Some Media Members Are Very Displeased With Marshawn Lynch

Marshawn Lynch did not provide usable quotes in his post-game availability after last night’s win over Arizona. “Thanks for asking,” he said in response to each question, without providing an answer. It was at least the third time this season the Seahawks running back has scorned his interviewers — he was fined $100,000 for skipping postgame availability altogether, and spent one session just saying, “Yeah.”

Many in the sports media rushed to the defense of those on print deadlines who’d been made a mockery of:

Pretty pathetic. Just answer the damn questions RT @bcondotta transcript of Marshawn Lynch’s post game interview. pic.twitter.com/1OBj3RbsWV
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) December 22, 2014

@KissMeSuzy Just asking Lynch to be a pro, not a child. Pretty simple, really.
— Neil Best (@sportswatch) December 22, 2014

This is also a tired act, by the way. RT @JackMagruder: #AZCardinals #Seahawks Lynch's answer of the day today: "Thanks for asking."
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) December 22, 2014

I know everyone hates the media, but I don't understand the defense of Marshawn Lynch. He's obligated to talk. It's simple. Grow up.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) December 22, 2014

There isn’t enough alcohol in the world to look at Lynch/Media nonsense, use the word “entitled” and not use it about Lynch.
— Michael Schottey (@Schottey) December 22, 2014

My first inclination when I see things like this is that media members need to stop whining. These tweets did not come from reporters who were there, but ones who have found themselves in similar situations and no doubt empathize. In Russell Wilson’s post-game interview on NBC last night, he spoke enthusiastically about his teammates working hard and believing in each other, which sounded nice, but did not really convey anything profound.

Athletes are kind of in a no-win situation, though. If they do what Wilson did, they’re boring and if they refuse to play along like Lynch did they’re entitled. But the WORST strategy is to be honest. The last thing anyone wants is for his soundbite to hit the outrage cycle because he had the audacity to speak what was actually on his mind.

I’m often reminded of this anecdote Bryan Curtis wrote about Bob Ryan:

Can’t writers file copy without something from Marshawn Lynch? Also, and this is hypothetical, would opinions of Lynch be changed if it were revealed that he has genuine social anxiety? If this behavior is rooted in emotional fear and not defiance, does that change the equation?

“I’m comfortable in front of a crowd and public speaking,” Richard Sherman said prior to this past Super Bowl after Lynch had been avoiding the media. “It’s fun for me. I enjoy it. Obviously, not everybody in the world is comfortable with it. Sometimes people get anxiety and shouldn’t be forced to do it, because it’s not for everyone.”

Nevertheless, Marshawn Lynch was a palpable story yesterday. Rebounding from a stomach flu, pounding some skittles, and scoring an electrifying touchdown adds up to a lot of interest, and even a sentence or two that would’ve amounted to a platitude would’ve been helpful for the reporters. Yeah, these people are covering sports, which is the toy section of life, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy job, and nobody likes to feel brazenly disrespected. At this point, though, everyone on the Seahawks beat knows what they are getting themselves into, and anything they get from Lynch should be considered a bonus and not an expectation.