Why is the national media against the Atlanta Falcons? (AFC, NFC, playoffs)
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Why is the national media against the Atlanta Falcons? It's beyond insane.
Despite an earning of top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 13-3 record, all you hear are naysayers in the national media.
The media does one of three things with the Falcons:
1) Downplays the Falcons success. This plays out in a lack of national spotlight week by week, while lesser teams are given much more media presence. Or, it plays out in the way the media downplays a Falcons victory by talking about how the team that the Falcons beat beat themselves, as though it had nothing to do with the Falcons being a good team. Either that, or they claim that it was the Falcons "weak schedule" that led them to have the best record in the NFC. This is despite beating teams like the NY Giants, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins, all teams the media loves.
2) Constantly picks lesser opponents to beat them. This is seen in the way national commentators almost unanimously thought that the NY Giants were going to beat the Falcons, and in the way a majority of commentators picked the Seahawks to beat the Falcons in the NFC divisional game.
3) Outright biased nature against the Falcons. It's as if every comment about the Falcons during national broadcasts are anti-Falcons ( bad comments), and every comment about the other team is positive. You can hear it in their voices, as though they enjoy other teams doing well against the Falcons, with very little excitement for the Falcons success.
This is blatantly obvious, and I would think that even people who are not Falcons fans would notice it. They do the same with other Atlanta sports teams, it's as if they have something against the city.
Because until this year they kept choking in the games that mattered the most. This isn't some made up thing. Or some conspiracy. It happened. And they came pretty close to choking away another one today.
Because until this year they kept choking in the games that mattered the most. This isn't some made up thing. Or some conspiracy. It happened. And they came pretty close to choking away another one today.
Oh please.
Most teams don't even make it to the post-season, year-after year. Any way you cut it, a team that makes it to the post season is good and not deserving of scorn.
You can't use that excuse any more, so I suppose you haters will make something else up to explain away your irrational hatred for the Falcons.
Most teams don't even make it to the post-season, year-after year. Any way you cut it, a team that makes it to the post season is good and not deserving of scorn.
You can't use that excuse any more, so I suppose you haters will make something else up to explain away your irrational hatred for the Falcons.
RISE UP!
Can you say, honestly, that you've never cracked jokes or criticized the Bills?
Also, please use the appropriate threads already in existence. At the very least you could have combined this with your Seahawks thread.
No it is true, they love to talk down on the Birds.
The national media doesn't want the Falcons in the spot light because they have way too many black fans, especially in the stands during home games.
Strange as it sounds, and as absurd as it sounds I have actually heard this from people I know who work in the industry.
Not going to say his name but a well known person from Fox Sports calls the GA Dome "Club Monkey" behind closed doors.
Falcons games are pretty "Urban" though, a lot more so than other cities, heck any other city for that matter.
I don't think this is the case. The media is against heart of the south southern teams, in my opinion. They'd probably say the same about the Tennessee Titans or the Carolina Panthers. They have sympathy for the Saints because of Hurricane Katrina.
I did research on NFL commentators, and a majority of them are from the northeast. Very few are from the south, very few. It was something like eight percent, if I'm not mistaken. Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson were two of perhaps five southerners. Terry Bradshaw is fair toward the Falcons, while Jimmy Johnson tries to stay balanced.
Regarding your comments on lots of blacks attending Falcons games at the dome, I don't see why it should matter. They're not the team, and why should it matter. With that said, I'd say that only around one-third of the fans are black. I've been to Falcons games before, and at least sixty percent of the fans are white.
Can you say, honestly, that you've never cracked jokes or criticized the Bills?
Also, please use the appropriate threads already in existence. At the very least you could have combined this with your Seahawks thread.
The Buffalo Bills of the late 80s and early 90s were a very good football team. Several Super Bowls indicated that. Being critical of that team is beyond absurd.
I don't think this is the case. The media is against heart of the south southern teams, in my opinion. They'd probably say the same about the Tennessee Titans or the Carolina Panthers. They have sympathy for the Saints because of Hurricane Katrina.
I did research on NFL commentators, and a majority of them are from the northeast. Very few are from the south, very few. It was something like eight percent, if I'm not mistaken. Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson were two of perhaps five southerners. Terry Bradshaw is fair toward the Falcons, while Jimmy Johnson tries to stay balanced.
Regarding your comments on lots of blacks attending Falcons games at the dome, I don't see why it should matter. They're not the team, and why should it matter. With that said, I'd say that only around one-third of the fans are black. I've been to Falcons games before, and at least sixty percent of the fans are white.
Good Point, and that is what I thought the reason would be also. And it probably is one of the reasons, but sad to say the racial issue is a component as well. Like I said I didn't really see it until someone else who had inside info told me about it. Even the old Saint QB Bobby Herbert said something along those lines too earlier this year on his local sports radio show in New Orleans. He bascially said that the Falcons white fan base in Atlanta was weak, but the black fan base was very, very strong. He also said what I was saying that the NFL is not comfortable with the way the crowd looks in the Dome in a prime time game. He actually got in trouble for the comment, but it kinda rings true IMO.
And 60% of the crowd being white is still majority of course, but no where else in this country will see as many black people in the stands as you do in Atlanta. Like its not even close. I've been to NFL games in Carolina and Chicago and I saw a handful of blacks at the most. You cant name another NFL city where the crowd is likely to be almost a 50/50 split like that.
I think a lot of it has to do with the Falcons losing history... like 8 winning seasons in 45 years of existence. People just don't want to accept the fact they have a good football team.
I remember 1998... all the talk was about the 15-1 Vikings. You didn't hear anything about the Falcons even though they went 14-2 that year.
It all changed when they went up to Minnesota and won the NFC championship... a game that still IMHO is the best Falcons game I've ever seen. Today's game as gutwrenching as it was is #2 on that list.
While the 0-3 in the playoffs chatter was justified (even though Ryan lost to 3 Super Bowl champion QBs in Warner, Rodgers and Manning), a lot of other talk wasn't.. a big example is the "the Falcons played the 32nd ranked schedule in the NFL this season. They are phony."
Really? Did the schedule makers know 8 months ago that the NFC South, AFC West and NFC East would be weak divisions this year? Of course not.
Here's something else to think about... of the last 5 #1 seeds with the weakest schedule... 4 made the Super Bowl. The only team that didn't was the 2001 Steelers who lost the AFCCG. The 2009 Saints won the Super Bowl playing the 32nd ranked schedule.
In short... strength of schedule is a WEAK argument regarding the quality of a football team.
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