You Tell Me: How Much Is Too Much Information?

If you know me, you know I’m not afraid to go “outside the box.” Today- I am interested in what you have to say about media coverage of sports and sports figures and media in general. Post me a comment on this question, and I’ll move it to the body of this post, and I probably even comment on it.

Let me give you some background on my question. As you regular readers know, I do a weekly profile on NASCAR Cup drivers. Feedback I got a few months back from readers indicated they wanted to know more about all the drivers, not just the usual suspects that get lots of camera time on race day. If I could, along the way, try to learn what I could about race day rituals, what kind of music they like and some human interest stuff.

I’ve gone so far in somewhat alphabetical order. My piece on Jeff Gordon a couple of weeks ago struck a reader’s nerve. In my post, I spoke of Gordon’s off-track charity and how at one time, he was pretty bold about his Christian faith. The only mention I made of his divorce from his first wife- the former Brooke Sealy- is that the divorce occurred early on in a Gordon slump.

This reader seemed to think I was withholding the true story of the nature of the 4-time champion’s dissolution of marriage. The fan seemed to think that I, like others in the media, was giving Gordon a “pass” on the behavior the led to that divorce and that I was being a little less than truthful. It first I was dismissive. I figured him for another “hater.” Now for all I know, the reader could be a blog equivalent to a “DNC caller” on the Rush Limbaugh show- but I’ll take him at his word- that he is indeed a Gordon fan. Through an exchange of emails, he maintains the media does the fan a disservice by not being “fully truthful” about an athlete, and because the media gloss over things, our society is worse for it. That our kids end up emulating athletes they think are great, when in reality, they need to know that these stars have their flaws, and in many ways should NOT be emulated.

I walked away from that exchange with something to ponder…..in telling a driver’s story, what is fair game and what is not? Is a driver’s divorce fair game, or is it not? What about their kids- especially those born out of wedlock? I did make mention of Kurt Busch’s dust up with police, the one where he was suspected of drunk driving. Is that fair game or is it not? To me, I’ll at least say the on-track behavior IS fair game. That is art of the race- so if a driver does something stupid out there, that is fair game.

Before the Internet and 24 hour news networks, I can tell ya from experience what we knew of athletes was somewhat whitewashed. We all knew Mickey Mantle, Paul Hornung, Joe Namath, and from the world of NASCAR, Curtis Turner were all party hounds, but to what extent? Probably much more than we know. Former Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton practically committed heresy in the late 60s with his tell-all book Ball Four. Other former sports personalities such as Jose Canseco, Dexter Manley, and countless more have since aired a considerable amount of dirty laundry on the pages of a number of publications. We’re probably all a little more jaded and cynical because of it…and I think we ARE worse for it too.

I have an opinion, but I want to know yours……how much of a driver’s personal life do you want to know? How much SHOULD you know? Why?

Here’s what I’ve heard so far. My responses are in italics:

“I really don’t care about their personal life. I will tell you I look at Kyle Busch in a much more favorable light after he donated his race winnings to a former driver in need and that he is personally involved in his charity work rather than just passing out cash. As far as who is divorced, running around or what ever, so what? Nobody is perfect. I do wonder if Casey Mears not keeping Kelloggs as a sponser had anything to do with his out of wedlock child? I think that when personal impacts professional the fans are more interested rather than purely personal life issues.”

yankeegranny

yankee-

You do wonder at what point a sponsor gets uncomfortable enough with a driver’s personal life to want to drop them. I’m sure it depends on the sponsor. Now I’ll play “devil’s advocate” here…are you saying we only want to know the personal stuff if it’s good? Or would the charity be shared under the auspices of a person doing so as a professional in a sense doing “community relations” work, so charity work falls under the “work” and not “personal” side of things? I think I get where you’re coming from, but some may disagree.-JMc

“SPORTS reporters should report sports. Gossip columnists should report gossip in columns. Simple enuf…if the news being reported is not part of the game, it should NOT be reported as sports. Michael Vicks’ dogma should have been left to the general news guys, with the sports guys watching the effect it caused to his team, and his sport.
Demarcation, THAT’s the problem. Sports reporters should stick to sports. When Bobby Hamilton Jr’s wife walked out on pit road and flipped off Loren Coleman at the end of a nationwide race, that was sports. It mattered to the game that she was out there to start with, let alone threatening competitiors. Now, whether or not she actually followed through with the threat would, of course, be for the gossip guys.
Jeff Gordon’s (or, for that matter, ANY sports figure’s) non-sports episodes, divorces, tickets, and other hanky-panky, should NOT be reported in the sports world…leave that to The Inquirer. Should they show up to race still drunk, or with their pants at half-mast, they’re fair game. BUT, why Casey Mears gets the points, instead of Bowyer, it’s conjecture until Richard blabs all. If not, it’s gossip.”

