Yakuza Rich
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C.R.E.A.M - Cash Rules Everything About the Media
by Yakuza Rich
http://yakuzarich.blogspot.com/
The hypocrisies of the sports media reared its ugly head again this past week when the Patriots traded a 4th round pick to the Oakland Raiders for volatile WR Randy Moss. After watching all of the events unfold, I started thinking of the Wu-Tang classic track "C.R.E.A.M" which stands for "Cash Rules Everything Around Me because I concluded that statement is mostly, if not entirely true.
Before the trade actually happened, Moss was considered to be a washed up, has-been. A malcontent who loafed around on the field and was a "locker room cancer." A guy who didn't have the blazing speed anymore, couldn't run routes to begin with and just too much of a headache for any team. Then something miraculous happened to Moss the player and even the person. He was traded to the New England Patriots.
Within minutes of the trade Moss was the old Moss, perhaps even a better than before version than Randy Moss. Suddenly he was running 4.2 forty times, was a good route runner that wasn't afraid to go over the middle, was liked by his teammates, and would give a full effort if he was on a winning team. Of course this befuddled myself and fans of the Raiders and the Vikings who had seen the Randy Moss act for years and I soon came to realize that most sports media folk had not watched football since 1998 or they really do believe Bill Belichick invented the game of football back in 2000.
But the big question I asked myself is "where is all the media hooplah that went with this trade that the Cowboys got with Terrell Owens last season?"
Remember that? Remember the sports media trying to read body language, reading lips and making fiascos out of the smallest little things? Remember the media asking Parcells 35 questions in his first half hour press conference and then starting off with more Owens questions the very next day?
I sure do.
And what's really sad and more hypocritical is that the Cowboys never gave up anything for Owens, whereas the Pats gave up a 4th rounder. The Cowboys signed Owens to a very cap friendly contract. And the Patriots were supposed to be the team that only took "team first" type of players. Say what you will about Dallas, but Jones and Parcells had taken their fare share of egocentric players, including Keyshawn Johnson, and never bragged about being an organization of "team first" players.
Yet there's little mention of Moss being an issue with the Patriots. Supposedly he's completely reinvented himself, Belichick can handle him, and if not they can always cut him. Well, the same could've been easily said for Owens and the Cowboys last year. Except it never was mentioned.
But the reality of it is the Cowboys, whether people like it or not, are a ratings bonanza. Here's a look at the top rated regular season games according to the Nielsen Media Research:
1. Dec. 3 -- FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Giants), 27.6 million
2. Nov. 26 -- FOX Sunday National (mostly Bears-Patriots), 24.2 million
3. Nov. 23 -- FOX Thanksgiving Day (Bucs-Cowboys), 23.8 million
4. Nov. 19 -- CBS Sunday National (mostly Colts-Cowboys), 23.4 million
5. Dec. 25 -- NBC Christmas Day (Eagles-Cowboys), 23.2 million
6. Sept. 10 -- FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Jaguars), 22.7 million
7. Sept. 10 -- NBC Sunday Night (Colts-Giants), 22.6 million
8. Oct. 8 -- FOX Sunday National (Cowboys-Eagles), 22.1 million
Not only did Dallas have 6 of the top 8 highest rated regular season games last season, but they also had the top rated Monday Night game last year (versus the Giants) and the top rated Wildcard Playoff game in NFL Wildcard history.
As good as the Patriots are, as controversial as Randy Moss is, and as revered Bill Belichick is as a head coach, they cannot hold a candle to the interest that Cowboys brings to the table and what Owens brings to the table. Combining both Owens and the Cowboys makes for unparalleled notoriety.
With that, expect the media circus with Owens and Dallas to continue in 2007 and for it to overshadow anything that is presented on Moss and the Patriots. It simply serves in the media's best interests to do so as Owens and the Cowboys equal more ratings, more newspaper and magazine buys, and more Web site clicks.
Of course the media could do their customers a favor and do their correct job by presenting facts and avoiding speculation. But we've seen this story before, it's all about getting the money...dollar dollar bill, y'all.
