There is a mentality of many professional athletes when they get into debates with journalist, broadcasters and analyst about sports that if you didn’t play, you don’t know what you’re talking about.
That’s like telling a bookworm who’s read 30 thousand novels that they don’t know good writing because they’re not a published author. Or, telling a music buff that they have no right to critique music because they don’t make it themselves. It’s asinine to the highest degree.
Journalist, analyst and broadcasters, while they can have their faults, are in the position they hold to promote the game.