Let’s Stop Trying To Be Football Experts Online Unless You’re An Actual Football Expert
I hate the NFL offseason because of tweets like this. We’re in the midst of LADDER DRILL SZN where fans gush over every blurry iPhone-filmed clip from the local beat writer standing 50 yards away. Now let me start by saying I don’t want this to come across as an attack on Sal. It’s not. It’s not even an attack on the state of Jerrrssseeeyyy. Anyone who is a Titans fan – whether I disagree with nearly everything they say – is ok by me. Sal’s tweet is just being used as an example because it’s the latest one I’ve seen. No, this is an attack on everyday fans (of all teams) acting like NFL scouts because they watch NFL Live, listen to a Mina Kimes podcast, and of course, played a little ball back in high school (not to brag). They think they know football more than most people on the internet. You’ll see words thrown out like mechanics, RPO, schemes, catch radius, footwork, or one of my favorites, intangibles. Give it a rest, Pro Football Focus. This form of machismo remains unrivaled. But the truth is, we’re all just fans. Not experts. If you were an expert in the game, YOU’D BE WORKING IN THE GAME. Don’t try and flex your knowledge for football when you work in digital accounting. So you watch a lot of football and have a YouTube channel with over 600 subscribers on the side? So does EVERYONE! If anything, it’s somewhat insulting to people who actually work in these fields. Like Quincy here.
This is the sports version of “Oh you’re a Fleet Foxes fan? Name 3 of their albums.” And if you’re curious as to how the naming of the Fleet Foxes albums went…
Quincy is literally an Elite 11 Quarterback Coach. So when he sees tweets like these, I’m sure his eyes rolled out of the back of his head on a tighter spiral than he could even coach. I don’t blame him either. I’ve worked in radio for nearly a decade and a half and when I see people who don’t work in radio tweet about radio, it’s annoying. I’m sure others feel the same about their industries. And again, I know this feels like an attack on Salvador. At least he had the wherewithal to start with the “I know it means nothing… I truthfully do” caveat. Although he then proceeded to throw that caveat out the window with the contradicting statement that immediately succeeded it. But still. This isn’t a Sal shot, because for every Sal, there are a million other fans in all the other staaaattteeesssssss. The moral of the story: if you plan on touting your football knowledge with the world, even though you work in real estate or in sales for a natural gas company, be prepared to back it up with actual knowledge. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the sport.
Please get here soon, actual football.
