The truth is that the battle between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Alabama Crimson Tide for college football’s national championship was never going to decide college football’s real championship. That was reserved for another undefeated team: the Connecticut Huskies.
Of course, the Huskies finished with no losses because they played no games. And, according to Kurt Streeter of the New York Times, that’s the making of a true champion. While most other college football teams displayed a lack of confidence by playing the season, the argument goes, Connecticut stayed home. And that makes them winners.
No one really noticed the absence of the Huskies this year: Over the last four seasons, the team has won eight total games. But more importantly, no one noticed the team’s absence because the college football season (despite the dire warnings) was a success. As expected when dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds, there were no coronavirus deaths. And, more importantly, players were playing because they wanted to.
But the obsession of many in sports media with canceling sports seasons is what governs their reality. That’s why USA Today’s Christine Brennan declared that the Big Ten reversing course on its cancellation and deciding to play the season was a bigger scandal than the Larry Nassar or Jerry Sandusky abuse scandals. Yes, she held rapists in higher regard than coaches who try to play football during a pandemic.
Getting sports canceled or postponed has been the hobbyhorse of a large chunk of sports media this past year as the industry tries to become about something other than sports. Sports analysts and reporters increasingly long to write about politics, so much so that many pushed for games to be delayed after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Many in sports media are willing to sacrifice sports coverage to feel like they are making a difference in politics. It was true when ESPN gave Caitlin Jenner the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. It was true when they focused their NFL coverage on the fact that Michael Sam was an openly gay athlete. It’s true with how sports media treats national anthem protests, women’s soccer (equal pay), and, of course, the coronavirus.
This is the path sports media has been on for years, and 2020 was when it hit the accelerator. It won’t end when the pandemic is over, even if the Huskies look to defend their new championship.
