Is it just me or have you noticed more bitterness, more complaints, more of anything negative about our game? I find it astonishing what people are complaining about. Refs, video reviews, game times the color of sweaters, even negative views of those who bring us the game, the play-by-play and analysts folks.
Oh wait, it happens every year and will continue to happen every year. It's just not in our little hokey world, it is everywhere, Check out the big boys like CNN, then go to Fox News, it's the complete opposite. I have decided it's not me, it is them, every one of them.
I am going to trust my mind, my judgement, my everything. I'd rather discuss a high risk merchant processor for US company than read something that is trying to sway me instead of inform me.
The culprit? Social media. Back before Twitter, Facebook, Tikity Tocky, Instawhatever or any other media forum, there was... what was there. I'll tell you what there was, you had to use your mind, challenge yourself to get what you were looking for instead of it being handed to you in 240 characters.
When I started doing what I do, I had to dig. Listen to radio, especially from Canada, dig through online media sites and then I would have to use my judgement, is what I am hearing or reading true or not?
Now, you hear about it, read about it or someone told you about it.
You have to use the 'smell' test these days and being experienced in that field, believe me I report only about 20-30% of what I read or hear.
The complaints I referred to earlier is more rampant than in years past and I think it is due to the COVID bubble we have all been living in plus everyone has an opinion on social media, especially Twitter.
Twitter can be good, most hockey news breaks on it these days plus if you are following the right people, it can actually be a good experience.
But a bad side exists too and it actually makes me cringe at some of the things I read. Recently a working reporter in our game actually began condemning fans of the team his team was playing against. I've read disgusting remarks from a reporter calling the opposition cheaters and paying off the refs.
Yes fans can do that and I have no issue with that, been when a member of the working media does something like that, I put it in my memory bank and try to avoid pointing out his work.
We all know how political social media has become and I want to point out one thing. The true hockey insiders and professionals do not get involved in any way or form in political chatter. They know where their bread is buttered and understand if they do get in the political forum, well about 45-50% of their followers are not going to like what they are writing. So from going to a 90% approval, they would drop to maybe 60%. It's just not worth it.
I needed to get a few things of the way, now back to my regular job, doing what I love to do.
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