The fact that I'm even writing about this means the Rolling Stone has accomplished exactly what it set out to do by putting the accused Boston Marathon Bomber on their front cover. That doesn't mean we shouldn't speak out against this insensitive decision and encourage other people to leave this magazine on store shelves from now on. If you haven't seen it, the accused bomber looks like a rock star on the front cover and there are a few headlines about what's inside. The insinuation is that his family let him down and he slipped into extreme Islam and became a monster. I have no problem with the story being told, but I do have a problem with perceived glory of putting him on the cover. If you are going for shockvalue, put the panic of the street scene that occurred immediately after the bombs exploded.
There would no longer be a planet Earth if every person that was let down by his/her family slipped into extreme religion and became a bomber. Personal accountability is pretty much a thing of the past.
As we learn more and more about people and how some of them tick, I think more responsibility needs to be shown by media when it comes to making these sick individuals appear famous. There are those out there who are willing to give their lives in the name of being a celebrity. So, if you can't be the next Bon Jovi or the next Carrie Underwood, how about letting off a bomb to get on the front cover of a world renowned magazine.
I've listened to a lot of Boston sports radio when it comes to the subject of New England tight end Aaron Hernandez facing murder charges and the company line appears to be that nobody really knew a whole lot about Hernandez's personal life. Well, that type of reaction doesn't pass the sniff test with me. I've worked around Junior 'A' hockey clubs for the better part of fifteen years or more and I can tell you that coaches and teammates are very much aware of each player's personal life. Some of the stories I've heard about players would, absolutely, blow your mind. They range from one player being blackballed in another province because he burned his billet's house to the ground, to another player showing up to a new team with stab wounds that were revealed when he got changed in the dressing room, to another player being investigated for murder. It is commonplace for Junior 'A' teams to put a troubled young man in a home where there is maybe another well grounded player to help give a positive influence or a home where the billet family has high values and can help keep the player on the straight and narrow. And, this is just junior hockey. It's not the pros. So, if coaches know what a player has for breakfast in
Junior 'A' hockey, you better believe in the professional ranks where there are millions of dollars at stake, teams are very much plugged in to a player's personal life. Just like Junior 'A' hockey, professional sports teams will, often, overlook personal life flaws in the name of winning. More often than not, this backfires as I've long been a proponent of not building your team around high end talent, low end character. So, while New England deserves some credit for bailing on Hernandez early in the legal process, they should be pressed further by the local media with regards to how much they knew about Hernandez before they took him on as a player on their roster. I'm betting that while they hoped he wouldn't ever be an accused murdered, my guess is that they really aren't all that surprised at his legal troubles.
A few days before the Boston Bruins traded Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars, there was a media report that the Bruins hired guards to stand outside Seguin's hotel room during the Stanley Cup playoffs just to make sure he didn't go out and get bombed the night before a game. Further proof teams are aware of personal situations. Besides, you don't think Boston traded Seguin because they think he's a bad player do you?
That was an extremely impressive display by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, blasting Kent Austin's Hamilton Ti-Cats 37-0. The Riders are definitely for real, but let's not forget that Grey Cups aren't awarded in July.
That new system Impark has set up is terrible. It's slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.
