It
used to be that when a team signed a new player, the anticipation of seeing
them play had to wait until they actually took the pitch, unless you’d managed
to see them play for another club previously. Even then, there was the
knowledge that playing with a different group of players, they would likely
play somewhat differently. But the popularity and accessibility of YouTube has
changed all of that. A single highlight reel can convince fans that a player is
world class or maybe just trash. One spin or shot or goal, played over and over
again in a 2-4 minute video out of context and with some good music can
convince more than a great 90 minute performance of a player’s quality. Just
like the advent of the
music video changed radio forever, YouTube is changing how fans view
players. It’s as if video killed the football star.
Watching this clip would make you think that Djamel Mesbah was a
starter at Milan
Immortalizing
a human being has always been a treacherous practice. People are human. They
have moments of brilliance, and they make mistakes. Now we have YouTube to
capture either or both and offer them up to viewers worldwide via a few clicks
at any time.
This video clip has villainized Zaccardo forever
Sure,
one could argue that a highlight video can show you the best a player has to
offer, and that many players live up to their videos or even surpass them,
creating new highlight videos.
This video reminds us of the spectrum of what Pato was capable of, even
if he sometimes exceeded these expectations
And
then there are videos of a player not even on the pitch that are more like a
gag reel, stigmatizing them forever for non-football reasons.
Is Balotelli more famous for his antics or his football skills?
Or
perhaps there is a young player, maybe from a lesser league, who has maybe
played more than one position, yet a YouTube video makes him dazzle and wow,
without the context of the level of play. Often these videos will take a single
moment of brilliance and work it into a highlight video multiple times,
convincing the unwary viewer that the brilliance happened more than once.
Bartosz Salamon looks explosive in this video, but will he look the
same in Serie A?
If
one is aware of the dangers of being duped by YouTube fame and infamy, it can
be fun to watch certain plays over and over, or to preview what a new player
has done in the past and see how they move and interact. But caution is
required. The instant gratification that YouTube offers is hardly reality. To
pass judgment on a player based on a simple highlight reel or single moment of
brilliance or infamy takes away from the pleasure or pain of seeing what they
can actually do in 90 minutes or even for a season. I am old fashioned enough
to believe that watching a player throughout a match, and even through multiple
matches is the way to measure their worth. And while YouTube can be a great
resource, it can be a great hindrance to our enjoyment of the game, too. The moral of this story is don't believe everything you see on YouTube. Don’t
let video kill the football star for you. Enjoy the beautiful game.
This post inspired by The Buggles’
“Video Killed the Radio Star”
Our next match is
Cagliari vs. Milan
Sunday, February 10 • 15:00 CET (9am EST)