Sharp writing in story on NBA executive coming out

This seems to be a "story" because he decided to stay in the closet -- which made life difficult -- because HE WORKED IN SPORTS.

Now, the pro sports environment can be pretty "macho" but, he worked in the front office and league office, and how would this story be any different if...

HE WORKED IN INVESTMENT BANKING

HE WORKED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

HE WORKED IN CONSTRUCTION

HE WORKED AS A FIREFIGHTER

HE WAS IN THE MILITARY

All of those fields are just as "macho".

I also think that by now, most anyone knows someone who is gay and who, for whatever reason, has decided to not broadcast that information.

Was this situation any different than theirs?

The pro sports angle just isn't that interesting to me - especially since most everyone knew and didn't care.

 

That was pretty obvious, but really, you're on a PR tour in New York?

Dan Klores isn't cheap. Either he's doing it for free, or Welts is working on a book.

And really, shouldn't Welts be trying to renew season ticket holders and working on new sponsors for next season's team?

This is just so silly.

Too bad Arnold didn't think to hire Dan Klores before telling Maria about his "love child". Then maybe the Times would have helped him roll out the story with a sympathetic article in which they only spoke to people Arnold shepherded them to.

And really, now that we know a PR agency was employed, shouldn't we be asking the Times what the standard is for allowing PR firms to basically write a story that appears in their paper?

 

Does not detract from the "sharp" writing.

 

I don't get what your issue with the story is. This is a feature, not an investigative piece, where you need to vet the source, etc. -- this guy says he's gay, I'd take him at his word.

And as for these "hand-picked" sources, again, what's the problem? He said "I've got a few people I think you should talk to. They're personal and professional acquaintances, they've been very important in my life. Their names are Bill Russell, David Stern, and Steve Nash. Perhaps you've heard of them?"

I see no problem with a publicity tour. He's a public figure, in a job and a country that he thought didn't want him to be gay. Now he's come out, and is trying to encourage others to be comfortable to do the same. If you and zag aren't interested, or are made uncomfortable by it, skip it. But to say that it's not a story, and that this country couldn't use a few more "out" figures in certain areas of public life is crazy.

And if you think cheating on your wife and hiding a love child is comparable to coming out of the closet, then the problem is yours, not Welts'.

 

I do think a story on the front page of The Times loses a bit of luster when it was placed by a PR agency.

 

i repeat: wake me when the first active sports in a team sport comes out. then you've got your story.

it's well and good to say outing-driven pieces don't interest you, but you'll be riveted when someone of that ilk first comes out. yes, all the occupations above are 'macho,' but the macho in sports culture is an entirely different animal and this is an incredibly sensitive yet-to-be-written story.

just at its primal worst, team sports, featuring NAKED men/women feeling entirely at ease in their 'office space,' will be greatly affected when the 'outings' begin. i'm assuming most of us here are not homophobic and are quire comfortable working among people who happen to be gay? yes, for most of us in 2011, it's a 'who cares?' issue. for this little-known nba executive and his white-collar colleagues, it's a 'who cares?' issue.

just sit back and watch/listen when a sports star come out and brace yourselves for the reaction. many of their teammates are among the most primitive, all-macho and testesterone-driven folks on the planet. many of the fans cheering and heckling are also largely primitive.

it's no accident we're still waiting for a star 'outing,' and it ain't just because of endorsement $$$. it's the legit fear of how it will affect the locker room, how will my fans react, what will my manager/coach think? and all that jazz that keeps ACTIVE athletes buried deep inside those closets.

do you really believe players have advanced that much since news of magic's 'hiv positive' status was revealed? what was everyone's initial reaction? 'holy crap, i had no idea magic is gay!' you think he would've been as accepted and cheered for and loved if it indeed turned out he is gay? again, there are folks who couldn't care less. bless each and every one.

but there is still an incredibly large homophobic segment of the fan base that active gay players understandably have no desire to expose themselves to, and i can hardly blame those players.

god bless the first star athlete who tests the water. he'll be the closest we've gotten to a modern jackie robinson. yes, i believe the story will then be that big.

 

Exactly. You don't think it's sad when the Times runs an advertorial placed (and probably written) by a PR firm? (And doesn't identify it as such.)

And, whether it's a "feature" or an investigative piece, it should still contain original reporting.

 

I've worked on a trading floor on Wall St., and I've worked in an MLB front office.

The Wall St. job was a much more "macho" environment. No one in the Devil Rays front office would have given two shits if I was gay.

On the trading floor, being gay would have been a much bigger deal. I had a co-worker who was closeted for this reason. Homophobia and homophobic jokes were common.

A homophobic joke in an MLB front office would get you fired.

 

Many of the best Times writers and Pulitzer-winning reporters have written lately for the sports section. It's a thing there. "Play the paper," the best reporters are told. Write for the magazine, for local, for national, for sports, for business.

 

I curious about the logistics.

Does the writer, or his normal editor, have to pitch the story to the sports editor?

 

i'm sorry, yf. we've miscommunicated here, probably something i misinterpreted or misread. i'm not talking about the nba or mlb executive branch's 'macho' vs. wall street sharks; i'm in total agreement this times story on a faceless, unknown nba exec was a yawn job, a ho-hummer.

i thought someone, perhaps you, was arguing that 'gay outing' stories overall have become ho-hummers 'cause our society's grown so much. i was just emphasizing that it will be a HUGE story when/if an active star player comes out. that's all.

weighing the 'macho' in execs in various fields is laughable to me. but when we're talking about the neanderthal men who both play pro sports and root for pro sports, a 'so-and-so is gay' piece on a star athlete -- especially a star in a team sport -- will be front-page, wall-to-wall tv coverage news.

sorry for the criss-cross...

 

Yeah, I misunderstood.

A current player, from one of the major team sports, coming out will be a big deal.

It shouldn't be, but because of the culture and because it will be a first (and I know some rugby player in England has already come out, but no one active from one of the North American "big four" team sports has), it will be.