Super Bowl: Hall of Famer Steve Largent Claims East Coast Media Bias 

http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2022787657_steve-largent-chat.html

The link above provides documentation of Hall of Famer Steve Largent's comment on east coast media bias regarding coverage of NFL teams.

It's a link to the Seattle Times live chat I participated in on January 30.

I usually cover political issues through my blogs and articles at Daily Kos, Truth-out.org, Op-ed News, Free Speech Radio News(Pacifica Network), etc. I'm also a frequent contributor to several national media programs (Thom Hartmann Show, Norman Goldman Show, Mike Malloy Show).

The current excitement in Seattle over the Seahawks Super Bowl bid is a major story in the city, so I find  myself writing about the controversy surrounding two of the team's players - Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch.

Ironically, while Sherman's brash remarks following the NFC championship game have caused some outrage in the US sports community, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has actually been threatened with fines by the NFL precisely because he has refused to speak to the media.

An intense rivalry between the Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers has generated hundreds of news stories across the country. Now that Seattle is headed to the NFL championship game, the team has come to represent the archetypal underdog in a near mythical battle with one of the best quarterbacks of all time - Payton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

The story which has fascinated me the most involves the "chip on their shoulder" attitude of many Seahawks players. These athletes were low draft picks and have already beaten the odds in many ways. Seattle quarterback Russel Wilson represents the "little guy" versus NFL's reigning titan Payton Manning. The Seahawks are the "new kids on the block". They are hungry and eager to prove that the team deserves that coveted Lombardi trophy.

A complaint I've often heard in Seattle is that the national sports and news media have never really treated the Seahawks with the same respect that is given to other teams in the league. The Pittsburg Steelers and Green Bay Packers get more media attention when they have losing seasons than the Seahawks get when they are winning.

I brought up this issue with Hall of Famer Steve Largent, former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks during a live chat sponsored by the Seattle Times. Here is the text from that exchange:

Seattle Times online chat Jan 30, 2014

"Do you think there has been an east coast media bias against Seattle sports teams in the recent past? Did the Seahawks finally break through that bias this year - getting their creds?"
by Journalist Mark Taylor-Canfield 12:36 PM

"That's an interesting question because I've lived on boast coasts and in between, and in the NFL there's an unquestionable bias to the east coast teams. I don't know if they broke through it, but there's certainly a big bias toward certain teams like the Redskins, Giants, and Patriots. All those teams get better coverage than a lot of teams out there."
by Seattle Times Sports guest (Steve Largent)12:37 PM

"Thanks for your participation and a special thanks to Steve for taking time to chat today on seattletimes.com."
by Bob Wickwire, Seattle Times 1:02 PM

In his answer to my question, Largent seems to support the idea that the Seahawks have not received as much media attention as other teams.

I am surprised that this issue has not become a major part of the daily news stories as the country prepares for the Super Bowl contest on February 2 in New Jersey.

The Seattle Seahawks definitely feel that they have something to prove to the nation. Steve Largent's comments have added to the competitive atmosphere in Seattle by reflecting the team's intense desire to prove that their team is worthy of praise and recognition.

As the media generates more controversial stories regarding the upcoming game in New Jersey, it might be instructive to cite Seahawks coach Pete Carroll's motto posted at his Twitter website:

 "Always Compete. Win Forever."

http://winforever.com
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