Hats off to Ian Mendes for bring to reality what is gurgling as a freak show under the water in Ottawa.
Here is what you need to know in terms of background:
“There have been some hints from the Ottawa media that suggest several members plan on crashing Jason Spezza’s upcoming wedding in an attempt to force Dany Heatley to speak”
Give me a freaking break! I mean, when is enough enough? Seriously, there should be some times and some places where the media just isn’t welcome. We don’t need to get into the pro’s and con’s of the Clinton White House Years. However i tihnk one thing that I think we can all agree on is the way in which Slick Willie and Billary handled the press with respect to their daughter. Chelsea was hands off. There are times when the story just isn’t that important for god’s sake.
“Personally, I think as a media group we need to act with some class and show a little respect for someone’s special day. Unfortunately, those two words (class & respect) aren’t in many reporters’ vocabularies and it’s a big reason why we are wedged comfortably between telemarketers and personal injury lawyers on the scale of likable professionals.
If Heatley chooses not to speak to the media before his friend’s wedding, that does not constitute an open invitation for us to attend. I understand that Heatley is a legitimate story and everyone wants to hear his thoughts on why he might want to leave Ottawa. I firmly believe that he owes Senators fans an explanation at some point.
But there’s a time and a place for that to happen. And guess what? It’s not at somebody’s wedding. If you want to stake out the airport for his arrival, I think that’s fair game. Camp out for him at some local bars in case he hits the town? Knock yourself out and pretend you work for TMZ for a night. I don’t have an issue with it.”
Hats off to Mendes. He is right. There is a place, hard to believe where the story does begin and end. This is one place where the line should be drawn.
“If anything, we owe it to Spezza to leave this thing alone on his big day. Jason has been the most accommodating star to deal with from the media’s perspective. Jason has asked all of us to respect his privacy on his special day and not show up. He’s hired security to make sure no unauthorized guests (hint, hint, media) try to sneak in. He couldn’t make it any more clear: “I’m nice to you guys 364 days a year. Please give me one day off.” But I can’t shake the nagging feeling that pack journalism is going to rule the day. Everyone is going to be scared that the competition is going to get the scoop, so we better head to the wedding ourselves. Let me just say this: If a bunch of media show up to Jason Spezza’s wedding, don’t be surprised if another superstar wants a trade out of Ottawa at some point. And once again, us clueless members of the media will be wondering why.”
Funny I can’t shake the thought of Bruce Garrioch in a tuxedo outside the church waiting for a scoop. No seriously, if the media does indeed stake out the event after they have been asked by what appears to be a good guy then all bets are off. If I were Spezza and I asked for co-operation on my wedding day and I wasn’t left alone I would be pissed. It is fully expected that the photowhores will be there. That doesn’t mean the scribes have to lineup too. There will be non athletes and non-dignitaries at the event, gasp real ordinary people, and they and the Mrs. Spezza to be are entitled to some degree of privacy on one day.
Good job Ian, great post.
Speaking of privacy, I guess I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on the whole Erin Andrews thing. Andrews, for those of you who don’t know is a very successful and attractive ESPN reporter. She has been for lack of a better word, a shooting start at the network for several years. She covers many live events for ESPN and is good at what she does. Andews is, in addition to being good at what she does, an attractive woman:
Andrews has recently been a victim of our times. A perpetrator allegedly went to great lengths to booby trap Andrews’ hotel room and install a camera through a peephole. The video captured Andrews’ totally in the nude in her hotel room. The video has been all over the internet and of course as a result all over the news. The story has been featured on most of the main street news as well. While the stories all express outrage and compassion for Andrews most of the stories show the video! In addition, many of the outlets that ran to her defense have described previous Andrews stories using sexually suggestive language, capitalizing on our good looks to increase hits on their site. In fact many of the sites that are currently supporting her have gone so far as to say how great she looks in the video.
Now, what’s the saying about those who live in glass houses? I admit it. On a daily basis, Monday to Friday I post photos of attractive women in bikini’s. So, who the hell am I to judge what other sites are doing, posting or saying? I agree with anyone who attacks my position on that basis. However I will say this. Andrews’ like all of us should have an expectation of privacy in her hotel room or in her home for that matter. Photowhores caputre celebs in their daily lives, usually in some degree of public life. To rig a camera in someone hotel room to gain a video of that person while naked is so beyond creepy. Hell, it would “ALMOST” be more acceptable to have photoshopped her head on to a nude photo! Anyone who has ever leafed through an adult magazine (yes both of you reading this) can appreciate the psyche involved in “erotica”. There is, in my opinion nothing the least bit attractive to the video that resulted from this cowardly act.
We live in a train wreck society, so naturally the entire world is scouring to find the video. I am not going to stand on a perch and tell people not to. We all will do what we want to do regardless of what some idiot blogger says. I do think we as consumers can control what is acceptable or not through our voices and opinions to media outlets. I think that the liklihood of a copycat to this is high unless there is total outrage and reprehension to the act.(even still that probably won’t be enough). This story won’t go away as Andrews is seeking legal action against the guilty party(s). There are some great articles out there on the subject, too many to mention or list here. I do like the piece by Bruce Arthur in tomorrow’s National Post. You can read that here. If you want to read more, google Erin Andrews video and select the news tab.
TSM
. Taman will be on to talk CFL. Lots of sports business issues to chat about with Bill King. So a fan got into it with Beckham, I love these type of interviews! Dick Vermiel, further proof that it is almost betting, I mean NFL season. Lietch is the guy who wrote that we all should feel shame for the Erin Andrews story. Andrew is the ESPN reporter who was the victim of a peeping tom, who video taped her doing various things in her hotel room. Lots of people are coming to her defense. However, many of them used provocative terms to describe her before this happened. Deadspin.com is a great site for this type of stuff.
