In my dreamy little bubble each NFL team's beat writers would concentrate on reporting the stories of the teams that they cover rather than creating stories. It's a lovely bubble but it's far from reality.
Twice this season Minnesota Vikings beat writers jumped all over something, reported it as if it were fact, and then as things do these days it spread around the nation like a virus. In each case the story wasn't what was first reported but it was too late to take it back. The initial, inaccurate story was far more saucy than the truth. So, that's what most people remembered.
After the Week 6 bye, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer brought some stuffed cats to the team's facility with an ultimate destination of a Toys for Tots charity. In the meantime he used these stuffed kitties as a motivational tool for his then 5-0 team to not come back from their break like "fat cats." A bit silly, but innocent. Someone, other than Zimmer, got hold of these poor kitties and staged something of a slaughter of them. Perhaps involving some red paint. Who really knows at this point? Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran with the story of Zimmer's murderous ways without bothering to check to see if it had even happened. It hadn't. Vensel's story spread around the nation. USA Today, Deadspin, Pro Football Talk, and other news giants were all over the strange happenings in Minnesota. The Mike Zimmer Foundation, run by his daughters, had to start the correct narrative. The coach had nothing to do with the supposed slaughter of the stuffed kitties. Zimmer, himself, furthered the truth by addressing it at his weekly press conference. The last thing that an NFL head coach wants to address at these inane press conferences is a stupid, inaccurate story such as this. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that Vensel wasn't at that press conference. A few news outlets mentioned Zimmer's innocence but that story wasn't as much fun as the incorrect one. Two months later, I still hear some talking heads mention Zimmer's odd motivational tools. Accepting the truth isn't as much fun as perpetuating an attention-grabbing lie.
The second instance of Vikings beat writers jumping on and running with a story before they even know if there really is a story took place this past weekend. That's the supposed defensive back mutiny during the Week 16 game against the Green Bay Packers. At first it was reported that the defensive backs ignored the game plan and went rogue with their coverage of Packers receiver Jordy Nelson for the entire first half. Over the next couple of days the mutiny was scaled back to part of the first half. Then it became only the first series. The initial story was the only story that seemed to matter. Even if it was gathered by pasting together sound bites from a pissed off player and an annoyed head coach that were clearly frustrated with a playoff-eliminating loss to a division rival. Sports reporters are way too interested in creating drama than accuracy. A band of rogue players defying their coach is far more interesting than a momentary deviation from the game plan. We often see coaches yelling at players during a game. More often than not it's because the player didn't do what he was supposed to do. On a single play, on several plays, or on an entire drive. It happens in every game. It's not a mutiny. It's a football team, players and coaches, not being on the same page for an entire game. It's football. It happens. When reporters have to scramble to adjust their story as they move forward it's a great indication that they didn't get it right to start.
Sports reporters should concentrate on reporting. Getting things right. Most aren't good enough writers to dabble in fiction.
One of the biggest problems with the Vikings beat writers, and probably with most team's beat writers, is that they don't really know football. Over the past two offseasons, Zimmer has given the Vikings beat writers a little football tutorial. He's brought them into the team's offices for a day and gone through game film with them. Breaking down film, grading players, creating a game plan, etc. If I were a Vikings beat writer I'd be thrilled with the opportunity. These writers were suspicious. Instead of appreciating Zimmer's football generosity they asked him "why" he did it. "I thought that you'd find it interesting," was his answer. They should find it interesting because they don't know enough about the sport that they cover. They could all use some football tutoring. They run with stories that aren't. They create stories when they shouldn't. They write about aspects of football that they don't understand. They really should appreciate and take advantage of the opportunity rather than question it.
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