1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Kravitz vs. dungy

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by JayFarrar, Jan 28, 2008.

  1. I love when readers write, "Stick to sports!" Which, of course, they constantly tell us we know nothing about.
     
  2. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    I'd say this is something different. Certainly a coach's off-field conduct is fair game if he commits a crime, gets arrested, publicly expresses controversial opinions, or justs acts like an asshole or idiot in PUBLIC. That shit directly reflects upon how he represents the team and city he coaches for. But this goes beyond that, it's a purely private family matter that should be out of bounds, IMO.

    And, frankly, the only reason this is remotely a story is because it's Dungy--the guy who's talked and written about family values--and there's some smoke suggesting the Dungy family itself (like nearly all families) is not the picture of familial bliss. Kravitz wrote this only because he sniffed the chance to paint himself as the exposer of hypocrisy. If anybody but Dungy, this column never gets written.
     
  3. You're right. And it's because Dungy wrote a book where he made a lot of money lecturing people about how to be a good father.
     
  4. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    To be fair, being 1,000 miles away from your wife and kids might be an improvement for a lot of guys.
     
  5. jgmacg

    jgmacg Guest

    Asking an honest question here. If the following appears on the jacket copy of your book, are your decisions subject to fair-minded public scrutiny?

    http://www.tyndale.com/products/details.asp?isbn=978-1-4143-1801-1

    Front Flap Copy

    What does it take to be a modern-day hero?

    "I really wanted to show people you can win all kinds of ways. . . . For your faith to be more important than your job, for your family to be more important than that job . . . we all know that's the way it should be. . . . I'm not afraid to say it.”—Tony Dungy

    People of all ages crave heroes. But it’s rare to find someone—especially someone in the media spotlight like Tony Dungy—whose life and work reflect positive, value-driven precepts.

    In Coach Dungy, many have found a role model. Sports fans admire the way he intensely pursues success without sacrificing his team members’ well-being. Parents point to his example when teaching their children about the importance of hard work, persistence, and graciousness whether they win or lose. Even his fiercest competitors acknowledge that Coach Dungy is a class act who knows how to get the job done and who keeps his priorities intact while he’s doing it.

    To all these people and more, Tony Dungy is a real-life hero—one who teaches us about the importance of quiet strength, fierce determination, and a humble heart.
     
  6. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Disagree, Stoney. Dungy has put himself out front-and-center with All Pro Dad and his many public speaking engagements around Indianapolis, trumpeting his religious views and even his views on gay marriage, so he has in effect made his private life public. Bringing that up makes for good column fodder, nothing more and nothing less.

    And of course it's a story because it's Dungy. Every coach (and heck, lots of sportswriters) spend a zillion nights on the road or at the office away from their families. Does that make them less effective as parents? Maybe, maybe not. That's not a columnist's place to say. But it can be his/her place to bring it up if those coaches spend some of their free time advocating family-first parenting groups. Maybe even more so if they're like Dungy and not exactly needing one more year on the sidelines to feed the family.

    Disclaimer: I have played golf with Kravitz. He really needs a lesson.
     
  7. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    Wrong, Stoney. A Christian doesn't believe that accountability and transparency to family is somehow more important. First, it's to God. Then, your neighbor, which includes your family.

    The Acts 2 church, in theory, points the way. Everybody gave everything away. Everybody was family.

    In the Bible, again and again are stories about the dangers of choosing family over righteousness.
     
  8. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    Ok, even assuming that interpretation is correct, I fail to see how it changes my overriding point. He can be accountable to god without spilling the beans to Bob Kravitz, correct? And how exactly would airing his family's personal matters to the media be the path of "righteousness"?
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page