Thanks For the Opportunity Mel: Sadly We Blew It!

“Be careful of the words you say, keep them soft and sweet

You never know from day to day, which one’s you’ll have to eat!” – Anonymous

After a week of national headlines, late night jokes, and broadcast news leads and sharp-witted cartoons, Mel Gibson has become a poster boy for unfiltered rage and abuse.  His alleged rants during private telephone conversations with his girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, are quickly slipping from our consciousness and the media’s “top stories” column.    The abuse aspect of the Gibson rants remains under-reported and we should question the circumstances surrounding the media avoidance of this very serious topic.

Indeed, Mr. Gibson’s media profile, status, and wealth provide the public platform for us to re-ignite the dialogue with victims and survivors of domestic violence, and commit our support to the service organizations in our communities that serve them.

According to The National Domestic Violence Hotline, abuse is defined as follows:

Abuse is physical, sexual emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.  This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure or wound someone

A full transcript of Mr. Gibson’s remarks can be found at online at Salon.   I have included a few of his remarks to demonstrate the absurdity of the media’s omission to address abuse.  It is my hope that Mr. Gibson chokes on the bowl of regret now sitting before him.

“You insult me with every look…”

“… you go out in public and it's a fu**king embarrassment to me.”

“You need a fu**king bat in the side of the head.”

“You need a fu**king brain transplant.”

“You don't love me …”

If you know someone that is a victim of domestic violence or abuse, the National Domestic Hotline can be reached in confidence and anonymously 24-hours a day – seven days a week at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY).

LeBron James: Are We Not Entertained?

Update: “I think the major factor, the major reason, in my decision was the best opportunity to win, and to win now and to win into the future also," ... "Winning is a huge thing for me." – LeBron James on his decision to join the Miami Heat. (July 8, 2010)

With literally thousands of news articles, blog posts and counting, LeBron James, and the spectacle surrounding his decision for which team he will allow the privilege of paying him millions of dollars to entertain us, has reached a fever pitch.  A self-anointed King,  James has recently indicated through his newly acquired Twitter account,  @KingJames, and perfectly timed self-named website launch, http://www.lebronjames.com/, that our appetite for the spectacular will be rewarded when he names the team he will join on Thursday, July 8^th.

A professional basketball player, with amazing athletic skills, an almost un-matched work ethic, and arguably one of the most recognized athletes on the planet, James will reveal which professional organization he will call home on ESPN (Entertainment Sports Programming Network), in a nationally televised one-hour special in the highly coveted prime-time slot.

As we watch, yes, I will be watching, we will not only bear “witness” to James announcement, but also the emergence of  ESPN’s, ability to create and break news.

From the clever LeBron Tracker to the countless articles and tweets, ESPN has managed the marketing of the LeBron James free agency period less as a niche specific platform, choosing instead to go global as a “fan experience”.  

James coming-of-age and ESPN’s behemoth influence on popular culture have converged to create the “perfect storm” of entertainment, sports, and economics.  Among the teams in contention for LeBron’s services, are the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, and the Chicago Bulls.  I expect, whichever team James selects,  will be thrilled with the sustaining economic benefit, as well as the heightened interest and audience in all things ESPN and NBA.

James and his career curators have identified the non-profit organization, Boys and Girls Club of America as the recipient of all the sponsorship income generated from tomorrow’s broadcast.  In a time of severe economic stress and fundraising challenges, this was an astute business decision, and will aid in extending the legacy and brand of LeBron James well beyond the court.

           

            Do I really care where LeBron goes?  Not really, I’m enjoying the spectacle of it all too much.  An African-American from Akron, Ohio, grows up and conquers the business world with a basketball as his weapon.  No one could have scripted this --- but here we are, caught up and participating in a real life game changer.  Are we not entertained?

[Note to ESPN: The time is now to launch ESPNWomen]

Photo courtesy of @NBA _Photos