We Refuse to Traffic in Negativity
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Updated: October 25, 2025
EDITORIAL
In an era where sensationalism drives traffic and scandal sells, Lone Star Gridiron (LoneStarGridiron.com) has taken a stand that's become increasingly rare in sports media: we simply won't do it.
While other Texas high school football websites rush to be first with the latest coaching controversy, player misconduct story, or parent altercation, Lone Star Gridiron has maintained an unwavering commitment to a different kind of coverage. We choose to honor the sport rather than exploit its darkest moments.
The Clickbait Trap
It's not that the stories don't exist. In over two decades of covering Texas high school football, the staff at Lone Star Gridiron has heard them all... the scandals involving players, the disputes with parents, the official controversies, the coaching drama. These stories circulate through the grapevine, whispered in press boxes and shared in text chains. We could get a lot more traffic by rushing to share them, but that is not our goal.
We refuse to amplify these stories.
"Yes, we hear about them," Chris Doelle says, "but the people involved in those stories already know. Sharing them online doesn't do anything positive. It creates outrage, it feeds the doom scrolling dark side of social media. Never has anyone gotten a positive result from one of these stories." Spreading salacious details across the state isn't journalism, it's clickbait. It's garbage. It's cheap.
Piling On Hurts the Sport
The reasoning behind this editorial stance goes deeper than simple distaste for tabloid-style reporting. Every negative story that gets recycled and amplified provides ammunition to those who would diminish or eliminate high school football altogether.
Texas high school football isn't just a sport - it's a cultural institution that shapes young lives, builds communities, and creates opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. It teaches discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and leadership. For many young Texans, it's a pathway to college education and a better future.
When media outlets pile on during someone's worst moment (whether it's a crime, a player who made a mistake, a parent who lost their composure, a coach facing allegations, or an official caught in controversy) they're not just telling a story. They're providing fodder for critics who argue the sport is too violent, too dangerous, too problematic to justify its place in schools.
What's the Benefit?
Lone Star Gridiron asks a simple question: What is the benefit to repeating titillating stories?
For some sites, the answer is obvious - traffic, clicks, advertising revenue. Scandal drives engagement. Controversy gets shares. Outrage keeps readers coming back.
But at what cost?
The player/person at the center of a negative story? They're already facing consequences. Their family already knows. Their school or local authorities are already handling it. Broadcasting their worst moment to the entire state doesn't serve the public interest. It serves the bottom line of websites chasing easy engagement.
A Different Standard
For 21 years and counting, Lone Star Gridiron has operated by a different standard. We've built our reputation not on being first with the latest scandal, but on comprehensive, respectful coverage that celebrates the sport and the young athletes who play it. For that reason, coaches, parents, fans, officials and athletes trust LSG to do what is best for the sport.
This isn't naiveté. It's not turning a blind eye to problems or pretending negative incidents don't happen. It's a conscious editorial decision about what deserves amplification and what doesn't.
When a player makes an incredible play, that deserves coverage. When a team overcomes adversity to win a championship, that's a story. When a coach builds a program that changes lives, that matters. When officials work tirelessly to ensure fair competition, that's worth acknowledging. Those are the stories we need to tell.
Journalism or Exploitation?
There's a critical distinction between journalism and exploitation. Real journalism serves the public interest. It holds powerful institutions accountable. It exposes systemic problems that need addressing. Breathlessly reporting every high school scandal doesn't meet that standard. It's not investigative journalism uncovering corruption. It's not exposing abuses of power. It's simply trading on the misfortune of teenagers, parents, and coaches for website traffic.
Strengthening the Opposition
Perhaps most importantly, Lone Star Gridiron recognizes that every negative story amplified becomes a weapon in the hands of those who oppose football. Whether it's medical professionals worried about concussions, administrators concerned about liability, or reformers pushing to eliminate the sport from schools, they're watching.
And when high school football media provides a steady stream of scandal coverage, it makes their arguments easier. It makes the sport look more dangerous, more problematic, more trouble than it's worth.
Texas high school football has enough real challenges without its own media ecosystem undermining it from within. Shame on you.
The Road Ahead
As Lone Star Gridiron looks ahead, our commitment remains unchanged. We won't be joining the race to the bottom. We won't be chasing clicks through controversy. We won't be piling on when someone in the football community faces their darkest hour.
Instead, we will continue doing what we've done for over 21 years: covering the sport with the respect it deserves, celebrating the athletes who play it, and honoring the communities that rally around it every Friday night.
It's a stand that's increasingly rare in modern sports media. But it's exactly the kind of integrity that Texas high school football needs from those who cover it.
After all, this sport has given so much to so many - including sites like ours. The least we can do is refuse to tear it down for clicks.
by Chris Doelle
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