They have been released in theatres for many weeks, but the buzz created by the films Barbie and Oppenheimer has been a breath of fresh air for the movie industry. In the leadup to their release date of July 21st, everyone debated which movie they would see first and ended up entrenching themselves into Team Barbie or Team Oppenheimer. While Barbie is a star-studded and colorfully rendered film based on the immensely popular toy doll of the same name, Oppenheimer is a historical look at the man who led the initiative to create the atomic bomb. Both have big budgets and big ambitions to dominate the box-office with Barbie providing a fantasy realm of escapism, while Oppenheimer is a darker reflection of the world that we are living in with respect to the conflicts that have been dominating the news cycle.
Coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers has a similar dichotomy. Some coverage looks at the Flyers with endlessly rose-colored glasses at every turn, while others examine the goings-on with the team using a critical lens to provide stinging criticism.
The never-ending ‘Positive vs. Negative’ debate.
Team Barbie vs. Team Oppenheimer.
The space for Flyers coverage is vast with a multitude of individuals, reporters, websites, podcasts, and fans offering a wide range of opinions on Flyers related topics. All provide insight and inform us about the Flyers team that we love. As fans, we have an incredible amount of choice when it comes to consuming Flyers related content. We all consume media that syncs more with our prevailing biases and perspectives. While variety may be the spice of life, the sources that we trust for content tend to be static and never-changing.
Are you more Team Barbie or Team Oppenheimer? Let’s look at the pros and cons of both types of coverage.
Pros and Cons of ‘Team Barbie’
Positivity can be really hard to come by when covering a team that has been mediocre to downright offensively bad for the vast majority of the last decade. Part of the appeal of ‘positive’ coverage is that there is a certain amount of escapism (much like the Barbie movie). Finding topics or stories to be upbeat about in a sea of disappointing or upsetting results is an oasis for many people. Looking on the bright side during times of darkness provides something to look forward to and gives a reason to continue being attentive to all things Flyers related.
Some would argue that the very definition of being a fan means sticking with a team through good times and bad. Especially during a franchise’s rough patch, the volume of negative stories essentially write themselves. It is much more difficult in some aspects to ignite the enthusiasm of a fanbase which may find it’s attention waning due to poor play and bad results. The constant drive of positivity can be unheralded work in difficult times.
Additionally, the continuing positivity does lead to content produced that can focus on the prospects and players in the developmental pipeline. Highlight reels, video compilations, draft reports, and focus on the minor-league teams like the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) and the Reading Royals (ECHL) can provide relief to a hockey mad fanbase that has lost interest in the NHL product. Attention for the Phantoms and Royals are great for overall exposure for their respective leagues as well as the teams themselves. Even though the attention is somewhat dependant upon the lack of success exhibited by the Flyers, attention is much better than no attention at all and the content provided can give Flyers fans good information and insight into players that fans can look forward to in the future.
On the other hand, the constant barrage of videos contributes to the overall hyping of players in the system. It has the unintended consequence of raising the expectations that every prospect in the system is going to be a major contributor at the NHL level which is a standard that is impossible to live up too. In a sense, the endless positivity has the undesired result of souring a fanbase when a young player does not live up to the perceived hype that was artificially created by the hype and promotion of all related content. Ironically, the overly positive coverage can turn fans who wanted positivity into the textbook definition of a ‘Negadelphian’ sports fan who becomes bitter when their perceptions (and the vision that they were sold) does not materialize.
This also leads to questions of accuracy when providing coverage. When lofty goals and expectations are presented with little to no attention paid to potential setbacks or bumps in the road, it becomes incredibly difficult to justify the rosy outlook that was painted when and if things go badly. Trust is essential for fans to have with those individuals or groups that provide coverage and information. The loss of that trust with inaccuracies can be very difficult to gain back once it is lost. Especially when the goal is to keep in the organization’s good graces to maintain press passes, the goal needs to be accuracy and integrity with regards to the content and information that is put out for consumption; rather than positivity for the sake of maintain exclusive access to the team. Fans in Philadelphia especially can smell disingenuousness from a mile away. Loyalty and openness to the fans should always come first and ahead of maintaining relationships and ties to the organization. No outlet should ever feel like they are being used to parrot a message that goes against the best interests of the fans.
Pros and Cons of ‘Team Oppenheimer’
The awful state of the Flyers over the past decade has led to some very critical and eye-opening content that has been very popular with fans. With results and poor performance setting the table, outlets that are considered ‘negative’ have been able to dish out a bevvy of content that is raw, in-your-face, and honest. Without caring about team granted access, the priority has been about hard-hitting criticism that focused on relaying ideas, information, and opinions to the fans with no apologies to the Flyers organization.
