Bump-Drafts.com

Why I Am Sometimes Ashamed To Be A Part Of The Media
Posted: 05 Dec 2008 11:21 PM CST

This post has been lurking around in my brain for the last several days.
I almost let the idea pass until I saw that Jay Busbee felt the need to
let us know that a bouncer at Dale Earnhardt's night club "Whiskey
River" was busted for dealing cocaine.

Then I got pissed off. Really pissed.
Why? Why is this worthy of mention in the sports section of Yahoo? If
Anthony Ortega Rodriguez were working ANYWHERE ELSE BESIDES DALE JR.'S
BAR he'd be relegated to the newspaper police blotter in the newspaper
and he'd merit maybe one news cycle's mention on the local TV and radio
stations.
Cue "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley as my soundtrack.

I'm just sick of crap like this. This comes on the heels of a week where
All-Pro knucklehead Plaxico Burress shoots himself in the leg accidently
with a firearm he's not permitted to carry. This week, the world of
sports is also dealing with the potential suspension of 5 NFLers for use
of a banned substance, and one of its greats being sentenced on a
variety of criminal offenses. I could go on about more about
professional athletes behaving badly, but that would take more time than
I want to devote here to it.

On more than one occasion my boss has told me I need to split my
sportscasts in to three parts: the scores, the news and the crime
report. It's downright shameful sometimes- and you may find it hard to
believe- but it wasn't always this way.
Newsflash: sports has always had its share of miscreants. In the 1920s,
a woman was reputed to had slept with the entire USC football team,
including a player by the name of Marion Morrison, a guy we came to know
as John Wayne. Babe Ruth was a world class party hound, as were the
likes of Mickey Mantle, Paul Hornung, Joe Namath, Wilt Chamberlain,
Curtis Turner, and the list goes on and on in all sports.

The difference between the relative silence on the misdeeds of these
players versus what we read and see today has to do with the messengers:
the media. Back in the day- we didn't have ESPN, Fox Sports, Yahoo and a
small army of bloggers to report on "Pops" Turner's all night parties.
The NASCAR pioneer ran many race hung over and on no sleep whatsoever.
Only years later in biographies would you read about how Yankees players
would risk career-ending injuries dodging trouble, or would we find out
that Wilt The Stilt has more conquests than Ghengis Kahn. The media
knew, but there were far less of them than now, and they found no good
purpose in besmirching athletes idolized by little kids and big kids
alike.

Maybe they had it right.

I know that it serves no good to look at the world through rose-colored
glasses. We put mere mortals on pedestals they were not intended to
stand on. Frankly, I don't mind a little humanity in my favorite
athlete. Thus, I can live with whatever the truth was on the dissolution
of Jeff Gordon's first marriage. I am willing to look past the drug
addictions of a Josh Hamilton. I understand that, put in their shoes, I
might "go postal" like Carl Edwards has done on an occasion or two. But
for the grace of God, there go I.

To some extent, the news is the news and you have to report it, no
matter how unpleasant it is. I experienced this first hand as a one-time
associate of mine was arrested for trying to arrange a tryst with an
underage girl on the Internet. If for no other reason than public
safety, I must report it.

But think about all the other stories, like this one about a bouncer at
Whiskey River. Will people us this to insinuate that Dale Jr. may be
tied to drugs and unsavory types? Absolutely. You know his detractors
will be all over that like a bulldog on a pork chop.

To me the question is this: Is it a news story? Sadly….yes. Does it
serve a purpose to report where Rodriguez worked? Yes. Does it belong on
the sports page?

HELL NO. No more than these sophomoric discussions as to whether or not
Alex Rodriguez is involved with Madonna. It's none of your damn
business, and neither is it mine.

You know now why I never visit Jayski's. Yes, I am calling him out for
passing off rumor as fact. It's why when it comes to sports talk radio-
I'll take Chris Myers over Andrew Siciliano (a guy I like when he sticks
to sports) anytime. It's why I respect "JT The Brick" (though I disagree
with his viewpoints frequently) more than I do Jim Rome.

Personally, I'd rather stick the scores and focus more on the scores of
uplifting stories that get little attention. Yes, I have a
responsibility to report the news, no matter how negative it is, but it
doesn't mean I need to devote endless conversation to the Michael Vicks
and the Barry Bonds of the world. Not when I have a Kyle Petty, or a
Brandon Roy, or a Tony Stewart to talk about.

If you'll excuse me, I feel like I need to take a shower now.
God have mercy on us all.

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