BTB-regular HSO writes an impassioned diary to stop the madness surrounding the Tony Romo coverage by the media. I agree, it’s overboard and I have contributed frequently to it. But below is my meager defense and I’m offering it now because I can guarantee you I will be writing about Romo’s personal life again. It’s inevitable.
I know I rip the mainstream media regularly, but let me say this; it's hard to come up with new topics to write about this time of year. Believe me, I know, because I struggle with it too. Before I wrote this blog, I would read the Cowboys’ press and think - why are they talking about X or Y, why aren't they talking about Z? But when you have to come up with a different Z, day-after-day, it becomes a lot harder.
Consider this - already this offseason I’ve written a series of articles that cover the entire roster, I’ve written a series on our draft picks, and I’ve written about the potential make-up of the roster. I’ve written numerous articles focusing on the new offense, and even more articles about the new defense, the Phillips 34. I’ve covered individual players, the new head coach, Jerry Jones...I think that’s enough to illustrate my point. It’s hard to come up with new topics that aren’t boring or repetitive.
There’s just not enough on-the-field activity to create continuously interesting story lines. So off-the-field activities like Romo’s - dating a star, escorting her on the red-carpet, jetting to Mexico City to judge a bunch of hottties on TV - are going to draw attention. Romo plays into this also; he likes being a celebrity, he enjoys the attention.
Romo’s gone from being an UDFA out of Northern Illinois that almost no one had heard of, to being the starting QB for one of the highest profile teams in sports and making the Pro Bowl. He is/was dating one of the biggest rising stars in the music business who is very easy on the eyes. He talks to the media regularly, he isn’t camera-shy at all, and he participates in high-profile events like the Miss Universe pageant and trying out for the U.S. Open – his story just screams for attention.
It’s got the "little guy who was an afterthought making it big" theme, which we all love. It’s got some soap-opera sex intrigue with Ms. Underwood and Ms. Simpson. It’s got the "voyeur fantasy life" where we get to jet off with Romo to Mexico and judge some of the most beautiful ladies in the world while simultaneously getting some TV air-time. I mean, it’s hard to stay away from that stuff as a writer. It’s like crack!
Besides, when I write about Romo’s personal life, I’m not trying to denigrate it or make a judgment on it – quite the opposite. In truth, I’m jealous. If they asked me when I was a kid to write about my perfect life in the future, it might include being the QB for the Dallas Cowboys, dating beautiful women and jetting around the world attending fun parties and events. Yeah, sign me up for that.
So, don’t think of us too harshly when we comment on the Sweet Life of Tony Romo. To me, it’s better than writing about the Twisted World of Terrell Owens.
P.S. – Again, this isn’t to say that the sentiments expressed in HSO’s diary aren’t correct, just my own pre-emptive defense because I’m sure I will write about Romo’s personal life again, very soon. By the way HSO, thanks for the diary, it led to another topic I could write about! Filling space in the offseason ain’t easy.