By Chris Price
On the ESPN SportsNation website, there is a poll concerning the ongoing feud between USA speed skaters Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick.
Take the time to visit the site (highlighted above), read the article, and take the poll.
As in any online poll, the results are not scientific, but it does give the reader a chance to voice their opinion and see how it related to others.
Check it out.
3 comments:
Wow, how things turn. A week ago, Hedrick was the clear winner in the public relations war. Now, Davis has edged into a slight lead. As Davis is already one who disdains the public relations game while good PR is very important to Hedrick, that makes a slight edge into a huge one. Hedrick needs to reclaim some of what he lost by admitting that A) he had no right to publicly manipulate Davis' decision not to participate in the team pursuit to his own advantage B) stating that the whole nation should take pride in Davis' gold medal and C) offer some sort of truce. That would help Hedrick, Davis, and the whole nation get past this whole ugly affair. If Hedrick really is the bigger and better man and Davis the bitter selfish mama's boy, now is the time to show it for the benefit of not only himself but for Davis, who honestly seems like he really could benefit from a good friendly handshake from somebody, if not a hug or something.
Davis may have lost the PR race after their press conference. It was shown on NBC tonight.
Both he and Hedrick were shown, and there was Davis, saying it would have been nice to have been congratulated after his 1000 meter victory.
The guy needs some PR people helping him FAST!!! It is like he takes one step forward and then slips three steps back.
Do you think he is listening to his mother too much?
Again, we are speaking in RELATIVE terms here. Davis losing PR points doesn't matter because he isn't a PR guy ... he has never tried to sell himself as an all - American guy. Hedrick HAS. So while Davis has lost some real image points, he didn't have that far to fall anyway. Plus, since Davis "made history", he is going to get some support and endorsements no matter what he does or how he acts. Not so with Hedrick. Hedrick needs to stand up and start showing some real class, especially since you do have a certain percentage of people out there (i.e. Kerry supporters) who are going to attribute Hedrick's disdain of Davis to racism. Excuse me, "racial insensitivity." Hedrick is the older guy and the established star, Davis is the immature selfish bitter person with the "me against the world" attitude when in fact the world has been pretty good to him (an Olympic champion, a college junior ... not a bad life), and if Hedrick can help Davis get past whatever it is that is eating him, then Hedrick will earn some "Joey Cheek" points and live up to those "Texas values" that he talks about so much.
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