Columnist Norman Chad Faces Ridiculous Backlash For Satirical Column About Not Wanting Sports Back

Syndicated sports columnist Norman Chad is getting attacked on social media for penning a satirical piece about how the coronavirus pandemic has exposed our addiction to TV and cheap entertainment. There are several lines that make Chad’s point obvious, including the end, when he depicts his friend’s dismayed reaction when he informs him he has only watched one episode of the popular Netflix show “Ozark” in a single sitting.

“I half-expected him to schedule an intervention because I had not binge-watched an entire season in just a night or two,” Chad writes. “Here’s an interesting thought: How about binge-reading?”

Of course, in order to understand Chad’s point, it takes more than glancing at the Washington Post headline, “The pandemic has reminded us: We don’t need more sports in our lives — we need less.” But that is one pesky detail the outrage mob often neglects, because it is far easier to fire off 280 characters of indignation than actually taking five minutes and reading something.

The needless pile-on against Chad was a bipartisan sports media affair, from local TV sports anchors to small-town newspaper publishers pleading with the masses to not click the column and give the syndicated columnist page views. (The joke is on them, because the article is currently the most-read piece in the Post’s sports section, even surpassing the most recent recaps of ESPN’s highly regarded Michael Jordan documentary series, “The Last Dance.”)

For the record, I am not a regular reader of Chad’s. His chief domain is poker, and he’s served as an analyst on ESPN’s poker telecasts for many years. I don’t even know how to properly play a hand.

But I did read Chad’s column Sunday, because it was trending on Twitter, and it became instantly clear the insults levied against him were cheap and disingenuous. In the third paragraph, Chad pokes fun at our sports TV debate culture, writing “anyone within shouting distance of Skip Bayless or Stephen. A Smith wants sports back ASAP.”

Later, he laments how the traditional family dinner was spoiled by two of the most consequential events in history, World War 1 and World War II, and … Piers Morgan. “Here in America, we have drifted,” he says.

Inferring the launch of the tabloid TV host’s career was one of the most important events in world history is a pretty obvious sign of the column’s purpose. But then again, to understand the column’s purpose, one would have to read it. Why do that when you are Fox Sports host Clay Travis, and you can just tweet out a screenshot of the headline to your nearly 670,000 rabid followers, painting Chad as the latest elitist enemy pushing coronavirus fear.

“The coronavirus has exposed a fact that many sportswriters have tried to keep hidden — people like you don’t actually like sports or most sports fans,” Travis wrote in a tweet thread. “You look down on them. I’m not perfect — and my audience knows this for sure — but they also know I love sports (and) respect them.”

There is an apparent motive for Travis mischaracterizing Chad’s work, besides defending the sports-loving masses, of course. Over the last two months, Travis has become a chief purveyor of coronavirus misinformation, using his immense platform to downplay the virus. Tim Miller of the Bulwark chronicles some of Travis’ outrageous claims, including: COVID-19 is less contagious than the flu, predicting the U.S. would only suffer 1,000 deaths (we’re currently approaching 80,000), and advising us to all just “chill out.” After all, it’s only the mainstream liberal media that is pushing the coronavirus panic.

The coronavirus truther angle has been successful for Travis. Even though podcast downloads are down, his show in March set all-time records for listens. Going after Chad fits his agenda, which also includes railing against the supposed mainstream liberal sports media. In recent years, Travis has capitalized on right-wing grievance, hammering ESPN for alleged liberal bias and ridiculing Caitlyn Jenner. Sean Hannity rips Chuck Todd; Clay Travis rips Jemele Hill. It’s the same formula, just different characters.

Ironically, folks like Travis and the crew at Barstool Sports, which also unleashed its social media fury at Chad, are the first to bemoan snowflake culture. Their brands are built on it. And yet, they muster the same sort of hysterical outrage they decry at whomever offends them. It is quite an act.

On Sunday, they set their eyes on Chad. And the masses piled on, because it’s much easier for the eyes to read tweets than articles.