets, be they radio or TV or newspapers are just one big happy family you're amazingly naive. Talk about LOL! There are raging egos and jealousy over contracts, over timeslots, over who has the pull to land what guest, etc.
D & C and the Big Show do not like one another. It is real and it is genuine.
Look upon these show hosts as independent contractors who work at WEEI. They have no relevance to one another other than the fact that they pull a paycheck from WEEI. They work different hours, have different styles, run with different topics, make different money et al and they don't have to like each other to be spectacularly successful. They don't and they are!!

 

[cmasspatsfan]

It's all completely predictable. Sit back. Enjoy it or ignore it. I try to ignore it, but also have learned to "embrace the hate" and kind of get a laugh out of it sometimes.

Being a diehard fan since the early 70's Im thrilled that we're relavent enough to cause so much hate, I dont only embrace it, I bask in it and hope it continues for a long time.

 

[farn]

Everyone hates a winner.

I love BB. Hope he sticks around for the next 20 years !

 

[PatsFan24]

Thanks for posting that.

A friend of mine put it well after listening/watching ESPN and WFAN on Monday: "You would have thought Belichick had killed someone."

I could see the national hysteria if "The Call" cost the Patriots a playoff game or a spot in the playoffs, but it was a regular season game in November. It sucked to see the gamble fail and the team lose, but there are 7 more games, plus the playoffs, to go. This wasn't close to "Grady Little in the 2003 ALCS" territory.

or to compare BB to Bill Buckner like one a-hole writer did, is just stupid. there is a bit of a difference between letting a ground ball go between your legs that would have won the WS and not getting it on 4th down against the colts in mid season. jackass