My FOHSHL team. Not very excited, but hopefully they’ll surprise me and repeat.
Re: Talbot
Many people, myself included, complain about the lack of candidness in sports today. Look at the PaulBizNasty story to see that any time an athlete says something not completely agreeable to all sides (often just a bad miswording and not a true indictment of character), they’re quickly shut up. In that aftermath, most people felt the outcome was silly. Most interviews with athletes, pre- and post-game, are pretty worthless. But the confusing thing is, even when an athlete says one of these things that they actually feel, people get upset.
Listening to the entire interview, I don’t understand why anyone is upset about this. (The Puck Daddy commenters are only mildly aggravated, and most of them live in Mos Eisley, if you get me.)
Talbot should be able to say what he feels. (This is much more than a Pens-Caps thing, and more of a free speech thing.) The insta-reaction by many has been, “Well, he’s classy.” Calling someone a douche isn’t being classy or not. If you listen to the interview, Talbot says that he met Ovechkin at the NHL Awards last year and he met him, and he thought he was a “real douche.” The radio hosts ask him to tell why, and he says no.
No Class Talbot would’ve said that they went backstage, banged some hookers, and then Ovechkin didn’t pay. Telling a really defaming story would’ve been within his rights, I guess, but he would’ve been a douchebag then. Just saying your thoughts on someone…that’s not really anything.
Is anyone really shocked? He is easily the most playful and silly Penguin. If Guerin came out and blasted Ovechkin, I’d be surprised. But Talbot is the one I’d expect to say this the most. And is it past anyone’s comprehension that Ovechkin could be a douche? He may be, and as a Caps fan, I really wouldn’t care. I think Crosby’s cold and detached, but I think that’s more of the self-censoring he goes through.
A lot of criticism has been deflected back on Talbot’s play, with many stating he’s not as good as No. 8. Obviously. But there have been more than a few asking, “Well, what has he done? He has no right! wahwahwah!” Uh…
If fans are only somewhat furious, and the media hasn’t jumped on the story yet, then what’s the problem? I don’t really know, in retrospect. I need hockey back in my life, so I’m going to label this as a post about how the media restricts true feelings, how society’s becoming too PC, and that people need to chillax. Twitter was a-buzz the whole day, so I guess that piqued my writing fire more so than anything else. Most Caps fans/blogs I respect are shrugging this off. Good for them. And I did the whole this-is-a-non-issue-so-I’m-writing-about-it thing. Whatever. It’s July. Any reason to talk hockey, even momentarily, I’ll take. I guess.
When even I realize a post I’m writing has no real target, I need some food.
The Penguins hate curvy women
I think I can say I’m into the women’s lib thing, but consider this the moment I push you into a bear pit.
There’s been a small controversy brewing in the Penguins fanbase about the new “ice crew,” which is a co-ed group that will work on promotions and the like. Note: this is substantially different from having “ice girls.”
Puck Huffers has a response to this major issue. [The quotes are not chronological.]
From a marketing standpoint, though, do you really think were the Pens in danger of losing ticket sales or fan interest because they didn’t have a group of loud fuckers to entertain us during TV timeout?
Not at all. But it’s a way they think they can make things more interesting for fans. Why not do it? I’ll watch the dance team during breaks of basketball games, although all I really do is scoff at them. Bottom line: I’m a little more interested in the product on the floor. This essentially means since the Pens are selling out, no changes should be made. Hell, why build the CEC? Hole us back up in Mellon! Do you think they’d not sell out? Come ons!!!!!
…We have to wonder why [hiring an ice crew] is so important to a hockey team’s vice president of marketing…
More interesting is why it’s important to you. It’s timing. If this was announced in April, do you think anyone would have even heard about this? Plus, this is directly about marketing. They’ll be selling things. Sure, with a crappy product these things are more important to get fans in the door. But still, they will market. Hiring these people isn’t so much for diehard hockey fans; it’s for the real money out there: the casual fans. My mom would love this. These moves are what a vice president of marketing does.
…The organization has made it apparent that how you look in a crop top is a very important hiring point.
This is unfortunate for people who are fat. Fat people, and probably ugly people too, are at a disadvantage. But what good business would hire a bunch of uggos to interact with random fans? Wouldn’t a fan (male or female) be more likely to talk/interact with/buy something with a good looking person over an ugly one? This is a societal issue, and not a Penguins-specific issue. But Zoe makes it seem like the Penguins are the only people who want pretty people to work for them. Blame the entire system. (There’s an argument to be made: should the Penguins give in to this awful system? I think the problem is partly human nature and part society, and they’re a business. Still, that is a much different issue.)
Translation: if you have curves, gtfo.
…The Penguins organization has instituted a “no fatties” policy, in essence. …No matter how much you love the Penguins, female students of Pittsburgh, no matter how enthusiastic you are, no matter how bubbly your personality or willingness to do the work, or capability to do the work in terms of skating ability, physical ability, etc.—you’re probably not going to be able to get the job unless you’ve got a perfectly flat stomach.
‘Having curves’ and being a ‘fatty’ are two entirely different things. Rogue has curves, and I love her for it. She is not, in the least, fat. If you’re overweight, that’s perfectly fine. But having a job where you’re supposed to be energetic and doing things while skating on ice, that’s something else. Sure, fat people can skate - I’ve heard some tall tales about Kyle Wellwood in my time, I have. But, on the whole, these people are not well-equipped for this job.
This comes down to two things: first, pretty people are more well-equipped in our world. Bottom line. Also, if you’re obese, skating should not be your optimal job. If the skating is out of the job description, then the argument becomes a much more interesting debate. Fat people can be pretty just as often as skinny people can be pretty. But someone should be physically fit to have that job.
I’m not implying that this is the case, but the way the piece is written, it comes across that PH is upset because they couldn’t potentially get the job. I couldn’t get some jobs because of my looks. My girlfriend can. Good for her. (Plus, I see beauty more as something you work towards, and not something that’s given to you. Another separate issue.)
If you care about the plight of ugly people in this world, I applaud you for it. But when pretty people are favored for something, ugly people go crazy. There are plenty of ways young girls/guys develop a poor standard of beauty. This is a minor endnote in that Infinite Jest. Chillax. Let’s talk about development camp and not this crap. Or, if you want to focus on misogyny, this.
(Update: Plus, let’s just see what they do. We can all agree on that, right?)
