Jan. 21, 2015 By  Connor Moore

Bill Belichick and Marshawn Lynch. What do these men all have in common?

Both have won at least won one NFL championship. Another similarity is that both are, for the most part, complete jerks to the media.

If you watch sports enough you know that between Belichick’s know-it-all and snide attitude in press conferences and Lynch’s two-word press conferences (if you can even call it that), these guys perform a very tired, drawn out and pretty stupid act that needs to end. I mean, if players like C.J. Anderson of the Denver Broncos, who hardly anyone had really heard about, is starting to emulate those antics, it means that it’s spreading.

That also means it needs to stop. Now.

I know what you’re probably saying: “Well, Belichick is probably the best coach and Lynch is one of the best running backs in the league! They earned that right to be like!” And you know what, you would be absolutely right. They have earned it. Doing it every single time, though? That fizzed out faster than the idea that Matt Flynn could lead a team to a Super Bowl.

It’s not just Lynch and Belichick that I’m focusing on. It’s the idea that other players and coaches who haven’t earned anything will continue this trend of mumbling, dismissing reporters, or giving responses like “I’m thankful” for questions that don’t even apply. Even those who do have a right (if there is such a thing) to carry out these actions, it would be in their best interest to not do so.

There’s a few things that people forget about when it comes to these “media haters”. First and foremost, you are a professional athlete, at some point you’ll be approached by the media. Especially if you are among one of the elite players, you can expect a horde of reporters and writers to crowd around your locker before and after games. It comes with being a professional athlete.

Here’s more food for thought: whatever you do, the media in general can, and will, say basically whatever they want about you. You don’t think those having to ask questions to Belichick aren’t at some point thinking to themselves “Man, this guy..?” The same could be said as to why athletes don’t want to talk to the media in first place. Regardless, athletes have a higher chance of being dubbed something they aren’t by the media when they toy with reporters. This act has grown stale and it simply just needs to end.

That, or I just have a really weird pet peeve.