The Philadelphia Inquirer should change the word Philadelphia to National. How could they put that article "Incites/ A McNabb trade (In theory)" in the paper and call it a story?
First of all let's agree that the National Inquirer looks for an excuse to write a famous person's name in the paper which they believe will generate interest. You see a big headline about Britney Spears being kidnapped by aliens but the following article doesn't substantiate it. They run a headline about Harrison Ford undergoing a sex change operation but you read the article and you realize that the claim is bogus. Now, the local coverage of the Eagles and more specifically McNabb, has turned into National Inquirer-like coverage. The print and electronic media will run with anything that allows them to print or say McNabb's name. They talk about any and everything concerning McNabb regardless of its stupidity. It's not journalism and nobody should try to fool themselves. I don't want to hear anybody ducking behind the word journalism because everybody knows this stuff isn't journalism, it's chasing the dollar. You hear all these screams for McNabb to talk, then when he talks you read and hear all this nonsense with everybody wanting to play psychologist. Let's examine the theory or story in the Inquirer.
The National Inquirer, I mean the Philadelphia Inquirer is under pressure because newspapers are struggling so they now wind up writing bogus stories like the one about the Eagles trading Donovan McNabb to the Bears for unhappy linebacker Lance Briggs. The article is substantiated by nothing. They didn't talk to anybody with the Eagles or the Bears and they called it an underreported story. They don't talk to anybody but this all knowing sage of football and that makes this a story. They could have said it's a theory but how could it be a story when there's nothing there to report.
I must admit that the Philly Inquirer isn't alone in their decision to turn their coverage of McNabb and the Eagles into National Inquirer type reporting. The entire coverage has become National Inquirer-like. You hear all types of nonsense about how McNabb thinks, and how he walks, and how he sits, and how he shakes hands, or smiles. How far are we going to go? Are one of the journalists, and I use the term loosely, going to follow McNabb into the bathroom? It's everything but football now with the coverage of McNabb because he helps everybody make money. Unfortunately a lot of the peope don't realize that most of the McNabb coverage is nonsense.
I really find it funny when somebody in the media talks about how McNabb gets himself into so many controversial situations, when the truth of the matter is, we in the media make things controversial even if they're not. If McNabb wakes up in the morning and breathes, somebody in the local media will be looking for a way to make it controversial. Since so many people are living off of him, local media people insist on him talking as much as possible, so everybody can make more loot. All of that screaming about him letting Eagles fans down by not talking, is a cover. McNabb not talking make people in the local sports media have to work a little harder.
That Inquirer about McNabb being traded to the Bears isn'tt a story and it's stupid. How could the Eagles trade Donovan McNabb just before a season in which they have a legitimate chance to go to the Super Bowl? They're going to hand over the control of their offense to A.J. Feeley and rely on him and Kelly Holcomb to lead this team to a Super Bowl. This theory supposedly came from "one of the area's most sage football observers". Johnny Bananas wouldn't believe this stupidity, but I have to admit that the scam worked. I saw that this nonsense theory was the most viewed story in the sports section of Philly.com on Sunday.
You see how low the coverage of the Eagles has come. It's all National Inquirer stuff. People write and say nearly anything as an excuse to get the Eagles and Donovan McNabb in the paper, on the radio or television because it will help you make money. I admit I'm not doing this website for my health, but I'm not going to turn into the National Inquirer and just write anything so I can write McNabb's name. Remember these nonsense stories, the next time a sports media person starts ranting about athletes being money hungry.
