Mark Madden's Hot Take: Jockocracy has taken over sports media

NBA star Damian Lillard wanted to be traded from Portland to Miami. He instead got dealt to Milwaukee.

Lillard handled it fine. But the outrage on his behalf was palpable.

To quote ex-NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, “That’s dirty work by Portland.”

How, exactly, is that “dirty work?” Lillard is an employee. His contract did not prohibit him being traded to Milwaukee. That’s life in pro sports.

But Griffin was not alone in his dissatisfaction.

Griffin, of course, works for ESPN.

That’s the problem. Sports media legend Howard Cosell called them the “jockocracy.” Ex-athletes have taken over sports media.

Included in the trickledown: Every athlete is never wrong.

The jockocracy dictates that every athlete should play where he wants, earn what he wants, be used as he wants, and that teams and leagues should bow to every whim of every athlete regardless of contract or CBA. (New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is an exception. They all hate him.)

The invented controversy about running backs not getting paid big money remains a prime example of this.

The market dictates, as does the CBA agreed upon by NFL players.

But the jockocracy demands that something be done, even suggesting a separate union for running backs be founded. (The NFL would never agree to that. Nor would the NFL’s non-running backs.)

The legitimate, trained media that share mics with the jockocracy could reel in such stupidity. They don’t.

They’d rather be friends with the jockocracy. With the current athletes, too. Truth gets trampled by the get-along gang. Televised jock-sniffing.

TV sports would be a lot better with less ex-athletes involved.

Having played a sport doesn’t necessarily mean an ex-athlete knows more about it. If he does, that’s often diluted by unskilled delivery and serving agendas like those described above. In an off-the record conversation, one NHL executive described an ex-player serving as an analyst on network TV as having “no hockey sense whatsoever.”

Those educated in journalism and broadcasting work hard to earn their place. Ex-athletes jump to the front of the line.

Some of those athletes work hard. But not all, or even very many. That applies to their prior careers, too. Nobody worked hard to be 6-foot-7, or run a 4.3-second 40-yard-dash.

Quit saying athletes are good people or smart. You don’t know. Lots of athletes are jerks. Stupid, too. About the same percentage as regular folks, probably. Maybe higher, because there’s no pressure to develop humility, social skills or brains once you’re put on a pedestal.

Athletes are utterly disposable. When Patrick Mahomes quits, you know who’s going to play quarterback for Kansas City?

Somebody else. Babe Ruth retired, and baseball kept playing.

This criticism isn’t universal. Charles Barkley is brilliant on TNT and often criticizes players.

But Barkley is an exception, not the rule. He doesn’t get scared.

Consider ex-Steeler Ryan Clark, who’s better than most on ESPN. He criticized the diet and training habits of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

When the spit hit the spam, Clark issued a whining, simpering apology: “If I’ve offended you, Tua, if I hurt you, if I disrespected you, if anybody that supports and loves you feels some sort of way because of what I’ve said, I truly apologize.”

Tears might have been shed. Clark backpedaled quicker than when he played safety.

Doesn’t make Clark a bad guy. Just makes him typical.

Welcome to the jockocracy.