Which athletes/coaches do you think get a free pass from the press?

[Mizzougrad96]

Obviously there are exceptions thanks to Pierce, Leahy, Sam Smith etc..., but I mean for the most part which athletes get a free pass from the media?

1. Lance Armstrong
2. Tiger Woods
3. Michael Jordan
4. Brett Favre
5. Tim Tebow
6. Joe Paterno
7. Coach K
8. Bobby Bowden
9. Steve Spurrier
10. Phil Jackson

Just off the top of my head.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Urban Meyer
Geno Auriemma

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Urban Meyer
Geno Auriemma

Two good ones. Auriemma gets away with murder and almost never gets called out. Meyer has had incredible success, but he's covered by one of the most fawning press corps out there, so that's hardly a surprise.

 

[zagoshe]

What do you mean by free pass?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Paterno and Coach K are two examples of guys who the beat writers can't stand, but the national media makes them out to be saints.

With Woods and Jordan, almost everybody is/was afraid to **** them off because they don't want to be shut out.

Lance Armstrong, he's such a great story that people overlook the obvious because they don't want it to be possible that this amazing athlete who has overcome so much, might have used steroids.

The local media like Bowden so much that he gets the benefit of the doubt most instances. To be fair, it is almost impossible not to like the guy.

With Tebow, he's covered by a bunch of writers who would probably suck his **** if he asked them to. The same is true for Spurrier.

 

[WaylonJennings]

The only problem I have is that I'm not sure what you could take Tebow to task for at this point even if you wanted to. The guy has pretty much been spotless on and off the field for three years.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The only problem I have is that I'm not sure what you could take Tebow to task for at this point even if you wanted to. The guy has pretty much been spotless on and off the field for three years.

I know guys who cover him who swear he's a product of UF's marketing machine and he's nothing close to being the guy who he's portrayed as being on TV.

To be fair, who is?

 

[The Good Doctor]

Everything I hear about Jordan is that he was a **** to teammates and opponents, and a womanizer, but generally decent to fans. Did I hear wrong?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Everything I hear about Jordan is that he was a **** to teammates and opponents, and a womanizer, but generally decent to fans. Did I hear wrong?

The womanizing stories in Chicago are legendary. He had an affair with a porn star, who made a film about it. Believe it or not, it's called "Face Jam"

Jordan's people sued. He lost because the affair did take place.

There are court records to this.

How much made the paper? Not a word. I realize it's personal life, but when there are court records? C'mon...

I wonder how much of the Wizards stuff would have been reported if Leahy hadn't been on the Jordan beat.

If I'm not mistaken, details of the Steve Kerr fight came out years later even though several members of the Chicago media witnessed it.

 

[I Digress]

Lance.. No. 1... drugs to get sick, drugs to get better.....and NO ONE, but the French, investigate. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Lance.. No. 1... drugs to get sick, drugs to get better.....and NO ONE, but the French, investigate. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

He's the biggest without question. Nobody in this country has worked the story.

 

[forever_town]

I think Favre's been fairly well vilified for being a diva in the press. Then again, that could simply be playing back a lot of fan comments.

 

[Boom_70]

Obviously there are exceptions thanks to Pierce, Leahy, Sam Smith etc..., but I mean for the most part which athletes get a free pass from the media?

1. Lance Armstrong
2. Tiger Woods
3. Michael Jordan
4. Brett Favre
5. Tim Tebow
6. Joe Paterno
7. Coach K
8. Bobby Bowden
9. Steve Spurrier
10. Phil Jackson

Just off the top of my head.

Overall agree on list sans Tebow. You could expand Coach K to Duke basketball overall.

Add to list :
Rick Pitino
Bill Parcells
Peyton Manning
Chad Johnson
Ray Lewis

 

[RossLT]

How does Chad Johnson get a free pass? Every little thing he does is shown on a constant loop.

 

[Starman]

Due to the all-pervasive influence of **** Vitale, all Division I basketball coaches, as a collective unit, probably qualify.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Parcells frequently got ripped here in Boston (I did some of it). I wouldn't ever write about an athlete ****ing around, because who cares? Armstrong? Well, prove it.
Jordan was OK with out of town media. Best he ever was was as a baseball player, failing and happy.
Woods is a control freak, but he can be an OK interview. What's there to rip him for?
Geno is like a cartoon character of a basketball coach.
Steve Spurrier gets a free pass? Not in Washington, he didn't.
My point is, there's a lot less to criticize about successful people in sports. None of the names Mizzou mentioned have been guilty (so far as we know, Armstrong again) of anything but garden-variety human failings, pomposity for Jackson, etc.

 

[Beaker]

Urban Meyer
Geno Auriemma

Two good ones. Auriemma gets away with murder and almost never gets called out. Meyer has had incredible success, but he's covered by one of the most fawning press corps out there, so that's hardly a surprise.

Most people 'round these parts realize Geno is an asshole, but you're right, he hardly ever gets called out on it.

 

[micke77]

I'd have Lance Armstrong at the top of my list because his situation with overcoming cancer serves as a buffer to any strenuous, revealing stuff on him.
Tim Tebow could be similar in that his parents are missionaries, his religious beliefs, that whole thing.
So in both cases, the media too often steps very lightly as not to come across as Satan with tape recorders.
Would John Thompson possibly fall into this category?

 

[toolsofignorance]

The only problem I have is that I'm not sure what you could take Tebow to task for at this point even if you wanted to. The guy has pretty much been spotless on and off the field for three years.

I know guys who cover him who swear he's a product of UF's marketing machine and he's nothing close to being the guy who he's portrayed as being on TV.

To be fair, who is?

Funny, the things I've heard from guys I know who've been there since he first stepped foot on campus (press and otherwise) say otherwise.

I'd agree with the list sans Tebow. He's done nothing he needed a free pass for.

 

[joe king]

Lance.. No. 1... drugs to get sick, drugs to get better.....and NO ONE, but the French, investigate. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

He's the biggest without question. Nobody in this country has worked the story.

And no one ever will.