Cable news ratings; Kirk uses Hamlin NFL injury to push anti-vax point; Clark rises to the occasion

ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark admirably covered the life-threatening injury Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin sustained on Monday night -- earning serious praise for his reaction.
During the Monday Night Football matchup between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Hamlin fell to the ground after the tackle, and while his heartbeat was restored on the field through CPR, he remains in critical condition in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center as of this writing.
While some pundits offered questionable reactions to the injury, focusing on the game, Clark delivered touching commentary on the incident by pointing to Hamlin's humanity.
"I think the first thing — this is about Damar Hamlin," he said, later adding, "This isn’t about a football player, right? This is about a human. This is about a brother. This is about a son. This is about a friend."
Clark gave viewers perspective on the tragedy, and used his platform to highlight the potential dangers of chasing a dream.

Charlie Kirk decided to use Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's life-threatening injury to push anti-vaccine talking points.
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and fell to the ground after tackling Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on Monday night.
He remains in critical condition as of this writing.
Tweeting on Monday night, Kirk offered his thoughts and prayers for Hamlin ... but later used the incident to subtly suggest that a vaccine may have caused, or at least exacerbated, the injury.
“This is a tragic and all too familiar sight right now: Athletes dropping suddenly,” he tweeted.
Whether intentional or not, Kirk’s tweet calls to mind the anti-vaccine documentary Died Suddenly, which pushes false claims about the Covid-19 vaccine and promotes "Great Reset" conspiracy theories.
Kirk has repeatedly tried to cast doubt on the effectiveness and safety of Covid-19 vaccines. Last year, he speculated that they have killed more than a million people.