It's been a tumultuous time in Calgary if you have any sort of "clout" in the world, in particular when it comes to sports. Whether you're behind a microphone or simply in the public eye, what you say and how you say it is always under the microscope. In light of the recent controversies surrounding one Calgary radio personality and one Stampeder player's tweets, some have asked me to weigh in on the topic. I won't get into the specifics of each case, but will rather reflect on the last 7+ years that I've been in radio and in the "public eye".
To say that I've never said anything that I've regretted would be an absolute lie. Rewind to my first year in radio. I was a rookie in Lloydminster taking part in the "Relay For Life" at Bud Miller Park. We were broadcasting live and, about an hour into the teams taking their laps, one of the hosts put me on-air. All fine and dandy until he asked me something along the lines of why I hadn't walked yet. Any sane person would have said "just manning the booth here until my teammates tap me in" or something like that. Instead, I said something along the lines of how I didn't feel like it right now. Yup. I was THAT guy. My face turned beat-red and, to this day, still bugs me.
And I haven't really stopped flubbing up. During last winter's World Junior Hockey Championship, I had another unfortunate incident. I was the "game-day host" (guy who gives away prizes and urges people to make noise) for the consolation game. If memory serves me right, it was between Denmark and Latvia. Following one of the promotions, I did what I normally do: invoke people to make noise. First I shouted "make some noise for Denmark!" Then the unthinkable. "Make some noise for..." Blank. My mind went absolutely blank. Looked up at the jerseys. Not helping. Looked up at the Jumbotron. Nope. Country's flag? No clue. I finished up with "let's get loud" and exited with my tail between my legs.
Those are just two examples. It happens. You're in a live setting and in the heat of the moment, things can be said. One of the biggest misconceptions about radio, in particular, is that it's all scripted. Not for most. Some guys are. But those are also the shows that bore you half-to-death. It's not an excuse for what I've said or what will likely say in the future. It's just a fact when you're supposed to be "on" all the time.
As for Twitter and Facebook, I've been pretty lucky to have not said anything too outrageous. I'm willing to bet I've deleted more entries before hitting "post" than I've actually posted. I always question myself as to whether I'd be willing to say what I tweet/status update on-the-air. If it passes that test, then it usually gets posted. The thing is, it's become super-easy for people to take things out of YOUR context. You see, you can't really gauge things like sarcasm in 140 characters. And if someone reads it the wrong way, you're in for a world of uncomfortable. But sometimes you forget that the internet is forever. You write the wrong thing or write in a way that someone doesn't like, and it's not like you're saying it to a group of friends. You're saying it to the world.
It's an interesting challenge to say the least. Can you walk a fine line without ever having part of your foot cross it?
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