By now I’m sure everyone has heard at least some of the drama and publicity surrounding the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend incident. For weeks every news channel took their turn at analyzing the scandal and debating the existence of Te’o’s ex-“girlfriend”.

As much as this ridiculous scandal has been in the news (ranging from ESPN all the way to ABC News), it had me questioning what the common man finds newsworthy and important.

After Manti Te’o’s infamous scandal had received airtime on every segment of ESPN for two consecutive weeks, I found myself asking, “Honestly, who cares about this guy’s personal life that much?” It was on the verge of becoming annoying how much coverage Te’o and his imaginary girlfriend were receiving.

When an actual important event happens, such as the Newtown school shooting, it is cycled in and out of the news within a matter of days. But when one of our glorious athletes is part of a scandal, no matter how big or petty it is, the amount of publicity they receive seems to be endless.

It seems as if the majority of people become so caught up in the gossip of the athlete’s scandal that they don’t realize how ridiculous it really is. Why do people not seem to get as caught up in the drama and gossip that surrounds national events such as shootings, natural disasters, etc.?

I personally find it saddening and very discomforting that this is what today’s society finds important and newsworthy.