France’s dreams of World Cup glory went up in smoke with a 2-0 loss to Spain, and you can already bet your last dollar that the mainstream media will spin this as a moral victory instead of admitting the undeniable reality: they flopped hard. ESPN and NBC are frothing at the mouth over the supposed “grit” of the Spanish team while glossing over the comical pitifulness of France’s once-vaunted defense. If you think for a second the coverage will be fair, think again—this is about creating heroes and villains, not delivering the truth.

Kylian Mbappé, the so-called superstar, is being turned into a tragic figure, with journalists practically weeping over his dashed hopes for a third final. CNN will parade this narrative, fueling a sympathy play that completely ignores his performance’s actual merits. He can’t be the glorious victor every time, folks. The coverage will tout how he “learns and grows,” as if being patted on the back by the media makes up for lackluster performance on the pitch.

And let’s not ignore the hypocrisy. Corporate media loves to exalt these players when they win while vilifying them the moment they stumble. Just look at how they’ll flip the script when the next tournament roles around—Mbappé will be the “comeback kid” they so love to sell. In reality, both he and France deserve the backlash. No one gets a free pass in sports, and it’s time we stop allowing the media to dictate the narrative for us.