If you were to go back into the annals of BLEUMAFIA, back in the beginning of the season previews in 2018…You’d find a bit on how I wanted Buffalo sports media to take a new tone. Out with the old negative stale coverage, feasting on failure and reaping weeping listeners on AM radio and filling newspapers with failure toxicity. I aimed to create a new space, which honors the athlete, despite the outcome. I am a former athlete and played QB, but not at the level of NFL athletes. I understand the art of war however, and that is why I continue to crave and digest the game. Not for notoriety, or clout, or to be famous. Because the game gave me something I can never give it back, but I can try by telling the stories I see, based off what I know. The game gave me so much, the least I can do is try to explain to people why it’s the greatest game on earth.
So, what’s this rant about anyway?
Canned Air
I don’t wish any ill or negativity on anyone, but I come to Bleumafia today to talk about the canned air fluff media coverage of the Bills here in WNY. I understand that when a journalist works for a company or brand, there are going to be jurisdictions they must follow, and intentions they must meet. I have never worked in TV news or a newspaper. I have been interviewed by journalists after games. I have a brother who is often interviewed by local journalists after his games he coaches. I spent a few weeks trying to have an internship at Citadel Broadcasting- aka 103.3 The EDGE and 97 Rock, but ended up holding a parking flag at Lancaster Speedway cruise night as Jixter, Shredd and Raegan and the rest of the talent thrived. One lesson learned here. Wait your turn.
I have been a person who has studied sports, team culture, athlete psychology and sports media my entire life. I have a degree from Buffalo State in Journalism and Production. The coverage on the Buffalo Bills is simply, lackluster. Maybe I don’t want to be in line to wait my turn to ask questions and make inferences on my own accord?
The team itself is an absolute gold mine. What pains me is the canned air, repetitive lifecycle of boring questions, inner circle access, and gloating over being more aware. Just because a journalist HAS access, doesn’t mean someone who doesn’t DOESN’T have the right to inference. Simply seeking further intel into the chemistry and real life status of the locker room is interesting to most, especially myself.
I’ve been talked down to on AM radio over a suggestion about Colton Schmidt being a better choice as a holder than Corey Bojorquez, back when Shmidt and Hauschka were allegedly best friends. My mere inkling that chemistry of kicker and holder could be in question, a realistic concern based on poor production, was met with scoff of impossibility of reality, that that just “doesn’t happen in NFL locker rooms.” The access makes the journalist. I tend to disagree. I’d love to hear about the chemistry of Hauschka and Bojorquez to this day lol.
Conspiracy or Question Mark?
When journalists belong to the “in” crowd, it’s clear they are limited to what types of questions they can ask. Right? That must be the only reason why you hardly ever see a journalist ask a TOUGH question. How intimidated by the players are some of these writers? Some show so much brevity they seem to think YOU should be intimidated by THEM if you were to happen to have the pleasure of meeting them through some Buffalo connection. Im Ron Burgandy?
Understandably asking the wrong question or sparking the wrong minute of mental joust with an NFL player or coach could cost someone the access they worked so hard for, but COME ON. It’s as if the primary media heads in WNY are all in a little clique, and no one is allowed in the club. An extension of Bills PR, practically. All good, all fluff, but not what I was hoping for back when Jerry Sullivan and Bucky Gleason got shitcanned. I could use a little realistic skepticism about now!! Beane and Mac have us in a good place, but What do THEY think could hold Josh back this year? What are the Bills going to do with Mac Jones this year? What is the talk of the rookie in NY? We already know WHAT they did, WHY did we draft 2 DL? WHY are the Pegula’s mentioning leaving? There are ALWAYS better questions to demonstrate the depth, love and nuances of this great game and these great men. (and women)
I once on Twitter engaged with a local TV media guru on the repetitive signing over the years of Bills players by the divisionally dominant Patriots. I long questioned why we would allow, or choose to send our players, and all the intel they have on us, to someone we had been chasing for almost 2 decades. Russell Bodine. Stephon Gilmore. Chris Hogan. Mike Gilislee. Alan Branch. Just to name a few. Admittedly I was fairly new to Twitter, having not been on there for a few years since college. I echoed my conspiracy in inner circles for years before entering a twitter world I did not know was so responsive. I felt surely this man with locker room access would provide me with some insightful answer, maybe a tinge of consideration, even a playful laugh over my tin hat theory that the Pats were intentionally ripping us off.
