The media may be proving Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant right. People who break the mold of what the media expects a famous person to be, are always going to face criticism.
There’s a narrative being pushed that almost seems personal between the media and Kyrie Irving. This seems like a case of the media wanting Kyrie to be one way, but it’s not who he is. Because of his refusal to conform to what the media wants him to be, the media is taking liberties with their interpretation of who he is as a person.
Some opinions are more aggressive than others, while some may be fair and valid. There is a clear disconnect in what the media portrays Kyrie to be, and who people that actually work with him on a daily basis perceive him as.
Recently Kyrie was elected to be VP of the NBA Player’s Union. The keyword being ‘elected’. Players voted for him league wide. This serves as evidence that the media may have unfair criticisms about his character taking place. If the media were right and being truthful, how would he win an election of importance such as that? It’s simple, he wouldn’t.
I think the media has a responsibility to be fair and balanced when talking about people’s character. You can be as opinionated as you want about his game on the court. But when you start begging the question their character, the ethics of right and wrong become more important. Right and wrong becomes blurred when mainstream media engages in sensationalism more often than not to maintain relevancy.
This is more or less the reason Durant and Irving (and probably other players) have a disdain for the media. Irving is a great player and he gets the respect of his peers, Why can’t we see more of why that is?