It just occurred to me that the thing I’m going to complain about in some ways explains the success of someone like Donald Trump or Sarah Huckabee Sanders. That is, the elite of this country, especially the Eastern elite – and in this case, the Eastern media establishment – tending to minimize or flat-out ignore things going on between New York and L.A.
But I don’t want to talk about politics. I want to talk about sports.
Has anyone here heard of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Other than my friend Derek Van Lynn, probably not. What about De’Aaron Fox? Anyone? Other than Derek.
You haven’t heard of these people because sports journalism sucks. I should say, sports journalism as practiced by ESPN, the nation’s primary media outlet for sports.
It isn’t even journalism. It is many things – fandom, rumor and gossip – but it isn’t journalism. Take this story and headline, for example, two days after Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic was “stunningly dealt” to the Los Angeles Lakers: “Kyrie Irving ‘grieving’ after Doncic trade: ‘Miss my hermano’.”
Ignoring the ridiculous headline, this story isn’t news, though it was featured in “Top Headlines.” It’s not even a fun puff piece. Rather, it’s noise and garbage, put together by a fan dressing as a journalist. It is a social-media-engineered gossip piece featuring the thoughts and feelings of an overpaid professional athlete – a player who, by the way, received attention years ago for admitting he believed the Earth is flat.
That player, Kyrie Irving, attended Duke University. If he had gone to Oklahoma State or even Kansas, a basketball powerhouse, chances are good no one would know who he is either.
Another player who attended Duke is Zion Williamson, power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans. A one-and-done college phenon, Williamson has spent most of his NBA career on the inactive list due to a series of injuries. This is unfortunate for him, and I have no idea whether he is to blame for any of these injuries or not, but either way, ESPN insists on covering him as if he’s leading the league in scoring. Which he never has.
Several years ago, ESPN and other national sports outlets gushed over a guy named Lonzo Ball. Ball was a decent player, but the main reason he received so much attention was his father, a sports-apparel and sports-marketing loudmouth.
That year, Ball’s UCLA Bruins lost to the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament. Ball got outplayed by an explosive Kentucky guard. Both players graduated to the NBA, Ball getting drafted second overall and the Kentucky player fifth.
Since then, Ball has played for three NBA teams and spent most of his career on the inactive/injured list, never averaging more than 14 points per game. Meanwhile, the Kentucky guard has consistently but quietly averaged more than 20 points per game over a nine-year professional career.
So, who are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and De’Aaron Fox? Both played college ball at Kentucky. Fox is the one who outplayed Lonzo Ball, who somehow still gets more attention, and Gilgeous-Alexander currently leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 32 points per game.
Not Irving, not Doncic, not even Steph Curry or King James (as LeBron).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which right now is red hot and has the best record in the NBA.
But you wouldn’t know it, unless you lived in Oklahoma City or followed the NBA like Derek Van Lynn.
It’s hard being a sports fan in 2025. It’s not Gaza hard or Trump-and-Musk-trying-to-destroy-the-United-States hard, just regular hard.
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That was a lot of sports, and I still loved it!!!
I love me some NBA. And I love me some Matt McGowan.