On Negativism

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It didn’t take long for the bad taste to settle in after those marvelous days when the men and women won their gold medals in Olympic hockey.

You don’t need me to recount chapter and verse of the too numerous negative attacks and counterattacks of what the players did once the games ended. Nothing apparently can ever avoid ultra-analysis of every development anymore. Everything that transpires is overly scrutinized to the point that good feelings turn into bad feelings in seconds.

Why can’t we just celebrate those wonderful moments? Why can’t we just be delighted for US victories in the Olympics, or in any world competition for that matter?  Why can’t we simply be proud?

It really appears that the joy of witnessing great performances automatically disappear at the final buzzer.

Then the armchair philosophers take over. And it’s predominantly negative.

When I endured the sadness of those pouring cold water on what should have been a lasting exhilaration, and they included former athletes as well as the negative media, I shook my head in disbelief.

Negativism has taken over.

What’s wrong dominates what’s right, and it extends far beyond Olympic hockey.

I blame the media for all of this because they are eager to give voice to those intent on spoiling the moment.

This isn’t about politics, it’s about people’s outlook. Consider the age-old question, “do you believe the glass is half-filled or half empty?”

I have a personal story to tell.

When I began my television career doing the sports segments on the local nightly news programs, I was influenced to write and deliver commentaries that were both laudatory and critical. I embraced the plan.

The plan worked well during my time in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Boston. While I wasn’t the engine behind the station’s dominant news ratings, I did play a role. Viewers were drawn to my commentaries. Why? They wanted to know who Dick Stockton was going to rip tonight. I would constantly awake thinking of a negative slant I could give stories of the local teams in those cities. Not only teams, but those who played on those teams, and even national sports figures as well. It was working beautifully for the station; the ratings were high and so was my popularity.

Then one day it hit me.

What was I really doing in my career? Growing up I adored sports and those who played the games. I reveled in watching the games and on those occasions rooting for my team. I admired athletic competition and was delighted that I found a pastime that was to me, bigger than life. But now, in my work, my thoughts quickly jumped to the negative. I was successful with it, but nowhere near happy inside. So I decided to abandon what was making me a success and decided to become a play-by-play announcer.

I wanted to be like the broadcasters I admired as a youngster. Needless to say the station I was working for in Boston, WBZ-TV, didn’t agree.

Things got a bit ugly before I departed to freelance in New York to begin a major change in my career.

Actually, even before I left Boston, an opportunity arose where I could become the pre-season TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Baltimore Colts. The man who would make that decision was the Public Relations Director of the club. But when my name came up, he said his approval would be “over his dead body” because on his many trips to Boston to promote an upcoming Patriots-Colts game he only knew of my commentaries criticizing something. I had to personally call him and assure him I was intent on shedding that reputation and my desire to call games. He relented and the venture proved ideal for everyone. That PR guy has remained my special friend to this day. When I moved to New York I had no full-time job, but I managed. Before long, I became a full-time caller of plays and once again learned to love sports the right way. Things worked out.  This doesn’t mean all is good in sports. We know that it’s not.

Sometimes there is no choice but to bring out what may be wrong, either with a player, a team, or a league.

But if the accent is always on the negative, and you can sense when it is, it becomes one huge wet blanket.

When I watch the media ask questions of players and coaches I see an agenda by many of those reporters.

Now I see those players and coaches fighting back. It’s reasonable to ask about game situations that didn’t work, but you know when a reporter continues to hammer away following an answer.

When I see the attitude of those sports show hosts and reporters who dwell on what’s wrong, I think of myself at the start of my broadcasting years. It wasn’t pleasant. Not for those they talk about, not for the audience, and not for me.

I feel bad for those who dwell on the negative, because I know inside, they may be successful, but they can’t be happy.