The article that caught my attention for this week's blog post is titled A.J. Green addresses loafing on INT, whether he said 'trade me,' admits he has to handle frustration better.
This article focuses on A.J. Green's "rough week 5" and the continuation of a miserable season for the Bengals' receiver. The article points out Green's mistakes, the two from this weeks game being the little effort he puts into stopping an interception, as well as being seen complaining on the bench. Both clips of this went viral, which I think it a little unfair to Green. I believe that the immense attention that these two clips received shows the suppressive pressure that Black athletes receive in the media. Was the interception bad? Yes. But I do not think it needs to be continuously shared, laughed at, and commented on. Here is a link to the video of the interception play:
https://twitter.com/CharlesRobinson/status/1315350407301005312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1315350407301005312%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_0&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Faj-green-addresses-loafing-on-int-whether-he-said-trade-me-admits-he-has-to-handle-frustration-better-131621310.html
Additionally, the clip of Green allegedly stating "just trade me" during the game can also be viewed as unfair and a stretch. There is no proof or certain way to tell what Green stated. The media and Twitter users were pretty much jumping to conclusions in this case, thus building a more negative picture around the game's situations and Green as a player overall. This is something that is not new to Black athletes as they are always closely watched by the media and fans for an opportunity to tear them down. Here is the link to that video (personally I cannot tell what he's saying):
https://twitter.com/RealFantasyHQ/status/1315406874922057729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1315406874922057729%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_0&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Faj-green-addresses-loafing-on-int-whether-he-said-trade-me-admits-he-has-to-handle-frustration-better-131621310.html
I think the description of A.J. Green in this article can also be related to the Diva Sportotype that we learned about last week. The Diva is the athlete that fans “love to hate" and is often degraded for actions that are negatively framed as selfish or individualistic. In regards to not putting in maximum effort on the interception play, I believe that the article paints Green as a selfish player. By replaying that clip and popularizing it, it gives off the impression that Green doesn't care about his team, his mistakes, or winning.
The Diva's attitude is also regarded as a “cancer” in the locker room. I think this part of the Diva's description fits in with Green's being allegedly quoted as saying "if you aren't going to use me, just trade me". By literally putting these words in Green's mouth, the media is telling everyone that he wants to be traded and doesn't like his organization, team, or fanbase. I can see how this would seem "cancerous" in the locker room, however, as I mentioned there is no way of knowing if these words we actually spoken. It is unfair to Green to assume.
Additionally, A.J. Green apologized for this play and said he needs to learn how to take his frustration out better. He respond to the criticism stating, “I feel like I let my teammates down because that's not who I am as a person and as a player. I think we're building something special here and I just want to be a part of the team and help us win."
Although Green may or may not have made mistakes, it seems unfair that this article pointed out his flaws. Even the title puts the blame on Green by titling it "he admits he has to handle frustration better". I believe that it is because of this pressure and attention from the media that Green felt like he needed to cover for himself and apologize for his actions in order not to be hated and further criticized by his organization, teammates, fans.
https://sports.yahoo.com/aj-green-addresses-loafing-on-int-whether-he-said-trade-me-admits-he-has-to-handle-frustration-better-131621310.html
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