Who\u2019s the MAN? Are you the MAN?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Probably not, because you\u2019re a person and not a narrative, but who knows? Not all narratives are absurd, of course. From a storytelling standpoint, a narrative is important. It keeps the audience interested in the characters, keeps the story flowing, and provides a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. From its inception, professional football has woven this concept into every facet of its existence from the jump. The original television broadcast of the first Super Bowl was manipulated to portray the stadium\u2019s attendance as packed in like sardines, with only tight shots of the crowd. In reality<\/a>, it was the only Super Bowl to *not* sell out, filling only a little over 60,000 of its (then) 100,000-seat capacity. The NFL has been manipulating, if not outright creating, its stories for over 75 years. Manning vs. Brady<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deflategate<\/p>\n\n\n\n Odell vs. the Net<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s Definitely Our Starter<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s Not That Serious<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s Ready to Go This Week<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without further ado, let\u2019s dig into the latest MANs! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Look, the guy did great against the Cowboys. A night\u2019s work of 16-23-172-2 is a hell of a day at the office in this league. No matter what your situation, there is no argument here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At The Poolside, a MAN is the \u201cMost Absurd Narrative.\u201d As football fans, we know nothing gets eyes on games better than a juicy narrative<\/a> (other than betting, of course). Is it a player\u2019s \u201crevenge game\u201d against a former team? A rookie coach competing against his former mentor? An inspiring comeback from a severe injury? All candidates for each week\u2019s MAN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This isn\u2019t wrong, of course, because we *love* the narratives. It\u2019s just important to understand and identify them for what they are. Some of my all-time favorite narratives include:<\/p>\n\n\n\nJosh Johnson-For Comeback Player of the Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n