Nothing in the world gets the attention of the press like scandal. This flows straight into the idea that there is no such thing as bad publicity. But, not so fast. Scandal and publicity are two different things, and the scandal sports talk show personality Shannon Sharpe currently finds himself in, is decidedly unpleasant and ugly.
The sometimes panelist on ESPN’s “First Take” has been accused of sexual assault, and leaked reports about the details are unsettling to say the least.
But first….
Sharpe fits into every stereotype of the Black ex-athlete turned sports media personality. He’s loud, brash and aggressive. Sure, it’s all part of an act, but it is an act that sells and one needs to look no further than to other wealthy Black media stars such as Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Charles Barkley, to understand the idea of how meekness is not a way to grab the attention of a public eager to be entertained by controversy.
But back to the scandal.
Sharpe’s accuser is a 20-year-old woman who has stated she was the victim of sexual misconduct perpetrated by the 56-year-old ex-NFL star.
But that’s not even the real problem with Share’s predicament which has already led to his temporary departure from his duties at ESPN.
Nobody gives a bleep about what Shannon Sharpe does in private or who he does it with.
But when you’re an individual who represents a billion dollar brand, when shit in your private life blows up, and things turn hideously ugly – it’d better be the kind of scandal that doesn’t taint your employer and is something the higher ups in the company, can at least, tolerate.
A relationship with a 20-year-old-teenager/young adult who later throws out a salacious rape accusation against a man thirty years older than she is, is full of all kinds of stink.
It should be noted here, that the 20-year-old white female in question, isn’t some innocent little angel, due to details about her own work history that have already spread across the internet and will not be repeated in this space.
Twenty isn’t twenty-five and for many parents in the world, twenty years old means you’re still a teenager. Sure, you’re old enough to drive an automobile or own a long gun, but you’re not old enough to even legally order a drink in the United States.
That means you’re still a kid.
No one wants Shannon Sharpe to be guilty of anything. and the allegations are civil and were not brought by law enforcement. But the details are extremely embarrassing and in some respects indefensible.
The bad judgment here, is off the scale.
That’s what has ESPN nervous. If you’re a middle-aged Joe Nobody in the suburbs and you’re banging, some pretty young thing from a neighboring sub-division. A girl who’s young enough to be your granddaughter, it’s worth a hearty chuckle about the desperate things people do in life.
But if you’re a high-level media personality with a face familiar to the multitudes – the rules of the game are different.
In a sense, the celebrity that entitles media stars to millions of dollars in compensation and generational wealth, also entraps them. The world is always watching, and so it would be wise to be wary, all day, every single day.
Reputations cannot be ordered online, or from a mail order catalogue and when damaged they tend to stay that way. A trashed reputation is extremely difficult to repair. So, for anyone living a high-profile public life, they would be well-advised not to involve themselves in any kind of stupid shit.
Clowns In Politics
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