Once again my inquisitive question mark was met with scoffs of “This doesn’t happen in NFL locker rooms.” The thought of the Patriots intentionally acquiring Bills players for the competitive advantage of gaining our symbolic “playbook” was met with disbelief that someone would even consider a notion. This was idiotic do even consider!
More fuel for a thirsty journalist. A cold realization that answers will not come from employed journalists. Those with Access, won’t give you answers to the questions you have about the inside, and you don’t even understand enough to ask. Why? What would I need to do to gain their trust so I could ask them and hear what they REALLY think? Who the FUCK cares what they think anyway? You don’t ask the clock how to tell time?
I want the truth from the horses mouth. In this case, the athletes, coaches, and administration.
Weeping West Coast
A recent journalist who covered the Bills, and did a pretty good job I think, probably one of the best, announced today that he would no longer be covering the Bills. I was extremely confused to hear, that though he did such a good job, it was being done from apparently the west coast? I’m sure he spent time here in Buffalo, and I am making assumptions purely based of minimal context announcement tweets, but how is one of the top reporters and beat writers doing such a good job if they aren’t even here? Zoom and the pandemic surely came into play, as many pressers were held on zoom, but I was sort of shocked to hear, based on the depth of his coverage in comparison to his local, hometown “hero” community counterparts.
It doesn’t really matter what I think about sports journalists or what they should do better. I know that. But what I really want to point out here is, EVERYONE should be a journalist. You don’t need to listen to sports talk radio to understand what you care about about football. Nothing the guy on the TV says means more than what you think. What you think, could be very true. Ask someone. Learn. Never quit learning. The game continues to teach me new things every time I watch a player inspire his teammate or make an incredibly innovative play. Leaders teach us life lessons every press conference on how to be successful. If only you could ask the player what the truth was.
I hope that despite my lack of desire to write “for” anyone does not deter my access from the players and the truths to my inferences, but I know it will. It will not prevent me from telling the story the way I see it, from where I stand, as true as I can see it. And maybe someday that truth will grant me access. That’s the only way I want it.
I Pod You Pod We All Pod
One final note. There are a lot of podcasters out there. More specifically, A lot of Billsmafia podcasters. I encourage every one of you to not only keep going, but keep experimenting. Keep trying. Be unique. Be different. Take your take. Shoot Your Shot! There is nothing more coveted in my opinion than accomplishing great things when no one is watching. If I learned anything on the football field it’s that if you work hard, believe in yourself, and make those around you BETTER, you will be rewarded, you will win your freedom. Freedom to be yourself, and achieve, simultaneously.
If you think your listens are low, or no one is listening, or what you do doesn’t matter, it does to me! It inspires me to see people think “on the air” and create works of art in the form of production and messaging. We all should write, read and create MORE! I have a day job to pay the bills. I enjoy writing, producing and creating for other people on a daily basis. I do this for all the people who were there for me while I learned the valuable lessons of life from the great game. Myself, my former teammates, my family and my friends. And the game. The game I grew up watching, and continue to grow up watching, even at 31. The players. I encourage everyone to create rather than consume.I didn’t know back in 2015 as a young drunken college kid I’d have my own website, blog, podcast, logo and successfully nickname the QB of the Bills, but here I am. The truth is, I don’t belong doing anything else.
This is not a knock on Buffalo sports media.
Well, yea it is. One of the benefits of being a self proclaimed journalist and not receiving a paycheck to get told what to write or say is, being able to write or say whatever you want, whenever you want. This website is a complete creative cloud of my own thoughts, with no filler, no assignment, no jurisdiction. I write about the Bills here, and have begun podcasting, because I want to tell the PLAYERS story, the way its SUPPOSED to be told. I don’t do it for a boss, or a paycheck or for my name to play before the game starts. I do it because of what the game gave me.
The Truth.
