Jul 23, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) addresses media during training camp at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Rob Thomson walked into the dugout from the Phillies clubhouse on Tuesday to see a swarm of local media that was unusual for a Phillies game on a weeknight in July.
Cameras from every television station were positioned in place. Every news outlet had at least one reporter present, if not more.
Thomson squeezed his way through the throng and before he took his first question, he made an astute statement:
"The Eagles must be back," he said.
It brought a hearty chuckle from the gathered crowd, because we all know how true it is.
The media outlets already had their people in South Philly for the first day of Eagles training camp, or, "Champ Camp" as some are calling it, so they figured, kill two birds with one stone, and send the same people down the street to get some stuff on the Phillies.
This happens every summer, so it's no surprise. And it makes sense. After all, football is king and coverage of the hometown team is absolutely mandatory on a daily basis. It's even more so this year as the Eagles are the defending champions, so interest in the team is at an all-time high.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson speaks to a large cohort of reporters, photographers and television cameras. (Credit: Philadelphia Phillies)
That said, there's nothing that sticks in my craw more than the "all Eagles, all the time" mentality that exists in this market.
I'm not saying they shouldn't be sports topic No. 1, because they should. But very frequently across almost every media outlet in this market, they are No. 1 through 20, with enough space to give up a slot or two to the Phillies, as long as they are good.
The winter teams? Forget it. The Sixers have to be among the best teams in the league, and not until after the All-Star break, to lead the Philadelphia sports discourse, and the Flyers need to make it to the second round of the playoffs before the general thought is that anyone bothers to look up who is on the roster.
Sure, it's easy to say that when teams are bad - as the Flyers have been for most of the past 15 years, or are dysfunctional - as the Sixers have been recently- that nobody cares.
And while that's true for the casual sports fan, it's certainly not accurate for all.
As someone who pays attention to hockey more than most, I can tell you that my interactions with Flyers fans show a contempt for the rest of the Philadelphia sports scene because their team is disregarded so frequently and easily.
The market is flooded with stories and discussions about football first, baseball second, and basketball a distant third, with so little hockey chatter outside of their own, small, circle that it breeds that anger.
Do the puck heads take it too far? Sure. It's crazy to think, but there is a small segment of the hockey base that actually roots for the other teams to fail.
But they do have a point.
I remember a time when all four sports teams were given their fair share of coverage and conversation in this city. Yes, the Eagles were always king, but they didn't dominate the talk radio airwaves, or the television chatter the way they do now. The split was far more equitable.
Now, the belief at the top of most media outlets is that you have to "feed the beast" and provide an overabundance of Eagles coverage. But, does everyone really want that?
Look around the media landscape.
Radio ratings are down. Regional sports networks are going the way of the dodo. Legacy media outlets are getting less and less readers. Meanwhile, sport- or team-specific content on varying platforms is booming.
The reason? People want what they want, and not content forced down their throat.
Doesn't mean we can't still have a predominance of football - we should. But those who have committed to a protocol that sticks to the notion of "feeding the beast" because that's what was successful before - back when there were fewer platforms for the narratives to be created - likely are on a road to irrelevance, and maybe even extinction.
One of my press box colleagues came up to me last week and said they really enjoyed this Midweek Musings column, or as he called it, my "old man column." I didn't take offense. He's more than half my age and admitted he agreed with some (not all) of the things I wrote. That's the idea, right? Make you think, consider, and ultimately decide if you agree with more or not. Great!
So, in that vein, I've decided each of these columns will include at least one item that falls under the category of "Things that people unnecessarily care too much about."
Today's edition is this:
Jalen Hurts won't wear his Super Bowl ring.
Why is all of Philadelphia responding like Kyle's mom Sheila in South Park?
Do those of you having a visceral reaction to this expect him to walk around wearing a giant, $40,000 piece of jewelry at all times? Wouldn't it make more sense to put something of that value somewhere safe and only trot it out on very special occasions?
(Not to mention, as my wife pointed out, those rings, with the pop out Eagle wings, can get caught on so many things. It's a good point!)
This doesn't mean Jalen Hurts doesn't appreciate the ring. It doesn't mean he's not one of the boys in the locker room, because he doesn't show excitement about it. He just doesn't want to wear something that valuable on the regular.
Oh wait, that's not what he said? He said he's not wearing it because he's moved on to the new year and isn't focused on the past?
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on why he didn’t wear the Super Bowl ring:
“I’ve moved on, I’ve moved on to the new year and it’s as simple as that.” pic.twitter.com/grLWLNR0LD
That gets the old man eye roll.
Does Jalen really believe that we are so small-minded that we don't think he can focus on the new season because he was too busy living in the past because he decided to wear a Super Bowl ring?
Puh-lease.
It's right to move on. It's right to admit the time for celebrating Super Bowl LIX is on hiatus until at least the 10th anniversary of the title. There's a new season at hand and it's right to put your focus on that.
But playing this whole "I can't wear the ring because I'm so laser focused on getting another one" shtick is silly. No one would think you were living in that past if you decided to wear the ring to dinner next Monday. Or had it on during a post game press conference at the podium. Or wore it on the red carpet at next year's ESPY awards.
Expectations for Jalen Hurts are the same regardless of when or if he wears his jewelry.
Both the quarterback and fans questioning him are way too worried about this nonsense.
In a story of two first round draft picks, selected 16 days apart from one another, the Phillies Gage Wood signed his contract and began his professional career by flying off to Clearwater to see when he could potentially help the Phillies while the Flyers' Porter Martone decided at least one year in college would be the best path forward and will matriculate at Michigan State.
And while their paths aren't necessarily linear, they are both doing what's best for both themselves and the Philadelphia teams they will one day play for.
For Wood, getting after it right away for a team in the throes of a World Series chase - even if it's as a reliever right away - makes sense. He said he will do whatever the Phillies ask him to do. And while the Phillies ultimately see him as a starter, there could be an uber-quick path to the majors as a reliever for the rest of 2025, and then revert back to being a starter in 2026.
The fast track is the right track for Wood.
Meanwhile Martone is going to be the tortoise in the race. Slow and steady makes so much more sense - and the Flyers are good with it.
It's official: Porter Martone (PHI) is a Michigan State Spartan. https://t.co/sm62SzDEqc pic.twitter.com/5y1saxBzzk
Martone could have eschewed college and tried to make the Flyers out of training camp. But if he did that and didn't earn a lineup spot, his only other option, by rule, was to go back to junior hockey in Canada. There would be little to no development playing there against smaller, younger opponents.
Instead, he'll go to Sparty and play against more mature competition, and then have the option when he eventually decides to sign his entry-level contract (cough... March, 2026 ... cough) to play in either the NHL at the end of the regular season, or be able to go to the AHL and take the next step toward the NHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
He will develop much better this way physically and will be a more prepared player for the NHL next season because of it.
Fans might not be happy with this decision, but the Flyers are.
And considering the NIL money he's getting from Michigan State, I got to imagine Martone is happy too.
