Featured
ESPN v. Caitlyn Jenner: Who’s Exploiting Who?
It’s no secret that ESPN has been steadily losing fans over the past decade. By many reports that number is somewhere to the tune of 6 million viewers since 2011.
So what do you do when your ship is sinking and investors, advertisers and your parent company (Disney) are yelling ‘abandon ship’? You make Caitlyn Jenner your captain and you fill that ship’s hole with big, fat, Kardashian asses, that’s what!
The whole ordeal seems a bit contrived and it’s not just me that thinks so.
The whole ordeal seems a bit contrived and it’s not just me that thinks so. In a call to The Dan Patrick Show, veteran sports analyst Bob Costas said:
“
In the broad world of sports, I’m pretty sure they could’ve found someone — and this is not anything against Caitlyn Jenner — who was much closer actively involved in sports, who would’ve been deserving of what that award represents.“
And he has a point. In the weeks leading up to the Caitlyn reveal, the sports world was abuzz about two brave, but lesser known athletes. One, Lauren Hill, a Mount St. Joseph basketball player who raised $1,000,000 dollars for pediatric cancer research before dying herself on April 19th 2015 of complications due to cancer. The other, Noah Galloway, an Iraqi War veteran and double amputee who is most famously known for his 3rd place finish on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, but also competes in various distance races. Reportedly, Lauren will be honored at this years ESPY’s.
Costas then continued:
“I think this is just a play to pump up the audience, the way lots of things are put on television to attract eyeballs — not because of the validity but because of whatever the kind of gawker factor is.”
Bingo! And, of course, with the inevitable book deal, reality show, endorsements and Lifetime movie in the works, Caitlyn is no innocent bystander in this fiasco. Surely she’s picked up a thing or two about exploiting every possible opportunity to make money from ex-wife Kris Jenner.
The executives at ‘the worldwide leader’ tend to disagree with Mr. Costas’s perspective. In an interview with SI.com, ESPY co-executive producer Maura Mandt stated, “I think Caitlyn’s decision to publicly come out as a transgender woman and live as Caitlyn Jenner displayed enormous courage and self-acceptance,”
…with the inevitable book deal, reality show, endorsements and Lifetime movie in the works, Caitlyn is no innocent bystander in this fiasco.
While I don’t necessarily disagree with Mandt’s all too tidy reasoning, I have to believe that ESPN “knew what they were doing” when it selected Caitlyn as this year’s recipient. What’s left of your fan base is not as naïve or stupid as you think. There are plenty of arguments to be made on either side, whether you are for or against Caitlyn getting this award.
You could argue that it’s just a dumb award that ESPN made up for their award show and that they can give it to whomever they see fit. But to counter that, you would also hope that a journalistic juggernaut such as ESPN would have the integrity to make a decision not based solely on what would get them the highest ratings, but who was most deserving of their ‘made up’ award.
One thing is certain, and that is that ESPN will get the much-needed attention it was seeking. Unfortunately, that attention may be for all the wrong reasons.
Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, I’ve posted the same pic of me in the hospital during my temporary and untimely demise in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to “normal”, I asked Eric “Why’d you take the pics?” And he said, “I knew you would want to write about it if you lived.” Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.
You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6’4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her “Yo, is that dude bothering you?” She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.
Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like “Why are the other consultants making more money than you?” I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that “You need to hire Alfred!”, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, “What if you didn’t have health insurance when this happened?” I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.
My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor “Well I’m not going anywhere.” She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says “Well I’m not going anywhere either!” That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.
Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.
From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a “Enrique Pollazo!” And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!
Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.
Rest in Peace Eric. “Be Good.”
I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century. We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!
