No Jokes Here--This is just an Incredibly Tasteless Article
I'm gonna wait a bit to post this so Larry's excellent Easterbrook send-up doesn't get buried, but this is just an incredibly tasteless piece of journalism.
As you may know, Gene Upshaw, the head of the NFLPA players' union died on Wednesday. The next day, Gregg Doyel had this article ready.
You may agree or disagree with Upshaw's policies and opinions*. A lot of people did. Mike Ditka for instance. But I hope you'll agree that publicly excoriating a man for something relatively trivial--like the fact that his policies as NFLPA were slightly conservative--the day after his untimely death is more or less appalling. Read the whole article, if you have a chance. If you don't, I hope these first 4 paragraphs will suffice as an example of the garbage contained beyond
Just ridiculous. "At some point you have to get past the emotions surrounding a man's death and understand what his death means?". Sure. Agreed 100%. But most of us wait till the body's cold
This is going to seem callous, but at some point you have to get past the emotions surrounding a man's death and understand what his death means. And in the case of Gene Upshaw's death, what it means for the NFL is potentially catastrophic.
You think the world was a better place with Gene Upshaw in it? Fine. I'm sure it was. He was a great player, a tough guy, a man of integrity. The world was better with Gene Upshaw in it. That's a nice, happy thought.
Here's a counter thought:
The NFL owners' world was a better place with Gene Upshaw in it ... and in charge of the NFL players union.
With Upshaw gone -- figuratively and, sadly, literally -- the NFL owners' world just took a turn for the terrifying.
*I would elaborate a little more on my personal feelings about the NFLPA but that would be somewhat hypocritical, no? And really quite irrelevant to this post
5 comments:
It does indeed seem callous, but Doyel has a point. And he must really have a point in order for me to agree with that shitbag.
I should make it clear--I don't necessarily DISAGREE with Doyel.
However, it might have been tactful to wait until the man was buried to launch into a tirade about his tenure as NFLPA commissioner
I'm not sure if this one qualifies as "tirade" status. Doyel mentioned some positive things that Upshaw did for the league as well, like working for compromises and avoiding strikes.
That having been said, page 2 of this article has the "too soon" label all over it. I'm with Chris on the "don't take shots at anyone in a newspaper right after their death" issue.
Not to mention the title: "Upshaw's family will miss him, but the owners will miss him too" or whatever?
No spanks.
The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the overly critical sportswriters table.
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