Mik

Mik-

I’ve tended to go your direction as much as possible- though I’ll admit I’ve not been entirely consistent about it. I think context is important. When I have my radio “sports reporter” hat on, I believe it’s my duty to handle breaking news about a sports figure off the field, like says when Jags offensive lineman Richard Collier got shot. Of course, viewing through your lense, his permanent injury affects his team, so it’s not gossip per se. As for the blog, I’m more in an “opinion journalists” type role, and then I believe I’m working with a different set of rules. In my estimation, it somewhat a case by case decision. My desire is to err more on the side of caution ESPECIALLY when it comes to the off-track stuff. Without naming names, I’d rather stay away from the divorce talk, the sexual exploits talk, the “gossipy” stuff as much as I can, PROVIDED it doesn’t spill over to the track..and sometimes it does. Like with Jeff Gordon, I think the divorce affected his on-track performance, BUT the reasons why I think are less important.- JMc

“This is a tough one to answer. I think that as deeply invested as the fans get with their drivers and teams both emotionally and with the loyalty they display, then add in the financial investment in collectibles, etc, they should have as much info as is decent and fair. Affairs that lead to divorces and the divorces shouldn’t be hidden. A son or daughters drug problem, I think, goes just too far. We went through Gordons divorce with a fine tooth comb, we saw the pain Bobby and Judy Allison went through. Why then has Mikeys on or off divorce been kept quiet. Legal filings are public record, what we don’t need is dirt or gossip offered as real news.”

w g g

w g g-
I agree it is a tough question to answer. I would ask the question, with respect to the divorce question is “Is it really necessary to know WHY someone got a divorce?” At the same time, imagine I am writing for a Christian sports magazine. I can see why it would be important to know the facts of the Gordon divorce and if he showed any contrition afterwards before I go holding him up as a role model. This would be where I would make this caveat regarding my “driver profiles.” I DO NOT do them to glorify a driver. I am simply telling their story, with an emphasis on the on-track accomplishments.
You can see why this gets complicated for the messenger.- JMc

“Hmm, since I am such a nosy person, I generally like to know everything about a driver.. I agree that stuff reported from the track should only deal with sports. All the other stuff can be posted somewhere else.
What I find irratating is some commentators or Sports writers don’t tell the whole story about an incident theysometimes color the post with their opinions & do not include all the facts.
example:
I recently re-read a post about the Smith/Stewart Talladega finish. It was clearly biased towards Smith.. It didn’t include the footage of the Drivers meeting that day where it was verbally said, (real loud) about the passing under the yellow line.
What I saw from Earnhardt & alot of writers was, That Tony didn’t deserve the win & Nascar changed it to favor Tony.. Smith said that it was announced in that meeting that the drivers could do just about anything on the last lap. That was a False statement !!!! They played the video of that meeting & thats NOT what was said. But since Earnhardt & Smith & a few commentators said it was so, it was believed.. So the Tony Haters had a field Day, it was never corrected, I’m doing that now.I heard & saw it with my own eyes.
It’s things like this that I hate the Sports Commentators running their mouths & people thinking that whatever they say is Gospel.
As far as personal info is concerned, leave that to the Reliable bloggers and that would give us a choice whether to read it or not.
The info on the single guys is always a hot topic.. I hate it when Tony gets a girfriend, but when he does, I want to know all about her ( to make sure she is worthy LOL) We need a reliable place to read this stuff.. I don’t mean how many men she has been with stuff, just backround info. How they met, where she’s from,etc. The Nascar people shouldn’t be commenting on these things at all .Fan sites should address these.
I always like to know the good stuff about drivers, even the ones I don’t like because they all have something that they have done that is outstanding. My gaawd, I’m rambling, what was the Question??? Ha!!”

Punkin (Jude)

Punkin-
I think there are more than a few fans who share your point of view. It is kind of interesting to know what kind of music your driver likes, what they like to eat, and how they “chill” away from the track. It makes the driver more human. Again- as I think on my feet here, I think there is a line that can be crossed AND I think who the messenger will be is also something to be considered.- JMc

“Though we hold our atheletes to higher standards, so frequently we forget the human element still exists in all of us. NASCAR needs controversey, grass roots, and good ol’ behind the woodshed brawls. Was Gordon issued a free pass for his divorce? Free pass…what do you mean? Because he is a NASCAR driver, he is not subject to humanities curve balls? We, then, are only fooling ourselves. What we experienced when we saw Gordon make this public was the fact that indeed he puts his pants on one leg at a time and is subject to the same consequences we all, as humans, endure. By the way, I cannot stand him as a driver, but it does not change the fact that we are all equally subject to conflict. Look, drivers are not out routinely getting shot, shooting themselves, or fighting at strip joints. Typically, NASCAR drivers are not at the foot of reports of drug use and intoxication, with a few exceptions. They are not thugs, you never hear them holding out for more money, or refusing to drive until they are further compensated. So, if a divorce turns the NASCAR world upside down, shame on us! If anything, we should be sighing in relief that THIS, so far, has basically been “it”.”

Jeremy Sellers

Jeremy

As always a good word. Thanks for chiming in.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers here, but this is an interesting and important question to ponder. As someone who lives a somewhat public life (granted- on a MUCH smaller scale) as a media figure, I understand I’ve surrendered a certain amount of my privacy by my career choice, and know that if I ever got busted for drunk driving, it could impact my career in a way I wouldn’t want….and at least for me, makes me think twice before acting once.

Good discussion.