Sports media is all about narratives. Many are cliche and exhausting. Perhaps the most overblown narrative is the scapegoat.
It means that whenever a team loses, someone needs to catch heat. A player, a coach, or an executive needs to face repercussions for a “failure.”
Look at the Philadelphia 76ers over these last few days. The pundits continue to push the idea of trading Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid, and if it were not for the organization immediately speaking out in defense of coach Brett Brown, the narrative of his raging inferno-like hot seat would have swarmed news cycles for weeks.