I'm going to make people mad here. I'm mad. Or as my wife says, disappointed and frustrated. Too many syllables for me.
Mad at whom? At our local Duck media. Not all, some. Specifically, the talking heads and off-screen interviewers of our coaches and players. Mad about what? About the quality of their content.
I've read, watched, and listened. I've come up with reasons and excuses for them. In the end, I've concluded some of our media folks aren't doing their jobs very well.
No argument from me, the media's content is their choice, or the choice of who pays their salaries. But ultimately, don't WE pay their salaries? Isn't good content just good business?
OUR media should ask, listen, and respond for us, how we would, if we were highly skilled interviewers. That's what we pay them for. Our media should also reflect our hope and energy for, encouragement of, and, yes, BELIEF in our Ducks.
Want an example of what I see is good content? Watch Greg McElroy of ESPN interview Dan Lanning on 10/25:
When did you last see anything like that from local media?
Me neither. On the few occasions I actually hear an ungarbled question from local media, it often sounds like a gotcha, or complicated/confusing, or self-serving, or softball, or all four. Sometimes, almost combative. And delivery of the question is usually stilted and stiff, dry as dirt. Like a stick is stuck somewhere. Honestly, it often looks and sounds tinny, amateur, mediocre. Not always, often. Coach and player interviews, both.
In contrast, take a look at anything Dawg (careful, not dawg). Two quotes say it for me, 'Dawgs's family, y'all!', and, 'On Saturdays, not only Athens shuts down, the whole State shuts down.'
I want THAT. Everybody pushing the cart the same direction, with all they've got.
Our Ducks are getting really good, maybe great. More than that, we love our Ducks, or as Charles says, 'beloved.' Our media needs to reflect the quality of our team AND our love. It's circular, it SHOULD be a positive feedback loop. Always.
Duck media folks, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. Better media is out there, instantly available. To study, adapt, improve, evolve. Use our Ducks as your inspiration. YOU are your competition. Get better, one step, one day at a time.
OBDF has clout. People think seriously about what we say here. That's a step to doing something about it.