*Makes kissy motion with hand* Oooooheeeee dat’s a spicy meatball, Derek. You really screwed the pooch on this one buckaroo. Mr. Carr you have successfully pissed off pretty much everyone in Oakland upset about the move. Bravo good sir, I didn’t think you had it in you.

Okay okay maybe that’s a bit harsh. The media is at fault here too. If you read the context around Carr’s big stupid it’s a lot more palatable, but he worded his thoughts extremely poorly and the media took the juiciest soundbite and made that the story. It’s not the first time this has happened, it won’t be the last, cest la vie. From what I can tell, Carr was trying to be sympathetic about the move, trying to connect with Raiders fans, trying to get them to sort of understand that this is not great news, but stick together, and maybe things will be okay. He was asking for loyalty (which is kind of rich coming from an NFL team, the same organizations that are happy to bail on fans for better profit margins) and then he said a stupid.

Even if you sympathize with Carr getting torn apart and not meaning it the way it came out, it was still the absolute worst thing to say at this point in time. Dude needs a little more PR practice. Accusing anyone in Oakland upset about the move and debating not following the team anymore of not being a real fan…oooph. Nope. Don’t do that. It’s basically like pissing on a grave. I’m also not a fan of the classic “I was misunderstood” non-apology afterward. Yeah the media took the bad angle but come on man, you gave them the angle because you made a stupid. Say you did a stupid, apologize for the stupid, then clarify the stupid.

Sports teams ask for loyalty when they move and I personally blame no one who gives that concept the middle finger and then burns rubber the opposite direction. In a completely objective sense, pro teams are really just businesses that can up and change locations whenever. But they are more than that to so many people, they are part of that community, and for most people the team is tied up with the identity of their home. I don’t personally have that particular connection with the Giants since I didn’t grow up in NY and couldn’t give a fuck about NY, but I do have that connection with the Orioles. growing up the Orioles were home. They were Baltimore. If the Orioles ever left Baltimore, I’d probably give up on baseball forever, because the O’s are the only reason I ever cared in the first place. They are a part of my childhood, a part of my identity as a kid. Cal Ripken was a hero, a symbol of pride for the city, the city I grew up with. That’s what the Orioles are. They aren’t just a loose collection of dudes who smack balls, wear smiley bird helmets and make millions, they are part of Baltimore. They feel like home. If they left it would feel like a kid moved out of my house while giving me the finger. I don’t even care about baseball anymore, nor do I live near Baltimore, and I’d still be upset about it if it happened, I know it.

For most fans, I don’t think following sports is actually about the sport at all. There are those of us who reach a point of obsession where we sort of begin to connect with the sport as a whole, which is where I would consider myself with football. But for most, it’s about the emotional connection. They are fans on the emotional level, the fan who is more about supporting the home team because the home team is an emotional aspect of themselves.

Derek Carr’s stupid pissed all over those Oakland fans and maybe instead of blaming others for “misunderstanding” he should just admit he made a very poor word choice and start speaking good.

But daaaaaaaaayyymn, that was a fucking great hot take, my man. Keep that juicy shit coming makes my job easier for sure.

Apropos of nothing edit: People have been asking when I’ll make an Eli fraud comic, I’m waiting for more info, the story doesn’t have a lot of juice and frankly leave it to Eli to be involved in the most dull scandal possible. Maybe when things get dull. Also Saturday will probably be Hernandez related because yeah…jeez.