Disclaimer: Our Sixers writer at-large James Birrane wrote about Sixers Twitter and the media in a far more reserved manner than I am about to. Definitely check it out.

The day after a Sixers loss sucks, especially when they lose in the second round of the playoffs with an injured superstar. However, the outcome of the game is never the worst part.

In that way, one could liken a Sixers loss to a nuclear disaster. The initial shock certainly hits hard, but the fallout is what causes the truly lasting damage. Of course, the nuclear fallout in this scenario is the equally toxic sludge spewed by many of our local media outlets.

It does not matter if it is sports talk radio or the cesspool of trash and barely intelligible thought that is Twitter. Members of our distinguished media provide insufferable, foolish, and downright hateful takes after Sixer losses.

Here is just one example from a new hire at a local station:

I don’t even know where to begin, so I’ll just start typing. This guy is a straight-up jerk for this tweet. Yeah, Joel had a terrible night, but he did it playing on one knee for YOUR favorite basketball team.

I know I’m not some moral authority in the Philly sports world. I’m an absolute nobody. But when I criticize a player, it’s earned. Joel Embiid does not fit the description to deserve that kind of criticism, especially from Philadelphians.

I’m disgusted I share a name with this guy. A player gives you his all in a playoff game with a torn meniscus, and this is what he gets? That’s a joke, and you know it, man.

Lo and behold, the rest of the public most likely agrees with me. This man got six replies and zero likes. He was probably sitting there thinking, “oh man, this is gonna be such a banger.” Nope, lol. That’s what happens when you tweet trash.

Of course, the “Wise” Ryan is just parroting a company line like a good little boy. It’s not all his fault – he’s trying to break into the Philly sports media, as am I. I sympathize with it. That said, this isn’t how you do it. You can’t take the Spike Eskin route, buddy. Of course, it’s his station that’s spewing this nonsense anyway.

Why is this even a poll question? Of course, it’s on the morning show, too. That oaf doesn’t even watch the games, and he’s coming on in the morning to essentially question Embiid’s effort? 

I think it’s pretty easy to see who is putting more effort into their respective jobs in the last 24 hours. I mean, this is the same station that comes for Ben Simmons after a WIN, so I can’t be surprised. 

Now, I’m not advocating for exclusively positive sentiments about the Sixers on the radio and Twitter. That would sound more like Communist Sixers Propaganda than actual radio. 

I just need to see these guys pay their city’s players a modicum of respect. (Yes, I wrote an article bashing Andre Dillard, but that was a joke because I’m a multi-faceted guy). It’s almost like the people that cover the team and decide the programming aren’t even Sixers fans. OH WAIT.

Spike, sorry Brett Eskin, being a Knicks fan isn’t all that surprising – it was pretty much expected – but we can only blame this on him for so long. He’s leaving the city to return to his spiritual home in a Manhattan sewage pipe.

The systems he built are still in place, and we must band together to shatter them. We have to put a stop to the Ben-bashing and Joel slander perpetuated by these borderline criminals.

I’d like to take a paring knife to their meniscus and play them one on one. Bear in mind, I suck at basketball. We’ll see how quickly these bozos start “The Loser Limp.”

Screw this guy and anyone else calling the injury an “excuse.” People often conflate “excuse” and “reason,” this is a classic example of that classic folly.

We’ve known since the injury was sustained, it would be about managing pain and swelling. The argument “but it hasn’t affected him before” is not valid here because that’s the whole issue with the injury in the first place. The pain and swelling will increase the more he plays. That’s just simple logic.

Instead of claiming he’s mentally soft or using the injury as an excuse, maybe have some sympathy for your injured star. Why not support the team you root for instead of tearing down the very same players that have given us a postseason run.

There are tons of reasons why the Sixers lost last night, but the media wants to continue to focus on the wrong things. I do not care that that’s how they get engagement and clicks. That’s not good enough for me anymore.

Turn it off. Stop engaging. Take the power back.

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Mandatory Credit: Sporting News