SI story on Big Ben

These guys have nothing to gain by spending a day with a Jeff Pearlman, or letting somebody from ESPN tag around while they go to hunting outfitters and run other errands. They have nothing to gain, which is to say, they have nothing to make.

Jared Allen can do a half hour of some of the dopiest television on MTV Cribs, and display whatever charming persona he thinks will help maximize his earnings, and it's a better move for him than sitting down with a magazine writer.

 

It can be written without access. Instead of "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," we'd get, "Big Ben has an STD."

 

1. I wish Borel had gotten the main cover treatment this week.

2. I wish the Roethlisberger story was headlined with "The Biggest Douchebag in Pittsburgh" instead of "The Hangover."

 

This is quite funny, but the Sinatra story is one I was thinking a lot about this afternoon. I would love to see Scott Price or Lee Jenkins get the time to trail a subject that doesn't want to be written about and see what they come up with.

 

And Terry McPeople continues to shovel dirt on whatever good was left of SI.

 

To be honest, I think our paper did a good job of writing a shorter piece, yet encapsulating much of the same (and without the fear of the "backlash" you speak of), in August: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09221/989721-66.stm

It included, among other grafs:

While burnishing that image, he has simultaneously earned a reputation for sometimes boorish behavior on the Pittsburgh nightlife scene. Stories abound about a young man who refuses to pay cover charges, is aloof to fans and is petulant to bartenders, who consistently describe him as a customer lacking in courtesy and manners.

AND

One of the places where he has refused to pay to enter is the Cabana Bar in Pine, which he has frequented since moving to the North Hills in 2006. His argument -- which is undoubtedly true -- is his presence will drive other patrons to the bar, but some chafe at his demands for special treatment.

"I hate even to have to root for the Steelers when he's the quarterback," said bar owner Mark Baranowski. "Appreciate the people -- don't think you're above them all. It really makes me sick."

AND

During the run-up to the team's Super Bowl win after the 2005 season, pictures of Mr. Roethlisberger -- looking cross-eyed and pouring tequila into a female companion's mouth -- hit the Web. He wore a T-shirt saying, "Drink Like A Champion Today." He looked every bit the rich young superstar, but was doing nothing illicit, which may be why major Pittsburgh news outlets ignored the photos. (Mr. Roethlisberger has no criminal record, with only traffic charges stemming from his 2006 motorcycle accident.)

 

How is this story comparable to Pierce's Tiger story, in which he got unprecedented access -- and, now and forever, unequaled access -- to Woods?

 

For starters, the tone is what's important. Writing what we know is true, even if the athlete and his handlers don't want it, and people are screaming NOT RELEVANT!

Pierce, btw, got a limo ride with Tiger, and got to hang around during a photo shoot. The access was not unprecedented, nor has it been close to being forever unequaled. Charlie wrote the candid truth about Tiger -- little immature, tells corny jokes, not the messiah, but that's ok, because he's really fun to watch -- and Tiger's people lost their minds and Earl Woods claimed Charlie tried to destroy Tiger's career. And Tiger was never as candid again. But he certainly didn't cut off access entirely. Alan Shipnuck and John Garrity, for starters, both have written stories about him where they received far more access than Charlie ever got. Tiger just didn't say shit.

The point is, don't play along with the manufactured, handler-driven narrative, especially if you know it's not true. It's less about access as it is honesty. If an athlete is an asshole, that's part of his story. Mr. Dunlap was kind enough to point out a story the Post Gazette did about Roethlisberger that did some of that, and I was not aware of it. So kudos to them. Frankly, we don't see enough pieces that are written where the athlete might not like it, but screw 'em, that's who they are. We wait until there is a criminal charge, then use it as cover to say "here is the real, more complicated portrait of this athlete." I'm saying we need to do a better job of telling those stories before the charges come down. And I'm acknowledging that it's not easy to do at the same time.

 

So SI sends out a team of reporters, but nobody from Miami (OH) was quoted? They went from "He was such a nice high schooler" to "He's a douchebag!" without exploring the linking interval?

 

The story is not about the fact that Roethlisberger is a jerk, or at least that is not its intent. The story is how he is now perceived after sets of charges and how people react to his being KNOWN as a jerk, as it relates to the places he lives and the fans who adore his team. I don't think it's a great story at all, certainly not SI of long ago. But it isn't a story about the QB being a jerk, rather how that affects his marketability, perception, etc. Even then, it is fairly shallow. (In fact, perhaps shallow enough that even posters here missed the point.)