Media Day XLI

Super Bowl Media Day always brings the goods one way or another. The combination of legit reporters, goofball reporters, overweight reporters, poorly dressed reporters and random hot Latina reporters creates an array of people seen nowhere else in America, with the possible exception of Las Vegas.

The combination of superstar players, role players, awful players, unknown players and straight up weird players all getting interviewed by that strange collection of reporters makes for a truly unique event.

A few highlights from Media Day XLI:

• Tank Johnson, who needed a judge’s permission to make the trip to Miami after being arrested on suspicion of ten separate gun charges, calling out reporters for labeling him a thug. He refused to answer L.A. Times columnist and “Around the Horn” panelist Bill Plaschke when he asked if Johnson was sorry for being arrested three times in a year and a half. Johnson did say this: “It's just the way I am. I'm young. I'm black. I've got tattoos. I've got dreads. It is what it is." Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s more being caught with unregistered guns and 550 rounds of ammo that alters people’s perceptions of him. Johnson also said, “I don't like violence. I can't stand it. That's something that's glorified on TV so much. I'm not a violent person. Never been a violent person.” Congratulations, Tank, you were the star of the day.
• The random players who weren’t good enough to get podiums (only a dozen from each team got one) looking really uncomfortable as they were getting interviewed by equally random reporters. You know, the Alfonso Boones, Kyle Ortons and Jim Sorgis of the world.
• The aforementioned random hot Latina reporters, Ines Gomez Mont (picture #11) and Ines Sainz (picture #4) from TV Azteca. According to Michael Wilbon on PTI, everyone at Media Day, players and reporters alike, were trying to get the scoop on exactly why they were there. The general consensus is that they never really interviewed anyone, but did a few flirtatious fluff pieces and basically just walked around looking hot. Always a welcome addition.
• Rex Grossman being asked by 5,000 different reporters in 19,000 different ways and six different languages, what it feels like to be considered one of the worst quarterbacks in the history of the Super Bowl. An ex-girlfriend of his might as well call a press conference to announce his impotence. The embarrassment can’t get much worse.
• All of the players wearing their uniform pants and socks along with their jerseys. Maybe this has always been the case, but I just think it looks stupid. Why not let them wear jeans with the jerseys? If you’re going to make them wear the pants and socks, why not go the whole nine and add the shoulder pads, helmets, gloves, visors and everything else? Boo you, whoever it is in the NFL offices that makes them dress like that.

All in all, it was another wonderful Super Bowl Media Day. Pointless questions galore, lots of scrubs just happy to be there with cameras, and of course, random hot Latina reporters. A great omen for the greatest sporting spectacle of the year.