As we have all probably seen by now, former NBA player John Amaechi announced to the world that he is gay. Following his announcement, the world of sports was filled with questions regarding how athletes, both past and present, would react to having a gay teammate. While the overwhelming majority of responses have been positive, there have been some that have openly denounced the notion of playing alongside a gay teammate. Of course the most widely talked about is former NBA player Tim Hardaway's comment that he "hates gay people."
In case you missed it:
Following Hardaway's comments, the NBA was left wondering how to handle such statements from a PR perspective. The league began by making Hardaway issue an apology which seemed transparent and staged. But what really got people's attention was the NBA's decision to ban Hardaway from his upcoming duties at the NBA All-Star game and, for the time being, any subsequent appearance he was planned to make.
Was this the proper course of action for a league that is desperately trying to show the world they are supportive of players from any walk of life?
While I believe it is an effective place to start, only time will tell how it effects the league's image in America. What must be kept in mind is that it is NOT the NBA's job to educate it's players on the "correct" way to think about any group of individuals, including gays. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including Tim Hardaway, and free to express their views. What does concern the NBA is its' association with someone who "hates gay people." It becomes the job of the PR leg of the NBA to make clear they are not a league of bigots that allows intolerance of any group, and I think they have done so. They handled a very delicate issue with care and were able to show the world his comments are not indicative of the views of the league.
Although I won't say it often, I will say it now.... good work David Stern
All the best,
ben
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Big Ten VS. SEC
Although there is much to discuss from the past week in sports, I have come across an article that is of particular interest to me and my fellow believers of the notion that the SEC is, without doubt, the most superior conference in the country.
The article I mention is one that ran on yahoosports on Saturday, Feb. 17. In the article, Dan Wetzel addresses a recent release from Jim Delany, commissioner of the Big Ten conference. In his statement, Delany seems to suggest that the SEC has engaged in questionable recruiting methods by allowing student athletes with low grades and test scores to be admitted to SEC universities. I can hardly imagine...
But what gets me is that Delany suggest that the Big Ten conference is above this practice and as a result has not achieved as much as the SEC.
"I wish we had (seven) teams among the top 10 recruiting classes every year, but winning our way requires some discipline and restraint with the recruitment process," Delany wrote.
While we can all agree that the Big Ten consistently fails to achieve as much as the SEC, can we really be sure it is because the SEC, and not the Big Ten, admits student athletes with sub-par grades/test scores.
Interestingly enough, according to the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate, the SEC's average football SAT score (941.7) is notably better than the Big Ten (931.2). The national average is 929, a number that the majority of the Big Ten (six teams) scored below. Only three of SEC's teams were under.
To me, it just appears to be another case of envy that Delany can only attribute to unfair recruiting practices..... speaking of unfair recruiting, anyone seen Ron Zook's class... makes you wonder...
But what does all of this have to do with PR?
Well Delany, an attorney, is thought to be one of the most powerful people in the world of college athletics. And his comments were posted in an open letter on the Big Ten Web site for the world to see. What have we been taught about discretion?
It is the belief of many in the PR sphere that a person in his position, with his level of education and knowledge, ought to know better than to make a blanket statement that rubs so many the wrong way. As commissioner of the conference, it is his job to represent every school in the Big Ten and speak on their behalf - not in opposition to a clearly superior conference. By attaching his name to the letter, he implies that every school in the Big Ten shares his sentiments. Although Jim Tressel (see the National Championship game) might agree with Delany, it is not fair to the rest of the conference to make such statements and in the process imply all 11 schools feel the same (sidebar: the Big TEN conference has 11 teams... hmmm..)
Someone in the PR department with the Big Ten ought to screen the commissioner's comments a little closer next time or just insist he refrain altogether.
All the best,
ben
The article I mention is one that ran on yahoosports on Saturday, Feb. 17. In the article, Dan Wetzel addresses a recent release from Jim Delany, commissioner of the Big Ten conference. In his statement, Delany seems to suggest that the SEC has engaged in questionable recruiting methods by allowing student athletes with low grades and test scores to be admitted to SEC universities. I can hardly imagine...
But what gets me is that Delany suggest that the Big Ten conference is above this practice and as a result has not achieved as much as the SEC.
"I wish we had (seven) teams among the top 10 recruiting classes every year, but winning our way requires some discipline and restraint with the recruitment process," Delany wrote.
While we can all agree that the Big Ten consistently fails to achieve as much as the SEC, can we really be sure it is because the SEC, and not the Big Ten, admits student athletes with sub-par grades/test scores.
Interestingly enough, according to the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate, the SEC's average football SAT score (941.7) is notably better than the Big Ten (931.2). The national average is 929, a number that the majority of the Big Ten (six teams) scored below. Only three of SEC's teams were under.
To me, it just appears to be another case of envy that Delany can only attribute to unfair recruiting practices..... speaking of unfair recruiting, anyone seen Ron Zook's class... makes you wonder...
But what does all of this have to do with PR?
Well Delany, an attorney, is thought to be one of the most powerful people in the world of college athletics. And his comments were posted in an open letter on the Big Ten Web site for the world to see. What have we been taught about discretion?
It is the belief of many in the PR sphere that a person in his position, with his level of education and knowledge, ought to know better than to make a blanket statement that rubs so many the wrong way. As commissioner of the conference, it is his job to represent every school in the Big Ten and speak on their behalf - not in opposition to a clearly superior conference. By attaching his name to the letter, he implies that every school in the Big Ten shares his sentiments. Although Jim Tressel (see the National Championship game) might agree with Delany, it is not fair to the rest of the conference to make such statements and in the process imply all 11 schools feel the same (sidebar: the Big TEN conference has 11 teams... hmmm..)
Someone in the PR department with the Big Ten ought to screen the commissioner's comments a little closer next time or just insist he refrain altogether.
All the best,
ben
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