The article I chose for this week's blog post was titled NFL Power Rankings: Bucs might be screwing up a promising season by signing Antonio Brown. The article discusses the recent signing of wide receiver, Antonio Brown, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, stating that his presence on the team will ultimately result in failure.
We discussed the signing of Antonio Brown to Tampa a little bit in class on Monday. This article, however, goes into depth into the various ways that Brown will pretty much ruin the Bucs season. The article explains that the Bucs are currently doing very well and, there is no need for Brown on the team. The Bucs are already a Super Bowl contender so the article states that the signing of Brown is pretty much pointless and can only impact the team negatively. The article brings up all of Brown's past issues with teams, from helmet debates, freezing his feet, tantrums, to domestic abuse, calling him "the most toxic player in the NFL".
One thing we discussed in class that I, as well as many others, may not have known was that Antonio Brown had a rough upbringing. He grew up in an inner-city neighborhood of Miami, had no father, was homeless during his senior year, and was denied the opportunity to play football in college at FSU due to academic concerns. Based on our discussion in class, I decided to do this extra search on Brown in order to know a bigger portion of his full story. Many people, fans, reporters, coaches, etc., have critiqued Brown in the past without knowing how his upbringing may have effected the choices he makes today. People like to judge, often without knowing enough of the story to be able to have any opinion on it, nor do they have the right to in the first place.
Getting back to the article, by bringing up all of these critiques and comments, the article is definitely putting suppressive pressure in Brown, stating that "if Brown quietly does his job and doesn't make this season all about him, it will be an enormous upset". Everyone has already decided that they know how his presence on the team will end without even giving him a chance. This, this creates an enormously high standard for Brown to live up to. Pretty much, he has to have a perfect season in order to rid his image of doubts and criticism.
The article definitely also plays into the Diva sportotype. I see this especially in the photo they used of Brown. Rather than choosing photo of him in uniform, they chose to use this one pictured below. By using a photo of Brown in a fur coat, it kind of gives off the impression that he is high maintenance and flashy. It takes away the image of him being a football player, by not depicting him in uniform, and creates a less masculine portrayal of him.
I also find it kind of questionable that the article mentions how this signing was only to appease Tom Brady. Brown is a very talented receiver so I think he would be an asset for any team to sign based on his skillset alone. Yes he has had trouble in the past, however he is a great football player who could contribute a lot to a roster, aside from pleasing one player. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but until then I think the media needs to stop assuming the end result before Antonio Brown even steps foot on the field.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-bucs-might-be-screwing-up-a-promising-season-by-signing-antonio-brown-033733652.html
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