Laughing Matters

“There was a time when meatheads would giggle at off-color jokes only while in the locker room, or at least in the sanctity of the group chat, because at least good sense would prevail and remind them that some punch lines aren’t suitable for public consumption. It wasn’t that long ago, either, when head coaches jacked up on adrenaline would fulfill their social contract by spitting out a couple of nothings to a sideline reporter — or, at least, express regret when they didn’t. That kind of human decorum, however, is fading faster than someone can hit ‘send’ on the latest AI-generated nonsense.” The Athletic (Gift Article): Did Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian and cackling reporters act this way? It can’t be real. This review of the reaction to an AI-generated video of Steve Sarkisian backslapping sideline reporter Holly Rowe is about a lot more than an ill-timed laugh by a young quarterback (who has already apologized publicly and privately).