YAKUZA
by Yakuza Rich
http://yakuzarich.blogspot.com/
The hypocrisies of the sports media reared its ugly head again this past week when the Patriots traded a 4th round pick to the Oakland Raiders for volatile WR Randy Moss. After watching all of the events unfold, I started thinking of the Wu-Tang classic track "C.R.E.A.M" which stands for "Cash Rules Everything Around Me because I concluded that statement is mostly, if not entirely true.
Before the trade actually happened, Moss was considered to be a washed up, has-been. A malcontent who loafed around on the field and was a "locker room cancer." A guy who didn't have the blazing speed anymore, couldn't run routes to begin with and just too much of a headache for any team. Then something miraculous happened to Moss the player and even the person. He was traded to the New England Patriots.
Within minutes of the trade Moss was the old Moss, perhaps even a better than before version than Randy Moss. Suddenly he was running 4.2 forty times, was a good route runner that wasn't afraid to go over the middle, was liked by his teammates, and would give a full effort if he was on a winning team. Of course this befuddled myself and fans of the Raiders and the Vikings who had seen the Randy Moss act for years and I soon came to realize that most sports media folk had not watched football since 1998 or they really do believe Bill Belichick invented the game of football back in 2000.
But the big question I asked myself is "where is all the media hooplah that went with this trade that the Cowboys got with Terrell Owens last season?"
Remember that? Remember the sports media trying to read body language, reading lips and making fiascos out of the smallest little things? Remember the media asking Parcells 35 questions in his first half hour press conference and then starting off with more Owens questions the very next day?
I sure do.
And what's really sad and more hypocritical is that the Cowboys never gave up anything for Owens, whereas the Pats gave up a 4th rounder. The Cowboys signed Owens to a very cap friendly contract. And the Patriots were supposed to be the team that only took "team first" type of players. Say what you will about Dallas, but Jones and Parcells had taken their fare share of egocentric players, including Keyshawn Johnson, and never bragged about being an organization of "team first" players.
Yet there's little mention of Moss being an issue with the Patriots. Supposedly he's completely reinvented himself, Belichick can handle him, and if not they can always cut him. Well, the same could've been easily said for Owens and the Cowboys last year. Except it never was mentioned.
But the reality of it is the Cowboys, whether people like it or not, are a ratings bonanza. Here's a look at the top rated regular season games according to the Nielsen Media Research:
1. Dec. 3 -- FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Giants), 27.6 million
2. Nov. 26 -- FOX Sunday National (mostly Bears-Patriots), 24.2 million
3. Nov. 23 -- FOX Thanksgiving Day (Bucs-Cowboys), 23.8 million
4. Nov. 19 -- CBS Sunday National (mostly Colts-Cowboys), 23.4 million
5. Dec. 25 -- NBC Christmas Day (Eagles-Cowboys), 23.2 million
6. Sept. 10 -- FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Jaguars), 22.7 million
7. Sept. 10 -- NBC Sunday Night (Colts-Giants), 22.6 million
8. Oct. 8 -- FOX Sunday National (Cowboys-Eagles), 22.1 million
Not only did Dallas have 6 of the top 8 highest rated regular season games last season, but they also had the top rated Monday Night game last year (versus the Giants) and the top rated Wildcard Playoff game in NFL Wildcard history.
As good as the Patriots are, as controversial as Randy Moss is, and as revered Bill Belichick is as a head coach, they cannot hold a candle to the interest that Cowboys brings to the table and what Owens brings to the table. Combining both Owens and the Cowboys makes for unparalleled notoriety.
With that, expect the media circus with Owens and Dallas to continue in 2007 and for it to overshadow anything that is presented on Moss and the Patriots. It simply serves in the media's best interests to do so as Owens and the Cowboys equal more ratings, more newspaper and magazine buys, and more Web site clicks.
Of course the media could do their customers a favor and do their correct job by presenting facts and avoiding speculation. But we've seen this story before, it's all about getting the money...dollar dollar bill, y'all.
YAKUZA
