Super Bowl Media Day Is Ridiculous, But It Has Its Role

The Super Bowl media came and passed and it is like it always is: a hodge-podge of nonsense mixed with a few nuggets.  That's what it is ... and that's fine.

I don't care about it at all.  I don't.  What was intended to be a one-stop shop for the media to get all their "in depth" questions answered and the players can spend the rest of the week working on the game is now a freakshow of the absurdity of what we refer to as media.  What was once a group of beat writers and national news organizations attending is now a parade of bloggers, entertainment press and anyone who can get in the stadium to ask any dumb questions they want.  Even if it "will you marry me" to Tom Brady.

Nothing important comes out of this.  Nothing.  The mythical question of "how long have you been a black quarterback" to Doug Williams didn't even happen.  And that is the most memorable thing that's come from this event.  Today, the most memorable interview was Marshawn Lynch walking off his podium because he's just not that into doing media stuff.  He'll get fined and he won't care.  I doubt anyone else will care what his favorite Real Housewife Of New Jersey is either.

This is where the NFL meets Access Hollywood.  Where athletes have to answer non-football questions.  Where even Peyton Manning can feel out of place in a football setting.

Despite the sports media hating it, the fans shunning it and pretty much all the athletes bemoaning it ... it needs to happen.  It must occur.  If not, then we have a week of stupid stuff leaking out and even more media debate about this and that.  It also is the unofficial start to Super Bowl week.  After a week of chatting up the conference championship games, doing our preliminary breakdowns or the game and hearing every talking head spout off about his predictions, we finally see these guys climb out of their classrooms and into the fun part of the Super Bowl.  The dumb stuff we all seem to embrace about the Super Bowl.

I know.  I'm that guy that hates going to Super Bowl parties.  I rather sit in a room by myself and watch every second of the game.  I like watching the trends, the strategy ... the actual game.  But I do understand and get into all the other stuff.  I understand the parties.  I understand the office pools, the betting lines, the prop bets, the goofy stories and the history of all of it.  I get that and embrace it.

Media day belongs with that.  It is the halftime of the Super Bowl fortnight.  This is the timeout of the game where the lady rides a unicycle while balancing six plates on poles.  The time when all those people who attend those parties just to watch the commercials meet the ones like me who care about what happens between the lines.

And there's nothing wrong with that.  Just let me watch the game and pass the wings.