Latrell Mitchell: The Cyclical Pattern of Scrutiny Continues
It’s almost a year to the day that Latrell Mitchell hung 26 points on the Wests Tigers at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It’s almost a year to the day that Latrell Mitchell hung 26 points on the Wests Tigers at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He did whatever he wanted to Wests on that Saturday night to score three tries, hand out a try assist, break five tackles and kick seven goals. It’s a game that will be remembered for decades to come.
That performance — only 12 months ago — and a fairly handy opening two months of the season was enough for him to be hailed as “the best player in the game.”
Forget the likes of Cameron Smith, Jason Taumalolo, James Tedesco, Cameron Munster and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, five of 14 experts at one paper picked him at number one with another four slotting him somewhere inside the top five.
The claim wasn’t only limited to that group, though. News outlets, talking heads and footy fans built Mitchell up as the best player in rugby league at the time.
Fast forward a year and a few deep breaths during his first training in six weeks is enough to get the knives out.
This new story follows a summer in which his right to test the market and talk to other clubs outside of the Roosters was reported on as though he’s another Sonny-Bill Williams, a pre-season in which him standing draped in an Aboriginal flag created ridiculous headlines and disheartening debates, and a week that began with a six-month old story about getting to bed late before a game was unearthed and plastered everywhere.
Now… ‘hands on hips.’
While talking about the change in how Michael Jordan was perceived when his gambling habits were uncovered, Ryen Russillo inadvertently says a lot about the the Mitchell situation on The Bill Simmons Podcast. Now, Mitchell is no Jordan and the level of scrutiny and attention Mitchell faces doesn’t begin to compare to Jordan — they’re not in the same galaxy. Nevertheless, Russillo’s rant rings frustratingly true.
“The public can really fucking suck sometimes. We do this thing where it’s like, man, when you’re new, we love you. We build you up into something that doesn’t even exist. And you benefit from that, and that’s fine. It’s part of the deal. But then it’s, OK, we’ve really liked you a long time, let’s see if there is something wrong with you.”
Mitchell as best player in rugby league never truly existed.
Sure, he is a great player and was arguably the best centre in the game 12 months ago. But he’s never been the best player in the world.
That idea was the creation of others.
Russillo continues:
“What is the most cyclical pattern ever with fame is that we build you into something that doesn’t exist, and until we find out what your flaw is, once we find it, we rip you to shreds and feel better about ourselves.”
It’s the most predicable cycle in sports media and fandom.
Mitchell’s flaw?
He’s got a bit of a gob on him, but he had that as “the best player in the game”.
Yes, maybe he took a frustratingly long time to decide on where to play in 2020. Still, nothing about that goes against any rules other than those a fan makes up in their head.
Is it that he references his culture too much? Those people need to take a long and hard look in the mirror.
Mitchell is far from perfect. Inviting Josh Addo-Carr to his property and breaking social distancing rules during the suspended NRL season proved as much. Nobody is perfect, though.
There is analyzing and talking about on-field performances (there is plenty to argue about there), and there is the whatever this is.
Perhaps Mitchell gets through the cycle and forges the career he’s capable of and is remembered fondly for it. Maybe, the overzealous and unfair scrutiny placed on him is enough to walk away from the game.
Whichever way Mitchell goes, the cycle will eventually push somebody too far.
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