Via today's Facebook wall post I wrote the following:
Dora D. Carey...is wondering why the sport's pundits have nothing better to do today than to criticize Mark Sanchez for eating a hot dog on the sidelines during the Jet's/Raider's game. I love watching Mike & Mike (Greeney & Golic) first thing each morning at 5AM. Greeney defends Mark while Golic thinks Mark could have chosen a power bar to eat. They make me laugh. I think Nathan's should let Mark endorse their dogs. (lol)
Although I am a Dallas fan (have been since I was a little girl), I am really fond of Mark Sanchez even if he is a NY Jet. I followed his career kinda late when he played at USC. It is this blogger's personal belief that Mark was not really allowed to grow as a player under Coach Carroll thus his abilities were a bit over-shadowed by his past USC predecessors at the QB position...Leinart, Palmer, Booty (shout out to RB-Reggies Bush).
Bottom line is, the sport's world of late should have more important things to worry itself about than which player is eating what on the sidelines. I realize what the implications of eating on the sidelines could have if a player were eating something really gross or just out of bad taste (pardon the pun). But, Mark was just eating a hot dog. It was the quickest, fastest edible item that someone thought of handing over to him when he claimed how hungry he was. Mark had a quesy stomach before the game and therefore was unable to eat so it is understandable that he was famished during the game. Besides, they were beating the Oakland Raiders and beating them quiet handily. Mark was clearly not finished playing for the day, but he was in dire need of food replenishment. He ate it as quickly as he could and he did try to do so as discreetly as he could. It was the cameras who honed in on what he was doing. Give the guy a break.
So...after Sanchez being successfully picked up in the draft (against Carroll's wishes & prediction), getting a very good contract with a decent NFL team, and starting off his rookie year on a pretty good note...the best that the sport's world can do right now is pick on him for eating a stupid hot dog on the sidelines. Not like it occurred in the middle of a huddle. Besides, do any of us even know what the players (any of 'em - NFL, NBA, MLB) are really drinking in those Gatorade-laden cups?
The Sanchez/hot dog story blows my mind, and just makes me narrow it down to a laugh because I know Mark is better than this. However, it makes me leary that the media does not concentrate on positive, feel-good stories; the kinda stories which give us the "warm fuzzies". They are always too focused on the negative players and their negative actions. I welcome the spotlight for once going to an NFL player who did something good for his community and such. Those kind of stories are out there - I read about them all the time, BUT I have to search for them...usually when doing research for freelance writing gigs. Sadly those kind of stories do not usually headline any ESPN shows or other sport's shows or AP posts. I am proud of Mark Sanchez; he does a lot for the Latino community just by being the caliber player and the stand up guy he is. Viva Mark Sanchez!
