A mediated media mistake

Sunday: the day of rest. And by rest, I mean sitting in front of my TV watching hours of football. On a normal NFL-seasoned Sunday, the only two thoughts that run through my comatose brain are fantasy stats and food options. However yesterday as I sat on my couch with a finished plate of spaghetti resting on my chest, I couldn’t help but to think, “Jeez, enough with the patriotism. Save it for Monday! (I’m a Jets fan).”

(KB: get ready for a lot of bad jokes this semester)

But in all seriousness, in about eight hours of mesmerized TV watching three to four of those hours were images of American flags, commercials that contained buzz words, “The American Spirit,” or “The American Dream,” and that damn trumpet!

Now please don’t think that I’m a “comunista,” as my friend would say, or worse that I don’t care about the tragic events of 9/11. I simply just want to take a step back and recognize the power of the political media and especially its influence on sports.

Today in the Washington Post, Paul Farhi wrote an interesting article titled, “On Sept. 11, media won’t let us forget.” The article looked at the media coverage of the memorial and its dominating presence over media outlets: “Eight networks carried live coverage of the official memorial ceremonies at the Pentagon, Ground Zero and Shanksville, Pa.,” says Farhi.

The question I ask myself is, “What are the motives behind broadcasting a 24-hour news cycle of the anniversary?” Is it to remember those we’ve lost? Or is it to inflict patriotism? Probably some of both, but when does it become too much?

Now add sports into the mix, especially American football. Let’s dissect the game. It’s played almost only in the United States; racially it’s arguably the most diverse sport; finally it embraces aggression, strategy, teamwork, and toughness.

Football has become almost intertwined with American culture because it captures those American values. Therefore it is expected and should partake in American mediated events, such as a 9/11 tribute, but, in my opinion, the way in which it was displayed felt like an Uncle Sam overload.

The American flag that stretched across the entire football field, the American flag gloves that players wore, and the American jets that flew over the stadium. It was all a spectacle. I felt that it was almost the media’s way to enforce political agenda. And what better venue than a professional football game? With a massive audience who most likely share those American values and characteristics.

As a concluding note, I understand that this is a sensitive subject and no way want to offend anyone, but as a people, we need to recognize the media structure and the roles it plays in our everyday lives.