VideoDeep: Lessons from the Nick Adenhart Tragedy
Saturday, April 11, 2009 17:33
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10 Responses to “VideoDeep: Lessons from the Nick Adenhart Tragedy”
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Nico
says:
April 13th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
At the Kings game Saturday they had a moment of silence not only for Nick Adenhart but for all three lives taken too young…
Nate Barlow
says:
April 13th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Kudos to the Kings. It just disturbs me that for every clip in which the media mentions all of the victims' names, I see one that only mentions "other victims" (no names) and yet another that only mentions Nick. If this accident did not have an athlete being killed, the nightly news would have mentioned a "drunk driver in Fullerton crashed into a Mitsubishi, killing three and injuring one other". And that's all we would have heard, except maybe for learning the drunk driver's name a couple of days later.
One of the father's only learned that his kid was in the accident from the media, well after he knew of Nick having died. At least the media mentioned the kid's name (I think it was the other man killed), but why wasn't the father notified? Why did he have to learn in this manner? And this wasn't the initial breaking news, this was hours later?
Jennifer Rank
says:
April 13th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
They are all being remembered by Cal State Fullerton as well. I am a part of the Titan Sports newsletters, and they were all mentioned. At the Angel game on Thursday they also paid tribute to all of the families, along with the special on Wednesday night put together by the Angels. I understand what you are saying, and agree to a point, but at the same time, if you listened to the Angels station 830AM their were so many people that called in saying they would not take another drink and get behind the wheel. If one person sticks to that pledged, think of the lives that could be saved. It is sad that we do not pay more mind when average people are killed in tragedies like this. Sometimes it takes putting a face to that name in the paper or on TV to really bring it home. Just saying.
Nate Barlow
says:
April 13th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Considering that two of the victims (one surviving) attend(ed) Cal State Fullerton, this is no surprise. That direct relation places CSF's activities outside the media norm.
The media coverage as a whole favors Nick Adenhart over the other victims, because he is a professional athlete. If the people who have called to 830 AM pledging not to drink and drive hold true to their word, then some good has indeed come out of this tragedy and the celebrity involvement in it. But I still maintain that this whole situation would have been a blip on the media radar if not for the celebrity connection, and that's wrong–it should never be just an afterthought only garnering attention because of the fame factor.
Jennifer Rank
says:
April 13th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I do get the media thing, and I agree. More people do know celebs and I think that is one reason it gets more play time and more people talk about it. I don't think that any one person's life is more important than another, but you never know what your purpose in life is. Maybe Nick's purpose was to bring another strong awareness to drunk driving. I do get what you are saying though, and I totally agree, but the media kinda sucks overall on what they choose to cover. Just look at the lady with the 14 kids. Why is the media still on that stupid story when there are more important things going on in this world? I know a few people in the media department for the Angels and they really are broken up about everyone that was involved and made it a point to honor them at the game, and on TV.
Jennifer Rank
says:
April 13th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
One more comment and I will jump off my soap box, because I think that we agree as a whole on the media coverage. I found out at 7am that Nick Adenhart had been killed. I went on line to find something on it to confirm and went to the local paper, The OC Register. The front page story was on the crash, but it was before anyone knew that Nick Adenhart was a part of it. Locally, I think there was already sadness over the story. I would not expect though that a local story on local kids like this would become national because people are killed often by drunk drivers all over the US. In this story, one just happened to be an up and coming baseball star. But it was a story here in Orange County. If one good thing can come of this it is that hopefully people will think twice before getting behind the wheel, or more importantly think twice about letting a friend leave a party or a bar after they have had to much to drink. Thanks for your story though, it raises interesting points about the media.
Gairzo
says:
April 14th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Good point on media coverage, Jen. My pet peeve. What kills me about the fertility drugs dispensed like their Viagra is how they contribute to what I call the "Contrived importance syndrome" and how what once were the most revered, respected institutions, have become caricatures of themselves.
Doctors: it used to be "Sorry, ma'am, but, you are unable to conceive" or your husband has too low a sperm count" You might have received very controlled, limited hormonal therapy, some vitamins, or been told to never smoke, and monitor your ovary production. Now it's, "Take these drugs and we'll make you a freak and celebrity. Then we can watch everyone grab their head and screech, "It's a miracle!" "There must be a reason God wanted this to happen!"
No, it ain't a miracle. An irresponsible doctor shilling for a drug company used a woman as a guinea pig. And god had nothing to do with the deliberate planting of eggs or mega-hormonal therapy.
Then the media jumps on it like the mother is one of our great specimens to have pumped 8 kids out like a gumball machine. Her needs and trials become news. Pathetic. I used to have so much respect for journalists and now that term has a stench to it.
Rant over…
Nate Barlow
says:
April 15th, 2009 at 1:26 am
OctoMom? More like OctoCon if you ask me. That story disgusts me, and I wish it would go away once and for all. All of her actions scream media whore looking to score a reality show deal that completely backlashed in her face.
Gairzo
says:
April 15th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Media whore? Perfect term, Nate.
Whenever unfortunate incidents happen to individuals in any professional sport, teams themselves become whores. They fall over themselves trying to find a way to pay tribute to their team mate. Arm bans, decals , memorials.
Where does it end, though? Mandatory tattoos? Chopping off a pinky?
If Joe Schmidlap from Cleveland were killed, his name would have been mentioned once on the 11pm news.
If you want to honor a Roberto Clemente who spent much of his non-baseball life helping the poor, who died in a plane crash on his way to aid Nicaraguan victims of an earthquake, that's a different story.
Adenhart had just become an Angel, correct? Yet you have all these "grieving" fans blubbering into the T.V. cameras.
Sorry if I sound cold, but it plays like more CIS (Contrived Importance Syndrome)
Again, where does it end?
Nate Barlow
says:
April 15th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
That bothered me, too. Yes, Adenhart's death is a terrible event that need not have happened, but these people crying like they knew the young man deeply screamed of being disingenuous. I don't mind the players with the arm bands, patches, etc.–they at least knew the guy, personally, not just as a player, even if not for that long a time (although those who came up with him in the minors would have had a long relationship). But these crying fans barely knew him as a player, let alone a person. They act so deeply personally hurt in a way that they could not possibly be.
Roberto Clemente is the perfect example of someone important in the community as well as on the sporting field. But even if was a player without the same community pedigree but a long-term association with a team so that fans really knew him as a player, their reactions would make some sense.