I don’t know Marshawn Lynch and I don’t follow the Seahawks, but I continue to be amused and interested in his handling of the media. It’s a circus and he wants no part in it. He’s not feeding into the media hype and sound bites to replay a thousand times over.
Is this what an introvert thrust into the spotlight looks like? Or is this a guy who wants to do his job and do it well without the extracurricular activities his workplace demands of him?
Either way, I continue to enjoy his treatment of the media. Because really, what are they expecting from him?
His first required appearance he answered every question with “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”
The next time he was required to appear, he answered, “You know why I’m here.”
In his required media appearance today, he broke his silence and said:
“I don’t know what story you’re all trying to get out of me,” Lynch said. “I don’t know what image you’re trying to portray of me. It don’t matter what you all say about me.”
…
“You’re all mad at me,” he said. “And if you’re not mad at me, then what are you all here for?”
Done with his introduction, Lynch glanced at his phone and said, “For this next three minutes I’ll just be looking at you all the way you’re looking at me.”
I’ve followed professional sports for years and every single interview sounds the same. “We went out and played well / didn’t play well. We are going to look forward to the next game and focus on that. It’s not about today’s win/loss but we are looking ahead to the next one.” It’s refreshing to see Marshawn Lynch’s disinterested treatment of the media. They need him and he doesn’t need them. And he knows it. He’s doing what the NFL requires of him and nothing more.
I’ll leave you with another great sports interview. This one from DeAndre Jordan.
“I was listening to Tupac and I forgot the question.”
At the end of the day, say what you will about Marshawn Lynch and his treatment of the media. But the clips of him blowing them off have generated far more interest, hits and views than anything else he could have said. So is he really doing the media a disservice? He’s giving them what they want. Ad Dollars.