I Just Couldn't Help IT....

Honestly, writing another potentially long post about a difficult, tough and controversial subject wasn't really what I had in mind this evening.  No I'm tired, very HOT (yes we are fighting the ridiculous Air Conditioner WAR again around here) and really just wanted to go to bed...or at least lay down for a good read. Yet there has been so much Joe Paterno and Penn State talk on the TV and radio that I truly feel an obligation to say SOMETHING.


I'm not defending Paterno or any of the other Penn State Leadership...they clearly looked the other way when Jerry Sandusky's behavior was first brought up to them and then continued to look the other way for the following 14 years out of fear of embarrassing that HOLY Institution: Penn State Football. This was obvious to me right from the very beginning.


Before I say anything else I want to say something to the new reader here on Shell Shock or someone who doesn't know my personal story. I was physically beaten and raped as a 12 year old boy by 3 grown men who I did not know. It was more then 15 years before I ever told another person. Needless to say that was a life altering event and certainly played some role in my alcoholism/drug addiction as well. So I have been sexually assaulted just as the victims of Jerry Sandusky were and have...perhaps just a slightly different view of this case and how it is being handled then most people might.


What really bothers me now that Sandusky has been tried and convicted is how the press is handling this whole thing. Almost as a whole entity...sports media in the U.S. are all full of crap...NOW they jump on Joe, now it's suddenly a story and all these people are so outraged by what went on. Where was the judgement and outrage before? Simply..It wasn't the time yet for outrage...they needed to milk other aspects of the story first.


Frankly I don't believe that anyone at ESPN is outraged by this whole report on Penn State...NO, I think from the President through the TV/Radio personalities like Colin Cowherd, Mark May and the various Sports Center hosts to the lowest Intern are jumping with absolute GLEE about this story. Why? It sells advertising baby and has legs...meaning they can milk this story the rest of the summer! They don't need to manufacture news today as they so often do starting each day with ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike Show. No because this really is news...they will exploit (what an appropriate word, eh?!) this sucker for all it's worth! I know that sounds cynical and jaded but The Weather Channel does the same thing with storms...they'll turn a series of thunderstorms on a slow days day into a major "Weather Event".


ESPN even went so far as to humiliate one of their own football analysts, Matt Millen who played at Penn Sate for Paterno on Sports Center and had Sports Center Host Chris McKendry tear him apart for defending his old coach at one time. Of course HE is now OUTRAGED too....the key word there being NOW.


ESPN is not the only media outlet exploiting this story...they all are because it's too lucrative a story to pass up but since they ARE the sports media in the United States they take the lead...almost by default....they are so powerful they literally become judge and jury on sports issues in this country because they can control how much exposure a story will get. Every one of their reports and reporters (like Jeremy Schaap) suddenly is acting so HOLIER Then Though like: "How Dare Penn State Betray Those Children. Well where have they been concerning those kids before now? THAT wasn't the best selling news angle then...it is NOW so they run with it.


Honestly I don't really have an axe to grind with the media...I'm not naive..they are in the business to sell news...it is not a higher calling being a reporter...no, it's more like whoring and getting paid a fortune to do it. They are all phony, pretend to have an emotional reaction to stuff and it is all an act to sell advertising and make BILLIONS of dollars world wide. And nobody does that job in sports media better then ESPN. And I, like millions of sports fans eat it up...watching Sports Center every day....I'm just as guilty as they are for doing so.


But, tonight I am just tired of hearing about all the outrage...where was there supposed outrage before. It's a joke...a political correctness influenced joke. Every reporter HAS to come out on the side of OUTRAGE or they will look bad and make their employer look bad as well. Even Matt Millen had to throw his mentor and dear friend JoPa under the bus or he more then likely would have been fired from his Football analyst job at ESPN. Nobody in their right mind (other then his family) would or could defend Joe Paterno right now. It's political and employment suicide...