We can't go a week without some sports drama, it's like one big frickin soap opera. I don't understand why disputes can't be handled quietly between front offices and their players. Usually, we get athletes whining to the media about how unhappy they are. The primary mode to project their disgruntled nature is by far the worst, the scrubbing of all team-related pictures and content from social media accounts. The act reeks of pettiness and immaturity. These are grown men for god's sake and they are behaving like middle-school kids. It has been done many times before, and every time I am perplexed that adults would choose to act in such a way. To clarify, I am not saying that an athlete deleting their social media is stupid (Joe Burrow deletes all social media to focus on football during the season and I think that is great), what I find stupid is the deletion of team photos and emblems from one's page with the purpose of expressing unhappiness or essentially using it as a threat.
The latest player to succumb to using such an asinine tactic was Cardinals' quarterback, Kyler Murray. Almost immediately after playing in the Pro Bowl, Murray removed all traces of the Cardinals from his Instagram. He provided no explanation, nor was there any reason to think trouble was brewing in Arizona. While I can appreciate not being bombarded with locker room drama, I cannot help but label Kyler as a spoiled child. I mean it is effectively as useful as stamping your feet when you are mad, it serves no purpose and it makes you look stupid. Kyler may have a legitimate beef with the Cardinals for all I know and in that case, I think the issue should be resolved, but this is not the way to solve problems, Kyler. Are you so insecure about the lack of control in your life that you have to act out and use what control you have to delete photos? You know what you can control Kyler, your response. In deleting the photos, it was almost as if Kyler was telling the Cardinals "you know what you did", in the same tone that an angry owner would use with a dog that isn't housebroken. Can you imagine a front office ordering the removal of all images of their player from social media because they are mad at the player? Doesn't that sound like the stupidest thing in the world?
I would be curious to see how teammates react to the player doing the deleting when he inevitably comes back to the locker room (cause it rarely seems to have an effect). Do they welcome the player back with open arms? Or do they think to themselves, "wow, I can't believe he would do that, that was really stupid." I would feel insulted if my teammate deleted all of his photos of the team, I would feel like he doesn't really care about the team and only cares about himself and getting what he wants. Here's an example, but keep in mind it is just speculation, and there is no proof to back it up whatsoever, last offseason Russell Wilson deleted all Seahawks photos and publically demanded a trade. After his tantrum was over, Wilson (inevitably) returned to the team to play out the season. All year long, the offense lacked cohesion, and rumors of discontent were rampant in Seattle, a coincidence? Maybe, but Wilson's offseason antics most definitely did not have a good impact on team morale.
In conclusion, when adult men are told they can't have everything they want, they should not go on a social media purge. It makes them look very childish and immature. I can't respect players that pull this publicity stunt, because, in the end, that's all it is, a move to get attention. Sorry Kyler, I just lost a lot of respect for you. Okay, rant over, happy betting!