New York Giants: Dave Gettleman’s growing disconnect
By Ed Stein
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman isn’t wired into the real world. The more he talks the more his disconnect from reality grows.
As much as the New York Giants may ignore it, football is an entertainment/service industry. Without fans attending games, buying merchandise, and watching on television, there are no teams and no league. It’s something former owner Wellington Mara understood very well.
When ratings continue to drop, as they have, good public relations are a must. Many blame the players for declining viewership. Others cite issues within the game as the cause. For those reasons, valid or not, the NFL’s biggest media market team, has to tread lightly at times with the fans and media.
Front offices will always make decisions which are unpopular. It’s a byproduct of the business. There is an old saying about people in professional sports decision making. If you do what the fans tell you, you become one. If these were easy jobs, an owner could pick someone out of the stands to run the team.
It’s an even tougher job in a place like New York due to the scrutiny of so many people. Everything a general manager does is put under a microscope, and thoroughly discussed on sports radio, in the newspapers, and online. Aside from that, occupying a big chair in New York sports requires an additional public relations skill set.
All the above was a roundabout way to get to New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman and what he’s done and said. He and by default the Giants have a credibility problem which is all of his own making. The combination of doublespeak, back peddling, justification, and condescending comments have undermined any faith Big Blue Nation has in him.
If the problem was with one or two issues, it can be chalked up to a difficult job, The fact that since he succeeded Jerry Reese in 2017, Gettleman has made a series of missteps that have led to sorry state the franchise finds itself in now. I won’t go through the laundry list of his gaffs, but there are several issues I’d like to address.