Christine Brennan is a writer for the USA Today, a website
that I frequent quite often as you probably already know, and a personality
that I used to respect. A personality I used to respect up until she took, in
my opinion, a hypocritical stance regarding Fox Sports decision to bring Alex
Rodriguez into the fold for their postseason and World Series coverage and
analysis. Brennan didn’t hold back whatsoever in her piece, which I was so ever
graciously link HERE because I’m not a hater, but I personally believe she
missed out on a few key points that I will try and cover here and yes,
Christine, I will leave my Yankees fandom at the door.
Christine wasted no time pulling punches in her article as
she called Alex Rodriguez the “worst” baseball player and expert they could
have picked to join the Fox Sports crew. Of course it didn’t take more than two
or three lines to bring up Alex’s steroids suspension and PED use but nowhere
in the article does it mention that he did his time, apologized and has done
everything in his power to turn his image, and more importantly his life
around. Christine brings up the image that we as a society are sending to the
children by using “the guy” for steroid use, what about the message that
everyone makes mistakes? That everyone is entitled a second, and sometimes even
a third or fourth chance, if they earn it? What about the image that no living
man walking this Earth is perfect? What about the message of forgiveness?
I have children, one of which is old enough to watch and
understand baseball but not quite old enough to understand the severity of
steroid use and such yet, and while I will never prop up Alex Rodriguez as a
role model or someone I want my son to emulate I will not merely throw him by
the wayside either because of past mistakes. There are two sides to every story
and every situation, there is also a high road and a low road. I prefer to take
the high road with anyone who earns that, and Major League Baseball and Alex’s
peers have him up for the AL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award so I’m
obviously not the only one who thinks he’s earned at least something back,
while you Mrs. Brennan decided to take the low road. What will your children
think and the children of others think about the message being sent by a
judgmental and hypocritical article like the one you wrote this week?
I have used the term hypocritical multiple times in this
article but I haven’t fully explained what I thought was hypocritical. To quote
your article you were quoted as saying “this tells us that the game, and Fox
Sports, will do anything to get attention. Anything.” What exactly do you think
you’re doing as a writer for the USA Today when you write what is more than
likely going to be a controversial article about Alex Rodriguez? Are you not
doing it to get attention, to get clicks and to look good for your publication?
Of course you are, if you weren’t you wouldn’t be getting paid for it. No one
is blaming you for that either, I just prefer to call it like I see it and call
it fairly for both sides which is something that you showed you were incapable
of in this article.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Gandhi said
that, Alex Rodriguez is doing that and you, Christine, are everything that’s
wrong with the world. Again, that’s just my opinion. Carry on.
Very well done Daniel. As most around here know I don't like PC Police. They aren't without shortcomings of their own but play the game as though they have never done anything outside the boundaries to get a story or write a story that is a lie but has the name of someone that will get her ink and be a good little Hypocritical Liberal Elitist.
ReplyDeleteChristine Brennan...just for you!
Most of the Little people...I'm sure you know them, you know, the people you would never in your life spend a minute with unless it was good for your image and career...the ones that really follow sports but only know what someone such as yourself-prints about a player. I think you forgot all you may have learned in Journalism 101 or you slept through the class.
If you would be interested in more print time why not write the whole truth, not the half truths, the he said he heard, or the outright lies and innuendoes!
You may be surprised by the amount of people that like to hear nothing but the truth, leave your own feelings behind and write just as we all learned in journalism 101.