Two sports stories broke on Monday, February 19. Neither had anything to do with actual competition. They did, however, involve three of the most recognizable professional athletes in the world: Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez. Neither one of these stories is really a sports story at all. They are both gossip column garbage. Each is the product of a bored media who routinely blow out of proportion any story they can conjure up during this, the longest and darkest night of the sports year.
The agent for Tom Brady's ex-girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, announced on Monday that Moynahan was pregnant and that Brady was the father. About four seconds later, three million media outlets were reporting the allegation and speculating about what this will do to Brady's image. Can he still be the NFL's Golden Boy? Will this affect his endorsements? Will the New England fans still embrace him? Does this affect his ability to lead the Patriots? Oh, Please, Just Stop It!
Brady didn't do anything wrong. He committed no crime. He didn't walk out on a pregnant woman. He hasn't skipped any child support payments. Yesterday, he acknowledged that he was the dad, and said that he was excited about fatherhood. Now, he and Moynahan will have to work out how they will raise this child. That is a private matter. Yes, it is a bit salacious, but it should be prvate. Let's not start chipping away at Brady's legacy because of it. If he does something wrong in the future, attack him. But, please don't ride the guy for this. It's embarrassing. Stop it.
The most ridiculous story that broke on Monday, though, was the sad news that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are no longer best pals. Is that really news? Is that really something worth ten minutes on SportsCenter? Certainly not. These are two adult professional athletes with more money and power and fame than anybody else in baseball. They are both future Hall of Famers. They obviously root very hard for each other on the field. But that isn't good enough. They have to eat every dinner together, play sleepover at least twice a week, and double date the Bobbsey Twins on weekends or else the sports media won't be happy. It's preposterous.
Many people are not as close as they once were with some or all of their friends. It happens. A-Rod and Jeter suffer from the same affliction that plagues everyone. It's called growing up. You get older and things change. One guy gets married and has a baby while the other guy dates a series of the world's most beautiful women, and guess what? The two just aren't best buddies like they once were. It happens to everybody. It even happens to Yankees. And who really cares?
For example, does anyone out there care if Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina are fishing pals? Is anyone concerned that Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera don't play cards every Friday night? Does anyone give a crud if Johnny Damon and Chien-Ming Wang go to the same Yoga instructor? Of course not.
So let's all stop trying to play matchmaker with these two fellas. Let's leave Tom and Bridget alone. Lest anyone forget, the stuff that happens on the field is infinitely more interesting than the mundanity that happens off the field.
That is the reason we watch sports in the first place, right?
