Joel Embiid’s postgame media gaggle went off without issue Tuesday night in New York, following the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Knicks. There was no emotional confrontation between him and a reporter, unlike the previous week when he cursed and shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist for writing a piece he viewed as crossing the line between professional and personal commentary.
Dustups between professional athletes and reporters are as old as the games themselves, with the earliest known high-profile incident dating back to 1907 and baseball great Ty Cobb. But something felt different about the incident between Embiid and columnist Marcus Hayes, who angered the 7-foot All-Star center by mentioning Embiid’s son and late brother in a piece that criticized Embiid’s conditioning and commitment.
I couldn’t put my finger on it until I stepped back to get a macro view. It was then I realized the altercation itself was not the thing gnawing at me. It was what the incident represented: another strong indicator that the deterioration of decorum and respect throughout society is bleeding ever deeper into the fabric of sport.
The thought first hit me in April. LSU was preparing to face UCLA in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and the Los Angeles Times published a…
