The Rose That Grew From Concrete
It didn’t take long.
Less than 12 hours after the conclusion of Derrick Rose’s career-high 50-point game, Marc Stein tweeted this:
He’s not factually wrong. Rose was involved in some serious allegations, with damaging quotes and details released during the court proceedings. My issue is with the timing of this statement.
Athletes already have a contentious relationship with the media. These writers, reporters, and analysts are the first people to put microphones in an athlete’s face after a huge win and a crushing loss. What’s notable here is the space that Rose is in.
In recent years, Derrick has become a journeyman. The former MVP has played for 4 teams in as many years. It has made him average and unremarkable as far as the national sports media is involved. That is what made his 50-point night special. So, when Stein let this tweet go, I had to scratch my head for multiple reasons:
1. He’s made no mention of Rose in recent weeks showing that he’s here for the clicks and to gain from the attention that Derrick garnered for last night’s performance.
2. The appeal he references is more than two weeks away (November 16th), so he cannot hide behind the idea that it is pressing or imminent in this 24-hour news cycle
3. There are no links to his work, so this doesn’t fall under the guise of journalism
4. So many other game-related things deserve his attention at 9:36 AM in the morning
The tweet doesn’t come from a genuine place, rather from somebody that’s looking to extinguish the fire of excitement that fans and players showed in admiring Derrick turning back the clock for a game. On ESPN’s “The Jump”, Rachel Nichols used her opening diatribe to bring up the allegations, and a few other NBA writers followed Stein’s lead on Twitter this morning.
We don’t blast Kobe or Tiger for their transgressions after a great performance, so why Derrick Rose? Is it because he fell from grace so fast and it became hip to bash him for a while? In any case, Stein and others have some catching up to do. That moment had nothing to do with the legal dispute he’s tied up in.
Decide for yourself. Check out his reaction after the game-saving block. He doesn’t jump, dance, or posture. His teammates mob him as he stands still and breaks into tears. That type of raw emotion is a big part of why I love sports, and I’d never sour a moment like that by mentioning what somebody did or didn’t do away from the game.
