What’s OK to write?
April 21, 2008 @ 9:29 a.m. by Joannaby joanna
Here’s what I wanted when I initially requested a blog in September — A fun place to write about what I see and who I talk to, fun posters who respond and give good insight. A place to get into issues regarding high school sports and its athletes and its coaches. I wanted this to be an open place where what was on your mind was discussed as well.
I think all that has been accomplished.
But then there’s the other side of it — what to do when people say things that you don’t want them to? Since I’ve done the blog — and taking into consideration my 11 weeks off for maternity leave — I have deleted one comment, a pretty horrible vile comment. When you have disagreed with me and called me out and said I’m biased and gave personal info about me, the comments stayed. When you have told me I’m great and said I do a good job, it stayed up.
So what do I do when people call a coach out for recruiting? Or when someone says a player is weak or not as good as all the hype? It’s a hard line and there are some of you who have come out hard against me that I am so wrong and am stirring controversy and I don’t care and slander’s obviously OK.
Controversy:Â I really am not looking for controversy. If I see something interesting or wrong, I’ll write about it. I hope you do the same. All that stuff about papers are just interested in selling papers, well, we are a business. But that doesn’t mean I’m looking for the most ridiculous things to put up on this blog. Hello — fantasy matchup, anyone? Just a fun thing to do.
I don’t care what people write: Not true. I read everything that’s posted. Sometimes I cringe, especially when you all were calling out the Browns last fall. I didn’t like it. But I didn’t feel anyone crossed the line into that dangerous zone. I just felt people were pretty rude.
Slander: I do not condone slander. I’ve discussed the issue of the recruiting comment with an editor and an online person and have been told that they agree that it doesn’t need to be taken down. Yes there is a line, but being accused of recruiting is not the same as someone being accused of having orgies with athletes, or whatever a recent poster wrote. Coaches who win are accused of recruiting or cheating or whatever it is no matter what level they are at. Is it slander? Could be. Is it a ridiculous comment without proof? Yes. Do you have to have thick skin to be a coach? Lord yes. I could be wrong about this, but I’m betting Coach Stockam is wishing he never even responded to this. Why respond to something that is ridiculous? It was a hateful comment, let’s move on.
I know, I know, you’ll disagree with me. But as long as you aren’t vile, it will stay up on this blog. There needs to be a mutual trust here — that I’m going to be honest, that you’re going to be honest, that I’m not deleting everything that you write.
Feel free to discuss. And try to remember what this blog is about — the fun and interesting and issue-oriented topics regarding high school athletics.
Can we move on, now?
April 21st, 2008 at 10:24 am
Once again I say ya’ll do fine, a blog is for sharing your personal opinions if you want an unbiased story, read the paper. There is no reason to stop writing what you want. If you have done something to make people hate on you, you must have done something pretty darn good.
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April 21st, 2008 at 10:26 am
You shouldn’t even try to explain yourself. Some people will never get it.
Just move on.
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April 21st, 2008 at 12:39 pm
This topic is going on in conversations all over, I hear it over and over, and not just here on this blog. I’ve not seen any proof, but since it is such a huge topic in our community, it should be discussed.
This forum could be a good place to get the topic out in the open and get down to the truth. I am not saying it is true or not, just that I think it does deserve discussion since it is something that comes up more often then not.
I’ve been told myself by a parent that their kid was approached by a coach (I won’t mention the school since I myself do not have proof) and they turned him down. My opinion is that this probably does happen, if it didn’t, would it be this big of an issue? I believe that the majority of the coaches out there are following the rules, and I also believe that people who post on blogs have a responsiblity to be respectful.
My opnion is keep up with “hard” topics.
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April 24th, 2008 at 6:41 am
One last comment and I’m through. My argument has never been that the blog should not discuss difficult topics or that people shouldn’t express strong opinions, whether about recruiting or anything else. My opinion is, specifically, that it is wrong for Joanna Chadwick to give people a forum to post accusations against named individuals - accusations that savage their integrity - with no evidence. She seems to think it’s unfair that she takes criticism for posts someone else makes. Look at her comments above. She uses a spectacular euphemism, “when people call out a coach for recruiting,” instead of saying it as it is: “when people attack a coach’s integrity without evidence and I let the comments stand because I won’t take responsibility for anything and hide behind my editors who say I don’t have to.”
Yes, I am one of those people who spend my days working with young people in a high school in this area. Yes I am one of those people who work more intensively with certain young people as a coach in season. Criticize my decisions if you want to. Criticize the way I organize practice. Criticize my choice of starters. Criticize my in-game strategy. Criticize my allocation of playing time. Criticize the way I deal with parents. Criticize specific decisions that backfire. Criticize my mannerisms in practices and games. Criticize my organizational skills. Criticize my hairdo. That’s free speech, and if you do it on this blog, I will ignore you because everyone has the right to their opinions.
But if you make comments that attack my integrity in running my program, I will react and I will react in the strongest terms. Statements that go unchallenged take on a life of their own. Rightly or wrongly, people assume that where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Joanna says that the coach who was attacked probably wishes he had never responded. I doubt it. I know exactly how he must feel. What he probably wishes is that this blog didn’t exist and that he didn’t have to cooperate with a reporter who won’t take the responsibility herself to delete personal attacks that have no supporting evidence.
OK, I’m through.
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