I'm not typically a fan of celebrities straddling industries- crossing over from singing to dancing, acting to writing, reality starring to designing- for a few reasons. The move tends to stem purely from a craving for more money, even though the guilty parties often already have an obscene amount; more often than not, the celeb is not all that skilled in the area they're breaking into; and they're potentially using their name to crowd out individuals who've devoted their lives to getting good at what they do and are suddenly trampled on by big-money stars who've suddenly decided they want to "get into" something else.
I was reminded of my disdain for this practice over the past few days when singer Wyclef Jean decided he was running in the next Haitian presidential election and it was announced that former-NHLer Georges Laraque is the new Deputy Leader of the federal Green Party. Are you kidding me? While both guys may be capable of holding these positions and certainly have the pocket for them, they haven't yet proven themselves. To begin their political careers in such lofty positions seems absurd. While their celebrity will draw attention, so will their mistakes, ones that seem inevitable given their total lack of experience.
I was recently at a press conference. The topic was heated and reporters from various news outlets were loaded and ready to fire. All was flowing smoothly and swiftly until a man at the back of the room yelled "bullshit" during the media scrum, with regards to one of the answers given. The pr guys immediately ushered him out, and news soon spread that the guilty party was a lobbyist and blogger, vehemently opposed to the organization running the conference.
That immediately got me thinking about whether or not bloggers should be present at press conferences (notwithstanding technology-centered media conferences or bloggers who have legitimate media affiliations). With the continual growth of the "citizen journalist," capable of posting articles and commentary whenever they please, this is a question that I would imagine most organizations have already dealt with, or will soon be facing.
On the one hand, providing bloggers access to media conferences is giving them the tools necessary to produce honest pieces. It's also giving them an opportunity to develop a two-way relationship with the organization. On the other, giving bloggers free reign to press conferences is like opening the doors to the public, perhaps weakening the quality of questions asked and reducing the conference's legitimacy.
In this case, the latter was on display. Had the blogger asked sound questions and actively participated, he would have been welcomed, but his outburst combined with his decision to scoop two complimentary sandwiches off the table while being ushered out, simply does a disservice to quality bloggers everywhere.
2 weeks later and we’re still talking about it. And for the first time, so is she.
A more subdued University of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert recently spoke out for the first time since her highly publicized violent play.
Her apologetic comments seem sincere; the academic all-star admits to simply losing her head during the match and acknowledges that her behaviour was inappropriate. She does, however, say that the referee lost control of the game, and concedes that “it would have been a very different game” had more cards been handed out.
More appalling than her behaviour were the anonymous comments she received post-match, one of which stated that she should be “…taken to a state prison, raped, and left for dead in a ditch.” Male suitors sent her messages asking if she’d like to meet up. “That appalled me,” she said. “A lot of people think I have a lot of sexual aggression. I was like ‘Woah, no, I don’t feel that way at all. That’s bizarre and shocking to me.”
In an effort to restore her credibility and to earn herself a spot on next year’s squad, Lambert is seeing a campus psychologist in order to “better understand what caused the hair-pulling incident.”
Most clear in the evolution of this situation are the vastly differing notions of acceptable gendered performances in sport. Would violent play in a men’s match earn the player massive criticism? Would he be violently threatened? Would assumptions about his sexuality be made? Would he feel pressure to visit a psychologist in order to restore his credibility? I don’t think so, but I'd have to ask Zinedine Zidane to be sure.
The last time women’s soccer gained this much national exposure, American Brandi Chastain was topless.
The current publicity stems from footage of New Mexico defender Elizabeth Lambert engaging in what most agree is violent and ejection-worthy play. (See video in previous post).
The footage appeared on newscasts throughout North America, spawned Facebook groups supporting and condemning Lambert and even made an appearance on David Letterman, where a male voiceover attempted to “sexify” the clip.
From a theoretical perspective, some gender experts and soccer connoisseurs claim the only reason the occurrence is receiving widespread media attention is because women are engaged in vicious play, and as such, are breaking assumed gender roles. It is not the violence itself that is drawing publicity; it is the fact that women are participating in the violence, thus defying acceptable notions of femininity.
Bruce Arena, the coach of the LA Galaxy and the former coach of the United States men’s national team, said, “Let’s be fair, there have been worse incidents in games than that. I think we are somewhat sexist in our opinion of sport. I think maybe people are alarmed to see a woman do that, but men do a hell of a lot worse things. Was it good behavior? No, but because it’s coming from a woman, they made it a headline.”
Man U vs. Chelsea; 1-0 late in the game. What might any fan be naturally inclined to do in this situation? Brush his teeth, of course. I can't even begin to rationalize this one.
A state championship high school soccer game in Providence, Rhode Island turned into a full-out brawl beginning on the pitch and spreading into the stands. The coach sounds as if she's rationalizing the entire affair and the ref clearly has no idea what to do. As for the culprits, maybe they were just trying to earn full rides to New Mexico. (See previous post).
Women's varsity soccer match: BYU vs. New Mexico. How this brute wasn't shown a red is beyond me. Knowingly fouling at the top of the box to prevent a dangerous shot- absolutely warranted. Punching an opponent in the back- a little less understandable. Pulling someone to the ground by her ponytail- are you kidding me?! The only rational explanation for this behaviour is that the offender was in desperate search of some air time on ESPN. Either that or her wrestling skills trump her soccer playing ability.
I'm currently a writer for CBC Sports with experience writing for the Hamilton Spectator and the Queen's Journal. I've also been an online host for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and a professional vacationer. Not kidding about that last one, either.
I'm not typically a fan of celebrities straddling industries- crossing over from singing to dancing, acting to writing, reality starring to designing- for a few reasons. The move tends to stem purely from a craving for more money, even though the guilty parties often already have an obscene amount; more often than not, the celeb is not all that skilled in the area they're breaking into; and they're potentially using their name to crowd out individuals who've devoted their lives to getting good at what they do and are suddenly trampled on by big-money stars who've suddenly decided they want to "get into" something else.
