It seems some sports journalists under the age of 50 want to be bigger than the game, coaches and players.
Me. That’s their favorite subject when writing or talking on TV or the radio.
One can only wonder whether Seth Davis, a wildly talented writer, picked Colgate over Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament on CBS for attention.
Davis works for CBS as hired talent. He’s good on TV, especially for a print guy, and also at The Athletic, a really good, upscale sports website.
When the bracket was announced, Clark Kellogg — one of the experts on the CBS show — got all excited about the Colgate-Arkansas matchup, saying it would be a shootout.
He did not make a prediction.
Davis did.
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman was not pleased and texted Davis, telling him he was going to show the video to his team every single time they met before Friday’s game.
Davis shared that in a Facebook post.
Mission accomplished. He got the attention of the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Well, Musselman is a guy who tweets lots of people — when he has good Wi-Fi speed, which apparently the team hotel is lacking. That’s surprising.
Accommodations for teams are based on their seeding. As a No. 3 seed, the Razorbacks should be in a full-service, top-shelf hotel like a Marriott.
Regardless, the whole thing shows a little of the edgy side of Musselman, a side most of us have seen on occasion.
Musselman’s drive — which oftentimes is a gear most folks don’t have — is learned.
His dad, Bill Musselman, coached the game to win. Like with most coaches, winning is one of the major reasons you play the game.
Eric grew up as his father’s sidekick and inherited that passion for performance, the kind where you get trophies and not thank yous.
By all accounts, he’s a little on the uptight side right now. NCAA Tournament protocols have everyone confined to their hotel rooms when not eating or practicing.
There is not a suite big enough to contain Musselman’s energy and drive.
Any pressure he feels right now isn’t coming from Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek or his bosses Danyelle (wife) and Mariah (daughter and dance queen).
No one has to push his buttons. He does it himself.
When he was introduced as the Arkansas head coach, Musselman said yes, he’ll rip his shirt off.
He did so once after a game as Nevada’s head coach. He was really pleased his team had reached the Sweet Sixteen.
He doesn’t mean to be, but he’s fun to watch on the sidelines during a game.
He’s intensely coaching every bounce of the ball, and he seems to have a sense of what is about to happen before the players do.
Musselman probably logs as many steps in the coaching box as his players do on the court.
His drive, knowledge and energy are why a team with nine new players and five new starters are a No. 3 seed. It’s why they won 12 consecutive SEC games.
Yet, the reason Musselman texted Davis was not about him.
The only way it was personal to Musselman is if he felt that on national TV his players and program had been disrespected.
He is well aware of Colgate. He knows if the Razorbacks aren’t serious they could get upset.
That’s why he’s burning the midnight oil studying the Raiders. It is why he is edgy.
Musselman just didn’t appreciate Davis’ timing on national TV and how it might affect his team or the way the nation views Razorbacks basketball.
So he endured the slow internet connection and sent Davis a message.
Not a threat.
Just expressing his feelings openly and honestly as is his practice.