As Twitchy reported, former NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden died on Tuesday at the age of 85. We thought we’d found the worst take on his passing:
Everyone eulogizing Madden: How many concussions could we have prevented had he not turned brain injuries into a video game?
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) December 29, 2021
That was bad, but we missed this thread from Sport Studies Influencer™ and history professor Dr. Andrew McGregor, who also had something to say about Madden’s involvement with video games.
I’m very critical of video games and fantasy sports. They’re at the heart of my critique of Madden because he symbolizes their rise to prominence, and how fans now relate to the game and issues of race, labor, consumption through the prism of roster management and control.
— Dr. Andrew McGregor (@admcgregor85) December 29, 2021
Management and control are at the heart of video games and fantasy sports. Players want to build super teams to win. They build rosters to compile stats and make big plays. Doing it with computer generated players dehumanizes real ones, and augments our relationship to violence.
— Dr. Andrew McGregor (@admcgregor85) December 29, 2021
This reminds us of Colin Kaepernick’s comparison of the NFL to the slave trade, despite Kaepernick voluntarily trying out for and playing in the NFL.
Obviously video games and fantasy sports are wildly popular and few people like to critically think about how they relate to race, labor, and consumption of a violent and exploitative sport. But I think we need to consider how they’re linked with our actions as fans and to Madden
— Dr. Andrew McGregor (@admcgregor85) December 29, 2021
McGregor kept it rolling Wednesday:
Most fans, journalists, and even fellow academics, are not ready for Critical Sport Studies. It’s a powerful field confronting some of the most toxic areas of discrimination and abuse in our culture. It’s difficult to reflect on danger and trauma inherent in something you love.
— Dr. Andrew McGregor (@admcgregor85) December 29, 2021
— Jasoñ (@cjason13) December 29, 2021
🤡
— Thousand Island Bets (@1000islandstare) December 29, 2021
this is a good bit, my dude. keep it going.
— matt (@ReasonablySober) December 29, 2021
— ButtMud Brooks (@BadFootballTaek) December 29, 2021
Well look who’s back pic.twitter.com/VKgMdpPCDW
— Sean Agnew (@seanagnew) December 29, 2021
I beg of you, please record yourself going up in front of your class next week and lecture your black students on how Madden games were actually violently exploiting them this whole time. I desperately want to see what happens there.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) December 29, 2021
These types often have minimal interaction with black people. Yet they can speak for black people so eloquently.
— Dylan (@TwoBlount) December 29, 2021
Critical Ratio’d Tweet. pic.twitter.com/AZ7FcR4IyT
— Blame Big Government (@BlameBigGovt) December 29, 2021
— noa (@sad_jets_fann) December 29, 2021
— Jeremy Schwartz (@J_Schwartz89) December 29, 2021
Most fans, journalists and even fellow academics, are not ready for this ratio
— zach (@Zachybeef) December 29, 2021
More manufactured outrage from “academia”
— Lori (@LoriKemp) December 29, 2021
— Tyler (@TyMic) December 29, 2021
I feel sorry for any student that has to take a class of yours
— Sergio Santos fan club (@santossergio46) December 29, 2021
Might be time to log off, my guy.
— Zack (@zrich412) December 29, 2021
You are about to break a Twitter record for all time ratio.
— Jordan (@grf_springs) December 29, 2021
I have never seen someone get collectively dumped on from all sides like this man. What unity.
— Mike Loftis (@mikeloftis27) December 29, 2021
Yes, tweet your way through it. That always works.
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) December 29, 2021
It’s just a neomarxist scam to hijack another part of American culture and weaponize it for a totalitarian agenda.
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) December 29, 2021
“Sports Studies Influencer”
— Bag Man 👨🌾 (@problynothin) December 29, 2021
This dude said critical sports theory as if that’s a real thing and not gibberish.
— Jolly Phil (@RealPhillyP) December 29, 2021
So you’re still going I guess. https://t.co/BqAMZyK0bS
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) December 29, 2021
Critical Sports Theory ROFL
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) December 29, 2021
I got trauma reading your thread about Madden
— Justin Tingwald (@Tingndacut) December 29, 2021
Dude stop.
— 🌙Eric C.🌴 (@EricC_2002) December 29, 2021
Keep digging bro, you’re doing great.
— Jeffrey (@itsalonewolf) December 29, 2021
Holy crap just stop tweeting for like 6 days and you’ll be fine. Just. Stop.
— Logan Pea 🦁 (@loganpea) December 29, 2021
Critical Sport Studies is Critical Race Theory for people too stupid to write a dissertation about Critical Race Theory. https://t.co/hxfhe4r1OA
— Nathan Wurtzel (@NathanWurtzel) December 29, 2021
Sure bud, whatever you need to tell yourself. You went viral for the worst take of 2021, pulling America together in their collective dislike for you. Amazing.
— Daniel LeBaron (@djlebaron85) December 29, 2021
— Douglas Brackman, Jr. 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 (@NotBruinOregon) December 29, 2021
It’s not that we’re afraid to reflect. It’s that you are deciding you have an issue, making up a name for it, creating a course and implying we are uninformed.
— NotKaren (@mcf1122) December 29, 2021
🤣
So glad people like this are on the way out.
— Jay (@chuckindiscin) December 29, 2021
Related:
This tweet on the death of John Madden could be the ‘worst tweet of the year’ https://t.co/K0MxhPFYX0
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 29, 2021
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