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That's Sports
Athletes on a two way street
Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Joan Collins used to pay a person to tell her five times per day how beautiful she was and how great an actress she was. If pro athletes want to be coddled by the media, they should find another job or get out their wallets and pay a media relations person. Life is a two way street for most athletes and they should actually start treating it that way.I get so angry when pro athelets turn their back on the media and shut them out. If it were up to me, guys like Barry Bonds wouldn't get one second of air time. I would be at a commercial break every at bat and everytime they went to make a catch I would make sure the cameraguy was checking out the fans.
This pompous jerk wants all the advantages of the media but won't give anything
back to the very group of people that help make him what he is today. You don't find it in hockey as much as most other sports but in baseball and basketball it's the worst. I think that arrogance is the right word to use when I am describing pro athletes that will not grant interviews and won't take time to speak with the media.
Bonds is one guy that loves the recognition he gets when he is chasing a record, he loves the pictures in the newspaper of him smacking a homer, he loves the video clips of the long blasts, but he doesn't deserve it. Bonds treats the media as though they are beneath him.
I really get a laugh out of guys that will showboat on television and talk to the media when they think they should be paid more or when they think the league has done them wrong but start pushing the cameras away when they do something wrong. We will be there when you break a record and we will be there to report on the great things you do for different charities but we will also be there when you break the law and when you act out of order.
I don't know how these guys get away with shoving cameramen without being charged with common assault, after all, the shooter is only doing his job to get some video for the 11 o'clock sports clip. This past world series showed Bonds acting arrogantly after a losing game and also showed Jeff Kent refusing to do any postgames with Fox. These guys should be fined by the league. The NHL fined Scotty Bowman $25, 000 in last year' s playoffs because he didn't make any players available for the media.
I know it would never happen but what if the media decided they had something better to do the night of game seven of the World Series or Stanley Cup. The world would never know who hit the grandslam homerun or scored the hattrick to lead their teams to victory.
The other side of the coin are players that would cross a fourlane highway during rush hour to please the media and their fans. Gordie Howe was one of these guys. He would talk to the media and sign autographs until there were no more autograph seekers. That's class.
The current captain of the Red Wings isn't so generous with the media or fans. He has quite the reputation to the contrary. I won't get into stories I've seen or heard because I may really go over the line. I just think that it's a two way street. The media are out doing their job while the players are doing their job as well. Part of the players job is, in my opinion, to take five minutes and talk to reporters after the game.
The media are only doing their job. 99 percent of the media are hardworking and honest while the other one percent are usually sniffed out very quickly as being troublemakers. These media representatives aren't usually liked by their peers either. The media are more than happy to report on charitable donations and time given to other people, as well as the homers and the hattricks. We will also be their if you get caught with drugs or worse.
Whether pro player like it or not their lives are not 100 per cent their own and never will be, it goes with the job. You are an example for young children and old people alike. If you want us there for your triumphs, don't start getting pushy when we report on you when you run a foul. Life is a two way street – stay in the right lane and there won't be any problems.
Gary Patterson was born and raised in Chatham-Kent. He grew up in Thamesville and now lives in Chatham. Patterson was Sports Director at Beaver Communications an Blackburn Radio for over 15 years. Gary is also the track announcer at Dresden Raceway as well as some appearances at Windsor Raceway. He has played all sports inclduing being a mermber of three OBA Championship baseball teams in Thamesville and has also played hockey and football. Gary still plays golf, slo-pitch and ball hockey and well as the odd game of pick up hockey. Patterson is a passionate Miami Dolphin and Michigan Wolverine football fan. Here are few other details about Gary Patterson: Favourite food: steak, chicken wings, chili or Kenny Tharp\'s famous meatloaf; Favourite non alcoholic drink : Diet Coke; Favourite drink: Scotch, Coor\'s Light; Favourite Sports team : Miami Dolphins/Michigan Wolverines/New York Yankees; Favourite Bar : Bru\'s Room Margate Florida/Pompano Beach Florida; Favourite Bartender : Tanya (Margate), Sarah (Pompano); Favourie Vacataion spot : Pompano Beach Florida; Marital Staus : married with chilren Hockey player : Curtis Jospeh/Todd Bertuzzi; Favourite Football player : Retired Dan Marino, Anthony Thomas; Favourite Basketball player : Steve Nash Favourite Baseball player : Derek Jeter; Favourite colour : Blue; Favourite TV Show : CSI Favourite movie : The Sting, Blue Brothers and Field of Dreams; Favourite song Life Been Good To Me ( Joe Walsh); Favourite Band : Tom Petty/Eagles; Favourite type of Dog: Springer Spaniel; Favourite type of Cat : NONE
