Once again the NFL flacks (Press Relations folk) are combing the earth for all kinds of stories to feed the lazy press, as we trail up to The Happening. (If you think Super Bowl is a sports event you're living on another planet.)
We'll get truckloads of Peyton stories, of course, to tittilate the ladies especially. And the Dungy family tragedy of last year will be squeezed for more sobs.
But more, a lot more, is required to be served up to the hungry national and global media. And so the flacks will be working overtime to satisfy the need.
Probably the first twitters are already out there. Who knows what it will be, or what comes next? Little Sisters of the Poor in Chicago who pray for the Bears? Disabled childrens who have adopted the Colts players?
The cousin of a brother or a player who saved five people from drowning?
A coach whose wife won the last National Chili-Cookoff?
Whatever scorches your shorts. Personally, I just disconnect from it all. I have a bet in on one of the teams, but for me football season is OVER.
The press is in attendance mostly to party - and NFL is past master at tossing shindigs. Sure, the scribblers will rouse themselves enough to do mass interviews with players, and hope there's a T.O. in the bunch who will hotdog like Weinerschnitzel or put foot firmly in mouth like our Commander in Chief.
But the press won't generally go after the more esoteric stories. Hell, boys, that's up to the flacks.
If you see different media repeating the same tale, with slight variations and nuances, maybe an added source, you can rightly assume that it was NFL-generated.
The flacks will actually write the story, then leave it to the reporters and editors to rework it in their own style. They'll even supply source phone numbers and addresses. They call it a "press release."
Oh yes, it's hardly unknown for the press to leech on each other, usually without attributiion. Let someone else do the footwork and then come in with your own slant. I've even had desperate, deadline-stressed writers for the mightly L.A. Times contact me asking for phone numbers of sources I quoted in stories I did for other media! What noive!, as they say in New York.
But for the most part the sports writers appreciate and rely upon the NFL Flack Machine, makes their jobs a lot easier. Especially right around now, when these shiftless, sybaritic types prefer to party in Florida.
We'll get truckloads of Peyton stories, of course, to tittilate the ladies especially. And the Dungy family tragedy of last year will be squeezed for more sobs.
But more, a lot more, is required to be served up to the hungry national and global media. And so the flacks will be working overtime to satisfy the need.
Probably the first twitters are already out there. Who knows what it will be, or what comes next? Little Sisters of the Poor in Chicago who pray for the Bears? Disabled childrens who have adopted the Colts players?
The cousin of a brother or a player who saved five people from drowning?
A coach whose wife won the last National Chili-Cookoff?
Whatever scorches your shorts. Personally, I just disconnect from it all. I have a bet in on one of the teams, but for me football season is OVER.
The press is in attendance mostly to party - and NFL is past master at tossing shindigs. Sure, the scribblers will rouse themselves enough to do mass interviews with players, and hope there's a T.O. in the bunch who will hotdog like Weinerschnitzel or put foot firmly in mouth like our Commander in Chief.
But the press won't generally go after the more esoteric stories. Hell, boys, that's up to the flacks.
If you see different media repeating the same tale, with slight variations and nuances, maybe an added source, you can rightly assume that it was NFL-generated.
The flacks will actually write the story, then leave it to the reporters and editors to rework it in their own style. They'll even supply source phone numbers and addresses. They call it a "press release."
Oh yes, it's hardly unknown for the press to leech on each other, usually without attributiion. Let someone else do the footwork and then come in with your own slant. I've even had desperate, deadline-stressed writers for the mightly L.A. Times contact me asking for phone numbers of sources I quoted in stories I did for other media! What noive!, as they say in New York.
But for the most part the sports writers appreciate and rely upon the NFL Flack Machine, makes their jobs a lot easier. Especially right around now, when these shiftless, sybaritic types prefer to party in Florida.
