It used to be that sports writers could keep an athlete’s personal affairs out of the public domain, but that may be changing, writes Teddy Greenstein, who covers the sports media for the Chicago Tribune. With the New York Daily News story last week that Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez was seen with a blonde woman who was not his wife, and another story that his wife had left their Manhattan apartment with two suitcases, the New York media may have crossed over into territory normally reserved for the Hollywood paparazzi. All this media attention begs the question: Have athletes become fair game for the media where once before they were spared reporters’ scrutiny of their private lives?
During the Sunday Night Baseball telecast on ESPN this past weekend, analyst Joe Morgan said that most ball players aren’t looking for the spotlight outside of baseball the way that Hollywood celebs seek publicity. To some celebs, even negative publicity can be positive. But for ball players, says Morgan, they’re not used to it, nor do they actively seek it out. In A-Rod’s case, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong woman in the wrong city – and the NY media took advantage and splashed the story across their front pages.
I’m inclined to believe that the A-Rod headline is a rare situation, a result of a combination of circumstances that probably would produce different results if it occurred anywhere else. But because of who A-Rod is, the fact he plays for the Yankees, lives in New York City, and isn’t exactly a fan or media favorite there, the story became bigger than life. Put this same story in another market, with the exception of maybe LA., with an athlete who isn’t as talented, wealthy, or well-known, and chances are, it doesn’t even get mentioned in the local gossip column.
A-Rod in Chicago
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