'How Sports Illustrated Botched the Michael Sam Story'

The damn good reason is that your competitors are about to break the story - with Sam's and his flak's full cooperation.

Fuck them, essentially.

 

When I was covering the NFL, there was a writer from a smaller market who flew up to do a story about a former player who had died unexpectedly. The PR guy walked over to him at practice where the rest of us were and said, "You're doing the story about Player X" and he said, "Yeah, I was the one who broke the story that he died."

PR Guy: You broke the story that he died? Well, Congratufuckinglations. You must be very proud.

 

Then you've made yourself the story.

This is not the same as a free-agent signing, or injury, or any other related news.

It's not, and never has been, about us.

 

I'd rather get beaten on a story than out someone against their will.

 

He was outing himself in hours. Full public relations campaign. Orchestrated. With your competitors.

 

I am so back and forth on this I have no idea what to think.
You definitely tell the guy you have the story and you're holding it if those are his wishes. But once he decides to make it news, all bets are off. At least that's what I think right now.
I'm very confused as to what we as journalists can and can't break as news.
We had a coach in our state who is transgendered. Was a 1,000 point scorer, 3-time state champ in girls hoops, now lives as a man in the most rural area in the state where people don't exactly support that lifestyle. Everybody sat on the story because the coach didn't want it out there. But it was common knowledge in the town. If he didn't want to talk about it, isn't that too bad? He let outsports.com do the piece - and it was brilliantly done - but the fact I know of three reporters (one being me as a freelancer, I guess?) who sat on their thumbs out of respect even though the whole town/towns knew is amazing to me.

 

What if he changes his mind?

 

So what? It's not news until he makes it news by announcing it himself.

You can break it earlier, but be prepared to be known as the asshole who violated his wishes for selfish, misplaced reasons.

 

Selfish? Misplaced?

This is what we do. (Well, used to do, for most of us.)

We break news.

 

OK, Caleb.

It's not news until he announces it or it otherwise affects events.

 

I know you're a cynical bastard, but your argument here, if I understand it, is that Sports Illustrated should defer to ESPN because ... Sports Illustrated isn't a competitor of ESPN's?

Beg to differ. Really, really, really beg to differ.

 

You get a fucking PR firm involved, all bets are off.