I would like to say this post is a direct copy cat. I am going to ask for the same thing as Sportsnet's Ian Mendes does on his current post in his Sportsnet blog.
Please don’t embarrass our industry by crashing Jason Spezza’s wedding just to try and get a quote from the currently mute Dany Heatley.
In this business there is pressure from the top to get the story, get the quote, get the picture. There are many readers/listeners/viewers who believe that when a pro athlete hits a certain pay threshold, they must forfeit their personal lives and privacy. I believe they do have to give up some anonymity as the cost of being a multi-million dollar public person, but there are limits.
Another persons wedding is that limit. If hearing Dany Heatley speak is important enough to ruin Spezza’s special day then he should be a president, pope or prime minister and not a hockey player.
This is one of those rare occasions where the media can demonstrate the kind of class and compassion they expect from their subjects but too often don’t demand of themselves.
I just can’t imagine Dany Heatley would have anything important enough to say. One day he will talk, but it shouldn’t be that day at that place and the media shouldn’t be there to report on his silence.
See you at the rink.
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5 comments:
Heatly brought this on Spezza by not making a statement prior to the wedding, it's time our local news and sportscasters stop protecting players and start doing their job and getting the story out... maybe some of them travel too much with the players to maintain a high level of passion for what the job entails eh Dean?
Dean, do you know if Dany's Summer home near Kelowna has been affected by the wildfires?
And how come Dany didn't show up at Ryan Shannon's wedding?
Great comments, Dean.
It's always nice when members of any profession call on their peers to raise the bar. It's called leadership.
Decency is a tough thing to put in words. In any given situation, people earn that label through their actions.
I guess this weekend we'll learn which members of our local media deserve a different label.
If Heatley had showed up then I agree with you that it would be inappropriate for media guys to stick a mic in his face and ask questions at the church. But if you guys were to intercept him at the airport, I wouldn't have a problem with that that.
I agree with Ross. Ottawa sports media is respectful yet somewhat soft on its NHL'ers compared to your Montreal counterparts where they keep tabs on who's dating who, where players are shopping and eating and why they havent won the Cup last year!
Yes, players give up some of their privacy and anonymity not because they pass a certain pay threshold. But rather because they're NHL'ers! Pro sports is the only business where the consumer is emotionally attached to the product and the members of an organization. If any other business were to shut down or move outta town tomorrow, that'd be OK. But if a Canadian NHL team were to do that...watch out!
That is why we care!
Dany Heatly didnt show up.
My guess is he would have been uncomfortable being around people who were making a commitment!
karlitos
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