Jordon Hudson, Bill Belichick And The Dunning-Kruger Effect

The internet and social media age provided billions of people around the world the ability to attain knowledge at the tip of their fingertips. It's also provided a pathway to create people like Jordon Hudson.

Before I get into Pablo Torre's latest Hudson, Bill Belichick and North Carolina report from last month, I want to preface this post by pointing out the obvious. I do not know Hudson, nor do I know Belichick. I've been a New England Patriots fan for most of my life, so I've only known Belichick from afar, and I did not have the privilege to cover his career in person during my journalism career.

It's astounding how far Belichick's reputation has fallen. The man had a cosy media gig. However, the man's ego couldn't be contained, and he seemingly wanted to stick it to his detractors and show he still had the juice. Instead, the college football experiment has been an abject failure on all fronts, and the stories from family illustrate how phony Belichick's ideals were from the moment of his introductory press conference. His own daughter-in-law even went hard on a 40-minute rant.

Hudson stole headlines again when she threatened to sue Torre on X. It's important to preface that it's unclear if the account is actually the 24-year-old's, but they keep posting through Torre's pushbacks. The drama Hudson creates and often is at the center of reportedly is one reason why NFL teams haven't considered Belichick amid vacancies.

What I find fascinating about this, specifically the hot-mic video, is how confident Hudson is. Were her grips with the Underdog producers wrong? Not really, but it was funny to listen to her speak as if she were an expert in everything. Hudson reportedly micro-managed so much that it turned off NFL Films. For what purpose? The infamous CBS interview gave us an idea that she has no idea how this process works and the give-and-take these sit-down interviews require. I'm not a lawyer, but when it comes to the threat to sue Torre, it feels like the information she is revealing should not be out in public and would be subject to a discovery process.

This all leads me to the Dunning-Kruger Effect. In very simplistic terms, this is the idea that despite knowing less about a subject, the more the person claims to be an expert. "The more you know, the less you actually know" is how I like to think of the social phenomenon.

Hudson doesn't have known expertise as a graphic designer nor as a media producer, yet she believes herself to be an expert in those areas. Belichick also is not an expert in those areas, but Hudson's belief in herself is so strong that she's convinced Belichick that her word is gospel.

Hudson isn't unique. It won't take you long to traverse TikTok or any other social media platform to see others in Gen Z to "just asking questions" or try to act like a mundane observation is the greatest discovery in the world. Hudson's hustle also isn't uncommon in the current hustle culture that's dominated nearly every industry.

It's why I can't help but laugh, but it did make me reflect on getting laid off from New England Sports Network. I don't want to make this a "woe is me" post, but unlike Hudson, I wasn't aggressive in pursuing things I either wanted to do or thought were cool during my three years at NESN. Part of it was me, in hindsight, foolishly thinking there would be time in the future. Another part of my indecision had to do with imposter syndrome. On the other side of the Dunning-Krueger effect, I believed there was so much about the sports industry I didn't understand compared to others around me. "What did I know more than them? Why would this work for me? Am I good enough to make this successful?" Those thoughts clouded my mind, and I realized too late how overdramatic they were.

There is a naivety that Hudson approaches her business with. That's at least what I like to tell myself. But what I've learned from Hudson's public humiliation is that there is a fine balance to knowing your worth and pursuing your goals. It's a balance I'm still trying to figure out as I continue to learn from others around me.

Thanks for reading until the end! I like to recommend either a K-pop song or a pro wrestling match at the end of every post. For this post, I'm recommending Itzy's "Tunnel Vision."