Completely agree about the winning the league no longer being news, so those complaints are a bit much.
But I share others’ bemusement with the lack of coverage of us actually lifting the trophy. That should be featured by-and-large and it is not being covered, especially in favour of other things, including coverage of United and Liverpool of varying sorts.
I posted an article a week or so ago (I believe in the Liverpool thread but I may be mistaken) from ESPN that literally came out and said that although we won the league in April, Liverpool “won the month” as they beat us in the CL and, “with shortening attention spans of supporters and viewers alike”, our early clinching of the title relegated us to relative irrelevancy in the quickfire media landscape.
While it is incredibly infuriating to read, it is very much what I have experienced when talking to younger lads that play in the Saturday morning drop-in game I put on here in Boston. I will discuss (and sometimes debate) our play and achievements with them, as most are United or Liverpool supporters. Last week one of them said “how does it feel to lose so badly”, in an apparent attempt at banter regarding the Liverpool CL result, I responded with “what are you on about, we won the league!” He responded with—and this is verbatim: “oh, that was basically done awhile ago, it doesn’t matter now.” And usually someone saying that means it in a tongue-in-cheek way or is meaning to try to wind you up. But he absolutely meant what he said—in his world it was no longer relevant. Only the here and now was worth his time and focus and he defined that as Liverpool’s progress in the CL. And, once more, I was a dinosaur for even thinking that it should be relevant. I’m only 34!
I see it all the time working with some of the interns in my office, with the kids I coach, spending time with my mate’s that have children. Facts and fairly recent events begin to lose meaning as soon as they are a few days old. And “alternative facts”, even if made up on the spots, are touted and held to be true no matter the effort you put in to reasonably discredit them (or show them to be complete hogwash). I’ve found discussing or debating almost anything with teenagers impossible now. And not in the way that older people always say talking to young people is difficult. I mean you can no longer have conversation about facts. I have gotten into heated debates over the BASIC tenets of physics as it relates to climate change. Not whether climate change is happening, or what is causing it, but about the basic laws of nature—the young woman I was speaking to would not even acknowledge that her understanding of physics was deeply flawed.
This same effect permeates the football world, as well, as young supporters increase the troll-tribalism and need for instant gratification (glory hunting without regard for facts).
Anyway, I apologise for the rant but it has been building up for quite some time and I needed to get it out.
