Sports Media: A round of applause for Wallace Matthews
As scandal mongering continues to plague sports journalism, long-time New York Post sports columnist Wallace Matthews took on the powers that be and paid with his job. Good for him.
By now I am sure you are aware that New York Met catcher Mike Piazza is not gay. Why such information should be of concern to anyone in the baseball world -- reporter, fan, manager, coach or player -- is a mystery to me. Apparently, it was a mystery to Wallace Matthews as well.
For those who do not live in the Big Apple, a little background might be in order.
On Monday, May 23, 2002, the New York Post ran a "blind item" by columnist Neil Travis asserting that a current member of the New York Mets was gay.
In the piece, Travis referred to an upcoming interview with Met manager Bobby Valentine in Details magazine. It has been widely reported that when Valentine was asked by the interviewer whether or not Major League Baseball was ready for an openly gay player, Valentine responded that he believed it was.
The events of the past few days have certainly cast doubt on Valentine's belief.
On the heels of Travis' column, speculation quickly arose that Travis was referring to future Hall-of-Famer Mike Piazza. Travis has admitted that the rumor could not be substantiated. But who cares... right? A juicy story is a juicy story. That's the way celebrity journalism, in all its forms, operates. Travis' item was just another example of the scandal mongering for which the Post's Page Six is infamous.
By Tuesday, sports-talk radio in New York was awash in discussions of Piazza's sexual orientation. Does it matter? No. Is it anyone's business? Of course not. Who stood up to the Post? The Post's own columnist... Wallace Matthews.
On Tuesday evening, Matthews filed a column critical of Travis and the Post with his editor for publication on Wednesday. Post sports editor Greg Gallo asked that the language of the piece be toned down, particularly references to Travis and the paper. Matthews toned down the piece expecting it to run as scheduled. When the piece did not appear in Wednesday's edition of the Post, Matthews severed his ties with the paper, and placed the column on www.SportsJournalists.com.
The Post has since claimed the edited piece was to run on Thursday, but that following the placement of the story on the Web the paper was forced to dismiss Matthews for insubordination. Matthews strongly denies the Post's version of events.
The details in this "he said/they said" debate are not important. No matter the order of events, Matthews is no longer employed by the New York Post, and the reason he no longer has employment at New York's oldest newspaper is his stand on principle.
What did Matthews write that got the Post so upset? The most offensive line I can find is "the kind of 'journalism' perpetrated in Monday's Post is abhorrent." Matthews is right. It is abhorrent. There is no shame in saying so.
The Post got a taste of its own medicine and found it bitter indeed. Far too few in the New York sports media elite have joined Matthews in condemning the Post. Perhaps a groundswell of disapproval will arise as word of Matthews' termination spreads more widely. I hold out little hope for such an event.
One notable exception is Brett Haber of WCBS-TV Channel 2 in New York. Haber took time out of his sports report Wednesday night to chastise the Post for its handling of the Matthews affair. Good for you, Mr. Haber.
Wallace Matthews is a long-time fixture on the New York sports scene (he wrote for Newsday prior to joining the Post in 1994). His insight into, and concern for, the world of sports has long been apparent. I don't always agree with him, but will miss his voice if he doesn't return to the scene soon. One needn't agree with him to respect his actions, although, in this case, I do. I commend him more for his courage than the content of the piece.
He took one on the chin for all of us. He stood up for decency and integrity. All sports fans and sportswriters should thank Mr. Matthews for showing the courage of his convictions. In this time of sensationalistic sports reporting, it is reassuring to know that someone involved in big-time sports journalism still has the guts to stand against the brackish tide of yellow journalism sweeping sports over the past few decades.
Here's hoping Mr. Matthews lands on his feet quickly.
Hey, New York Times, Daily News, Newsday, Newark Star-Ledger, Bergen Record, jump at this guy.
For those who do not live in the Big Apple, a little background might be in order.
On Monday, May 23, 2002, the New York Post ran a "blind item" by columnist Neil Travis asserting that a current member of the New York Mets was gay.
In the piece, Travis referred to an upcoming interview with Met manager Bobby Valentine in Details magazine. It has been widely reported that when Valentine was asked by the interviewer whether or not Major League Baseball was ready for an openly gay player, Valentine responded that he believed it was.
The events of the past few days have certainly cast doubt on Valentine's belief.
On the heels of Travis' column, speculation quickly arose that Travis was referring to future Hall-of-Famer Mike Piazza. Travis has admitted that the rumor could not be substantiated. But who cares... right? A juicy story is a juicy story. That's the way celebrity journalism, in all its forms, operates. Travis' item was just another example of the scandal mongering for which the Post's Page Six is infamous.
By Tuesday, sports-talk radio in New York was awash in discussions of Piazza's sexual orientation. Does it matter? No. Is it anyone's business? Of course not. Who stood up to the Post? The Post's own columnist... Wallace Matthews.
On Tuesday evening, Matthews filed a column critical of Travis and the Post with his editor for publication on Wednesday. Post sports editor Greg Gallo asked that the language of the piece be toned down, particularly references to Travis and the paper. Matthews toned down the piece expecting it to run as scheduled. When the piece did not appear in Wednesday's edition of the Post, Matthews severed his ties with the paper, and placed the column on www.SportsJournalists.com.
The Post has since claimed the edited piece was to run on Thursday, but that following the placement of the story on the Web the paper was forced to dismiss Matthews for insubordination. Matthews strongly denies the Post's version of events.
The details in this "he said/they said" debate are not important. No matter the order of events, Matthews is no longer employed by the New York Post, and the reason he no longer has employment at New York's oldest newspaper is his stand on principle.
What did Matthews write that got the Post so upset? The most offensive line I can find is "the kind of 'journalism' perpetrated in Monday's Post is abhorrent." Matthews is right. It is abhorrent. There is no shame in saying so.
The Post got a taste of its own medicine and found it bitter indeed. Far too few in the New York sports media elite have joined Matthews in condemning the Post. Perhaps a groundswell of disapproval will arise as word of Matthews' termination spreads more widely. I hold out little hope for such an event.
One notable exception is Brett Haber of WCBS-TV Channel 2 in New York. Haber took time out of his sports report Wednesday night to chastise the Post for its handling of the Matthews affair. Good for you, Mr. Haber.
Wallace Matthews is a long-time fixture on the New York sports scene (he wrote for Newsday prior to joining the Post in 1994). His insight into, and concern for, the world of sports has long been apparent. I don't always agree with him, but will miss his voice if he doesn't return to the scene soon. One needn't agree with him to respect his actions, although, in this case, I do. I commend him more for his courage than the content of the piece.
He took one on the chin for all of us. He stood up for decency and integrity. All sports fans and sportswriters should thank Mr. Matthews for showing the courage of his convictions. In this time of sensationalistic sports reporting, it is reassuring to know that someone involved in big-time sports journalism still has the guts to stand against the brackish tide of yellow journalism sweeping sports over the past few decades.
Here's hoping Mr. Matthews lands on his feet quickly.
Hey, New York Times, Daily News, Newsday, Newark Star-Ledger, Bergen Record, jump at this guy.
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