I Love Sports, I Loathe the Media

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Before we get to the rant portion of this post, Army got to sing first on Saturday.

Singing first means you lost the game. (For those who didn't know that.)

It was hard fought, though to be honest, I thought Army was going to walk away with this one. Navy scored first to make it 7 - 0. Then Army scored sixteen unanswered points to make it 16 - 7.

Navy eventually woke up and played like they had in the first quarter, pulling off a 17 - 16 win.

I missed the end of the game. Why?

While watching the game, the local news media interrupted the broadcast to announce that Brown University, in Providence, some 11 miles as the crow flies from Chez Sarge, was under lockdown/shelter in place for an active shooter.

Were there any announcements of what areas to avoid near Brown? Vague indications which only made sense to someone who actually lives in Providence. But to much of Rhode Island would be as meaningful as "places to avoid in downtown Tashkent."

The media in Providence thinks that Providence is the only inhabited place in Rhode Island. I stopped watching them years ago for precisely that reason.

For instance - I'm stuck in traffic trying to get off "The Island" (which is what the people in Newport County call Aquidneck Island, where I used to work), and am wondering "what the Hell is going on?" So I turn on the radio.

"Watch out for traffic near Thurbers Avenue as blah blah blah ..." Doesn't help me, I'm not in Providence, I'm in Portsmouth, why is our traffic backed up. Listen to Providence media, and you get the feeling that where you live doesn't exist.

Anyhoo ...

So they interrupt the game to bring us what is indeed important news. But of course, being talking heads, they have to blather on for fifteen minutes telling us that "it's an evolving situation, we'll update you as we hear the facts, blah blah blah ..."

Finally we get back to the game and I've missed some key plays. Of course, the local channel is running a banner across the bottom of the screen telling us that they still don't know shit but damn it, we're going to keep bombarding you with the information that we don't have, hope to get, and we'll keep you updated.

We don't loathe the media enough. It's run by idiots, the on air "personalities" don't know how to gather news, they just read stuff off of their laptops, stumbling over words at times.

So now another huge announcement, there's going to be a press conference. They have to come on live to tell us that. So officially we'll be briefed that no one knows f**king anything but now we'll get it from the governor and the chief of police. Ah, "experts."

Bottom line, once Navy kicked the extra point to go ahead of Army that was it. I missed the remainder of the game, the two teams singing, the whole atmosphere which makes the Army-Navy game so special.

No doubt we'll get to the point where they'll identify the shooter, name the victims, and call for more gun control, after all, this is a red state. They think by making new laws you can prevent certain behaviors.

I mean I get it, my heart goes out to those who were killed, two as I write, and those who were injured, nine at last count. But come on media dopes, bring us news, not speculation, not who has responded. Tell us it's ongoing and where to avoid going. Anything other than that and you're being inefficient and annoying.

News is news, if there's an update, tell us. That there will be an update to the story is NOT EFFING NEWS. I mean isn't that effing obvious?

So I feel kinda bad ranting about this when people have died, but seriously, give us news we can use you media types, don't be on air just for the sake of being on air.

I don't hate the media, I loathe them.

/rant

Sarge, out.