Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
I think fans have a tough time getting their heads around the idea that members of the media are not also fans. Seravelli, Friedman, Dreger, Johnston - none of these guys have strong feelings about the Flames, or the Oilers, or any team other in the league.
Stop and consider for a moment how you feel about the Wild. Or the Islanders. Probably nothing, right? That’s how Seravelli feels about the Flames.
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I don't totally disagree, but I do think there is a different dynamic with the Flames and Oilers. The Oilers have always been media darlings due to having had a dynasty, the best player production-wise that ever played the game, and the nostalgia that goes with that. It's in full throttle now in the McDavid era.
The Flames on the other hand, being the rival were assigned by the media, the role of heel. When the Flames are good and an obstacle to the media darlings, they are viewed as the baddies, and when they are bad, the media likes to pile on. It also didn't help that the Flames had long associations with Darryl Sutter who was adversarial with the media. The media reveled in the recent downfall of the Flames with Sutter leading the way, and this was particularly true with Seravalli. I would think he should get it more than anyone because the Philly-Pittsburgh dynamic is similar to the Calgary-Edmonton one, but it seems lost on him.
For me, the Oilers being media darlings was one of the main things that attracted me to the Flames. I grew up in an area that wasn't really in specified market amd hated being force fed the Oilers, so I gravitated towards their main rival. Becoming a Flames fan was literally based on hating the Oilers first and foremost. I have always hated the feedback loop of things being popular for being popular. The current media hype around the Oilers is the sports world version of everyone becoming Swifties.