I
had gotten wind of a media opportunity with Olympic medalists Paul
and Morgan Hamm, just a block away from my apartment in Manhattan,
through my editor at the New York Blade
(in addition to running Outsports.com, I am also the associate
editor of the Blade). On their way back from
Athens, the Hamms were scheduled to be at Chelsea Piers, the largest
sports complex in New York City, on Thursday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m.
to 11 a.m..
So I RSVP’d and
went to the event, camera, pad and pen in hand, and arrived just
before 10 as the twins were finishing up a TV interview. There were
about a dozen photographers, another dozen TV crewmembers and a
smattering of print journalists.
I immediately asked
the athletes’ agent, Sheryl Shade, if I could get 60 seconds with
them.
“Sure, I’m sure
that’s fine,” she said to me as she was making a phone call on her
cell phone. After a few minutes, I was told the brothers were being
taken downstairs to talk with a group of kids from a gymnastics
camp, but they would return for more interviews.
After an inspiring
question-and-answer session with the 6-year-olds, the brothers went
back to the media area. They immediately began doing another TV
interview.
I asked one of the
men from the PR agency whether I would be able to talk with them.
When he asked me what paper I was from, I told him the New York
Blade.
“Uh, I’ll have to
check,” he said.
Another reporter I
had been talking to – from the New York Daily News – had gotten wind
of an interview session with the Associated Press and other print
journalists. As the Hamms were walking into the soundproof room,
along with several other journalists, I asked if I could sit in on
it as well.
The man from the PR
agency to whom I had spoken earlier approached
Keith Sherman, the
head of the agency.
“Can the New York
Blade sit in on this?” I overheard him ask.
“No,” Sherman
replied instantly.
When all was said
and done, every print journalist left there had been allowed into
the interview, except for me.
Sherman approached
me several minutes later and said he was sorry, but only sports
reporters were allowed in the interview.
I told him I am a
sports reporter.
“Oh,” he replied.
It obviously hadn’t occurred to him that someone could be a sports
reporter from a gay publication. “Well, I’m sorry.”
I then asked him if
it was because I was from a gay publication. He said it wasn’t. I
asked him why I wasn’t going to be able to talk with them.
“I’m sorry, we’re
running out of time,” he said as he walked away to join the
interview.
After the 15-minute
interview (which he had said would be “seven or eight minutes”), I
asked one of the women in the room if she was a sports reporter. She
said she was not.
The twins did
another TV interview and were whisked away by Sherman, with Shade in
tow.
While they “had” to
leave by 11 a.m., they stopped to talk to Roland Betts, the owner of
Chelsea Piers and a member of the United States Olympic Committee,
at 10:59. That conversation lasted eight minutes – quite leisurely
for a group that was “out of time” and had to “get to the airport.”
Then they took some photos with a group of kids. That took two more
minutes.
At 11:10, they
finally headed to their car.
I left as well,
pretty upset and wondering how I could be discriminated against yet
again in the sports world. Then the kicker: I saw the Hamms, Shade
and Sherman being followed by another man who had come at the very
end of their stint at Chelsea Piers. I saw him take out a notebook
and start asking them questions. Once he was finished (it was now
11:14), I asked him if he got to talk with them.
“Yeah, I got 90
seconds with them,” he said. That was even more than the time I had
initially requested – 60 seconds. He also said he had just gotten
there and that Sherman had told him he could interview the young men
on their walk to the car – er – SUV.
At the end of it, I
was the only person who was rejected for an interview. Sherman said
it wasn’t because I was gay, but the writing is on the wall. I was
rejected from the group interview because I was from the New York
Blade – which every PR person in town knows is a gay paper.
All I wanted to ask
the Hamms were two questions.
First: “Thanks to
Terrell Owens, people are again talking about gays in sports. How
would you feel about having a gay teammate?”
Then: “Long before
Athens, you had a strong gay following. What do you think about
that?”
If he’s reading
this, Sherman is surely very glad that he kept me from asking the
Hamms those questions.
I think they missed
an opportunity. While Paul is warding off attacks on his gold medal,
and while Morgan is trying to find a place for himself as “the other
Hamm brother,” their answers to those two softball questions could have been
an amazing affirmation of a large portion of their fan base.
I imagined them
telling me that they didn’t care about someone’s sexuality, and that
they welcomed anyone as their fans. I thought they’d tell me that a
teammate is like a family member – you support him whatever he may
be. I wondered if they’d smile and jest or talk seriously and with
care. I assumed a negative response wasn’t even possible from these
two young men.
What was worse than
a bad response, though, was that I didn’t even get to ask the
questions. People wonder why more athletes don’t get asked about
these issues – this is part of why. The handlers and the agents and
the managers are so crazy about “protecting” their clients that they
forget about things like fairness, open-mindedness and equal access.
Because “gay” and “sports” aren’t supposed to mix, they don’t let
them.
Keeping in form, a
representative of Keith Sherman & Associates did not return a call
for comment.
There are other
possibilities, I guess. But, when Sherman tells me there’s no time
left and lets another reporter (who just got there) talk to them,
and then has them spend 10 minutes talking to people and taking
pictures, it certainly seems strange. And when he tells me that only
“sports reporters” were allowed in the interview and then allows at
least one non-sports reporter and then, upon finding out I'm a
sports reporter, doesn't let me in the room, you begin to worry.
His reaction to
hearing that I was from the Blade, to me, said it all: “No.”
I’m sure the Hamm
brothers are very nice. I just wish we gay people were given the
same opportunity to find that out.
Aug. 28, 2004
|
Hamms' Press Rep
Responds Dear
Cyd Zeigler, Jr.:
Your August 30 news story, "Handled Badly," has garnered a
great deal of unpleasant emails from your readers to my
inbox. How could they know that I am a proud, out gay man
who has done the press work for hundreds of gay themed
projects? How could they know our entire staff is gay? How
could your readers know that I am a kindred spirit who works
hard to fight homophobia, that their assumptions and
accusations are far from the truth?
I am perplexed why you didn¹t balance your story with
comments from our August 27 letter to your editor. It¹s no
wonder why your readers thought the worst, but it simply
isn¹t true. Nevertheless, I think we must agree to disagree
why your interview with Paul and Morgan Hamm did not happen
at Chelsea Piers on August 26.
From my perspective, there were more than two dozens news
outlets, among other obligations, including an important
meeting with a USOC member which you mentioned. Morgan and
Paul simply ran out of time on the way to catch a plane.
But that didn¹t prevent Michael Musto and Next Magazine
from getting their stories that afternoon. The reporter who
got 90 seconds walking with the brothers on the way to the
car is from Reuters and we¹ve worked together on dozens of
stories. Thinking as publicist, how would you choose
between a reporter who reaches millions internationally and
a local targeted weekly?
As the press representative for some of the most in demand
interview subjects in the country today, we make judgment
calls regularly about where our clients spend their time.
Believe me, you are not the only journalist upset with us
because you didn¹t get the interview you wanted. You are,
however, the only reporter ever to call me homophobic. If
it weren¹t so upsetting, it might be amusing.
We are both gay professionals who work together yet we
represent different interests. Our community has made great
strides: we can be openly gay as well as competitive, vital
and respected professionals. But to publicly play the
"homophobia card" when we encounter obstacles does not help
to maintain our community's strength. It divides us,
alienates us and reduces us to being victims.
Yours,
Keith
Sherman
Press Representative
2004 Rock & Roll Gymnastics Championships Tour
|
