Woj was not just empowered by these extremists in the hours after his response went public, he was influenced by them to respond that way in the first place. In what world is it appropriate for ESPN’s top NBA reporter to respond to a U.S. Senator’s not-that-controversial letter with the words “fuck you?” In the Twitter world, of course, where it is not just appropriate, it is Woj’s moral obligation.

Woj is not some bleeding-heart snowflake who floated into the world of journalism through daddy’s connections. He didn’t attend Syracuse or ASU - America’s broadcasting factory farms - like most of his ESPN colleagues. He attended St. Bonaventure University in Western New York - the same school my father went to - and worked tirelessly to build connections with no-name assistant coaches who would go on to be NBA head coaches and general managers. Why would he throw away his hard earned, real-world credibility for a pat on the back from Silicon Valley’s drones? Dopamine is a hell of a drug.

What’s happening on social media, Twitter especially, is a more legitimate and fruitful version of what happened with the computer game, “World of Warcraft” in the early 2000’s. As Steve Bannon pointed out in his 2018 sit-down with Errol Morris, World of Warcraft gave low-rung Americans a world in which they could be heroes, build a community and develop relationships far more rewarding than anything the analog world provided for them.

The same has happened on Twitter - and don’t be mistaken - it is a game just the same.

How do you play? Simple. Step one is to build your character. Equip yourself with the most progressive viewpoints, the snarkiest insults, and most relatable retweets – something about how hard “adulting” is. Step two is to point out the flaws in something other than yourself, while highlighting the morally heightened image of yourself you created in step one. Step three is to pile on anyone who dares to step outside the approved Twitter orthodoxy. Do not engage, only disavow.

The reward for playing Twitter well is too great for those garnering little from the analog world to pass up. Affirmation they aren’t getting at home, a community that modern American narcissism hardly offers, and a purpose that post-god Americans in a post-industrial economy long for.

A reward so strong that even Woj, the most successful reporter in NBA history, needed to cash in on.

The NBA has invested more in Twitter than any major American sports league. Access to the NBA’s 10 most important stars - many of whom have developed fiefdoms in Twitter’s hyper polarized world - uniquely determines the careers of NBA reporters. Adam Silver - Twitter’s favorite commissioner - has nestled so closely with NBA media that any attack on his performance is an attack on one of their own. The NBA, even before Orlando, effectively sealed itself inside of its own thought bubble.

You can imagine, then, how it must feel when a sitting U.S. Senator shares an open letter expressing views so heterodox to the ones agreed upon by NBA Twitter’s thought cartel. Unsettling, malicious, heretical. How can we blame Woj? His response was perfectly rational considering the world he now lives in.

The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon

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