While to some the criticism may be harsh, others will find it completely justified given the state of the Flyers in recent years. The content and coverage can be seen as more through the lens of realism as opposed to idealism. Much like ‘Team Barbie’, there can be pros and cons to the ‘Team Oppenheimer’ approach as well.
When there is a transition occurring with the team (ie. the hiring of Keith Jones and Danny Briere into new front office positions), it can be difficult to get out of the cycle of providing critical content and coverage. The perceived ‘negative’ outlets and contributors will get chastised for not giving the new team a chance, or for just putting out critical ideas and content “just for the clicks”. That criticism from the fanbase can be partially justified and certainly understandable. After all, the criticism of the team that took place over the last decade was justified and garnered points with a frustrated fanbase that felt alienated by a Flyers team and process that betrayed the essence of the Flyers to its loving fans. Now that the team has formally announced a change in philosophy and approach with a rebuild and new leadership to guide that process, shouldn’t the coverage of the Flyers follow suit and turn the page from all the criticism?
It should, but change is not immediate. We are all so entrenched in an age of instant gratification and information at our fingertips instantaneously, that it bears remembering that evolution will happen but takes time. Criticism of the Flyers has turned out to be more correct than not with hindsight being 20/20. It very much employs the same level of creativity that was described for the ‘Team Barbie’ approach earlier. As a result of that creative process, it can be difficult to change perspective given the conditioning that takes place with the vindication and validation of critical ideas and opinions. The real impetus for a change in this type of coverage is to see the results change in terms of the team’s on-ice success.
Another factor in the slow evolutionary change in coverage is that as fans we have all been here before. We have seen the ushering in of a new GM or a new Head Coach with the promise of change and yet the results have been eerily similar. The thing that ‘Team Oppenheimer’ outlets need to remember is that because it has happened before (in some cases many, many times), it does not mean that it is destined to repeat itself again. The approach of relying on precedent to inform analysis is a very valid and legitimate way of predicting behavior, but it isn’t foolproof. There will always be outliers and unexpected occurrences that will ultimately change the preconceived outcome regardless of historical precedent. Again, viewing the Flyers consistently using a critical lens can make those initiating the criticism blind to those realities.
It also does not ingratiate ‘Team Oppenheimer’ with the organization. As outlined earlier, this is not detrimental in the near term as the focus of critical coverage prioritizes fans over the organization. However, once the organization makes the turnaround back to respectability; the relationship between critical coverage and the organization needs to be mended. Mutual trust needs to be built and that takes time. It is a process that cannot begin once the team improves in the standings. It has to start with a recognition by ‘Team Oppenheimer’ that improvement will take place and that the organization sees the criticism as legitimate critiques without taking everything to heart personally.
The old adage states that “There is no such thing as bad publicity”; and organizations need to realize that they are not infallible, and that coverage (no matter what lens) can be a good thing. It is not something that is to be manipulated or controlled, but rather an opportunity for listening, outreach, and engagement. After all, the negativity that completely consumed the Flyers organization after the trade deadline last season really spurred the action and change that has led us to this current point in a rebuild with a new front office.
Conclusion
There is no shortage of Flyers content out there. They run the gamut from being overly positive to being overly negative, and all things in between. There is relevancy and space for this wide and diverse array of Flyers coverage. No outlet is perfect; and every person, website, blog, or podcast can improve their product and be more mindful of the space that they have carved out for themselves and how to improve their coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Ideally, every contributor and outlet should be looking for the middle ground of praising the team for its successes and criticizing their shortcomings. The coverage needs to always be grounded in facts with the goal of satisfying the voracious appetite of a fanbase and doing so while providing quality content that is accurate.
Do you tend to consume and prefer more content from ‘Team Barbie’ or ‘Team Oppenheimer’? The good news is that there is so much content out there that getting an educated perspective should mean looking at more than one type or style of content. Consuming content with a different lens really has little negative effect on fans. It opens your horizons to different points of view, encourages critical thinking, and may cause you to learn something new that would have been missed if loyal to only one kind of coverage. At worst, you would disagree with a stated position or view which would solidify and entrench the way that you feel and think about the team anyways.
My approach and opinion to the debate about ‘Team Barbie’ or ‘Team Oppenheimer’ for Flyers coverage will be very similar to the movies that bear their respective names. I will watch them both and see for myself. While I likely will like one over the other, I have no doubt that I will enjoy watching both films. Likewise, the majority of fans who enrich their knowledge and passion for the Flyers by supporting many different types of content out there are better informed than those who choose to restrict their options.
After all, it is important to remember that both ‘Team Barbie’ and ‘Team Oppenheimer’ are really both the same thing: fans of ‘Team Philadelphia Flyers’.
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Do you agree with the article? Do you disagree?
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Until next time from BrotherlyPuck.com,
I remain,
Manny Benevides
brotherlypuck.com 