Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Stephanie Rice Apology and press conference!



I believe her but I am both astonished and flabberghasted that someone that articulate and who had the ability to pen such a well thought out and heartfelt apology was both stupid enough and unmeasured enough to say something that socially bankrupt on Twitter.

She must have gotten drunk during the game and found a keyboard.

I believe her. Now it is time for her to make amends.

Also, to my critics who feel I am covering an "off the radar story", MSNBC, Associated Press and USA Today are covering this story as well

7 comments:

Glenn said...

It's kinda the society we live in today... because in actuality... she absolutely meant to offend someone... the other rugby team.

I was taught by my father at a very young age that victory is a two edged sword. For every winner, there is someone who lost. Treating the people you beat with dignity shows respect that you appreciate all that they've done to come to that spot.

Unfortunately for Stephanie, her mistake was that when she tried to offend the rugby team, she used her words poorly, and not only more than likely inspired the rugby team for the next match, but also pissed off a LOT of people.

Would have been much more appropriate to simply congratulate the victors, rather than attempt to further humiliate those who had just lost.

coacherik said...

Agreed Glenn.

Too often we forget as young adults, in the heat of the moment (possibly inebriated?) we forget where and who we are. Its an insecurity we have, a false pride when something we are passionate about becomes very real to us and we react in a way to make ourselves feel more superior than the competition. Since she did not play in the game but follows her team with passion, she chose a means to build herself up to feel more connected and powerful. Bad idea.

When all she needed to do was simply type, "SA rugby team, Good onya." I am sure she realizes this now and honestly, she is lucky these are just words. They are plenty hurtful and in time people will forgive. She will recover from this and I feel be a much better person as a result.

Good luck Ms. Rice, you will need it.

Tony Austin said...

I know I am repeating myself but I am convinced she was altered when she found that keyboard.

Glenn, you are a really good sport.

I think she is toast and I wonder if today she is grasping with the fact that advertisers rarely forgive?

TedBaker said...

Everybody loves a second act. She'll be right.

Tony Austin said...

Tiger woods has lost 30% of his income year-over-year and probably another 30%-plus for 2011.

I think promiscuity is a more forgivable sin than dropping a slur as Paris Hilton as an example can confirm:

Paris Hilton's Q-rating dived after using n-bombs, j-bombs, and f-bomb. It was February 2007 and she has quickly faded as a celebrity.

TedBaker said...

Paris Hilton?! Paris Hilton deserves to have her "Q rating" - whatever that is or means - to be somewhere below that of an earthworm. The fact that she is famous is emblematic of everything that is so very wrong in your country, Tony!

She has done nothing! Nothing! Nothing at all for anyone, anywhere, other than herself. She's famous because she's famous.

Stephi Rice may be just an athlete but at least she's done something. Paris Hilton is a void, an absence, a nothing that - somehow, for reasons that are completely beyond me - has become some sort of media zeitgiest.

Personally, an endorsement from Paris Hilton, before or after whatever she said about whatever the subject was, is the kiss of death for me. Any company that has such low regard for their customer's intelligence will never have trade with me.

Tony Austin said...

You are awesome, Ted! (That is not sarcasm.)

The Paris Hilton experiment was a celebrity bubble of tulip-like proportions. I was in awe watching it unflod - it was the ne plus ultra of branding absurdity.

Yes, my country is summarily insane. We are your narcissistic misfits who actually believed that by coming to this place it would make us rich or at the very least allow us to be narcissistic misfits without being punished for it!

We believed the "Boardwalk Pitch" about the American Dream and even if we don't get rich, there are hundreds-of-thousands of $40k-a-year "millionaires" buying Philippe Patek watches and driving European cars, wearing Italian suits, and watching British and Australian actors pretending they are Americans.

We are your crazy, loud, sibling, with no manners and we are really good at spending money on anything that enhances our narcissism.

Swimmers should study Paris Hilton for that no-talent nothing was able to parlay whatever she is into a small fortune. Don't believe the 50-million net worth... It's more like 15-million over a 4-year period.

Swimmers who do have talent, personality and a great body should study every business move she made.

Sports agents too.

Signed,

The ugly European stepchild from America. ;-)