My Truth is Stranger Than His Fiction: Mitch Albom and the Sports Writers of Detroit
While I was talking to one of my skating friends back home, he mentioned that Mitch Albom, a well-known sports columnist from the Detroit Free Press, had been given a mandatory 6-week "vacation" for fabricating (or at least elaborating on) some of his stories. The initial tip-off was a story he did on Michigan State in the Final 4 of the NCAA basketball tournament, when he said that Magic Johnson and other celebrities were sitting in the stands, watching the teams of their alma maters play. Upon further investigation, it was found that he had stretched the truth in quite a few of his other articles.
My family has always liked the writing of Mitch Albom, because he often brings a different perspective to the typical sports story. But I found it especially funny that Mitch felt he had to stretch the truth in some of the articles he has been writing recently. I find it hilarious that he seems to have run out of good, true stories to tell.
"Why is that?" you may ask. It is because last year, at about this time, I sent an email to Mr. Albom informing him that his hometown has an Olympic speedskating hopeful. There was no reply.
Now, I know that Mitch Albom must be a very busy man, between all of the sports column writing and all of the fiction writing. And now, apparently, the author of "The 5 People You Meet in Heaven" has begun to get his facts and fiction mixed up. I'm sure he had way too many things on his mind to deal with some girl who does an obscure European sport and happens to be from his hometown. In fact, there must have been so many GREAT stories bouncing around the bloated worlds of pro and collegiate sports that he couldn't decide which one to tell first! There must have been so many interesting stories to tell...that...uh.....he even had to start making stuff up!
For an aspiring Olympian, the hometown sports writer is a vital link to the community. By writing about local athletes who have a shot at making the Olympic team, the Olympic sports writer is not only promoting the athlete, but also making the community more interested in the Games themselves. It is a lot more fun to watch the Olympics when you know that the person you see competing on your TV is someone from your own hometown.
I think the best thing an Olympic sports writer can do is to help bring attention to an athlete whose financial situation is the main obstacle in his or her way. (Remember that gymnast named Mohini, who was surviving on Power Bars until Pamela Anderson read an article about her and donated some money for her training?) If this is done properly, a connection can be made between the athlete and a potential sponsor. Everybody wins in this case, because by helping the athlete make it to the Olympics, the sponsoring company (or individual) and the community feel more connected to the athlete's achievement and to the entire Olympic experience.
By the time I had completed two seasons on the World Cup circuit, my former coach from the West Michigan Speedskating Club, Mark Jastrzembski, thought I deserved some exposure from the Detroit media. Getting some publicity would be great, because if I could attract a sponsor, I could stop working until after the Olympics and focus on skating.
Mark emailed someone at the Detroit Free Press, letting them know that the Detroit metro area had a speedskater who had competed in World Cup events and had a shot at making the next Olympic team. The story was picked up by one of their Olympic sports writers, who gave me a call after I had come back from Europe.
After covering most of the typical aspects of my skating career, I pushed the interview in the direction of my financial challenges, and from the writer's responses, it seemed like I was really getting my point across. She said she had worked with several Olympians before, and she knew how hard it was for them to make ends meet. I repeated again and again that the most helpful thing she could do for me would be, in the article she would write about me, to get across the idea that even though I loved working in science, I really wanted to focus 100% on speedskating until the Olympics and put my research on hold temporarily. She told me she would do this, and that she would be sure to include my email address in the article as contact information for potential sponsors.
I was puzzled when I didn't hear from anyone. At my parents' house two months later, I happened to see what the article actually said. Basically, it was a cute story about some science geek who had participated in some international speedskating races. The last line said this: "Eva's growing list of fans can contact her at: (the email address I was using at the time)."
No wonder I didn't hear from anyone! Who would possibly be inspired to do anything, by an article such as this, other than to turn the page? Read between the lines, and it sounded something like this: "Yeah, she's just another one of those suburban, high-achieving, jack-of-all-trades types. She'll never make it -- we better focus on the REAL Olympians."
The apathy gets worse. Before that same visit to my parents, I had called this Olympic sports writer to let her know I'd be in town and to invite her to get together. During the 10 days I'd be in the Detroit area, she couldn't find 30 minutes to meet one of her hometown Olympic hopefuls for coffee, because her "5th grader was going to be graduating from elementary school." It made me wonder how I ever managed to balance cancer research with training for the Olympics. Must be nice to have developed such a low tolerance for stress.
The following year, I decided to give her another chance, so I let her know when my 10K turned out to be the world's best of the season. There was no response. A couple months later, I asked her to forward a message to one of the writers who deals with the Detroit Red Wings, to let them know that I was interested in coaching power skating for their kids' hockey camps. Once again, there was no response.
Just as I was beginning to think she had fallen off the edge of the earth, I saw an article that she had written about next year's potential Olympians. The article mentioned KC Boutiette, Chad Hedrick, Shani Davis, and others. Of course, there was no mention of Hometown Girl Eva, despite the fact that even USA Today managed to pick up on the fact that I won the B Group 1000 meters in Heerenveen.
This coming season, there is an excellent chance that I will make the Olympic team, despite the fact that I have not received any support from my so-called "hometown." I have laid my whole self on the line for this goal. I will drain my savings down to zero. I haven't worked a real job for almost a year now. Sharpening rental skates does not count. The time for compromising is over.
And, if I do make the team for Torino, do you suppose I will even grant that Detroit sports writer an interview? No way. Through every interaction she avoided having with me, she showed her apathy and her belief that I wasn't a true contender. This makes it so much easier to say, "You weren't there when I needed you. BLOW!!!"
So, it happened that after I recovered from my bad experience with that particular sports writer, someone encouraged me to try contacting another local writer, which is how I eventually ended up emailing Mitch Albom. But, apparently, my story wasn't interesting enough, so I was right back where I started.
---
I'm not sure I'm sorry that the story of my speedskating career never truly got picked up by the Detroit media. After all, would a sports writer who was concerned about his or her reputation be willing to take on all of the controversy of my story and do it justice? I think not.
In the end, the person who is in the best position to convey my story is me. Having dragged myself to the point where the finish line is in sight, I no longer really need to be concerned with attracting sponsorships. I don't need to make money from speedskating, because a real career in science is waiting for me. I also don't need to make money from my writing. I'm not scared of getting fired for writing something controversial. With no fear for my livelihood or my image, I am free to tell the whole story.
And maybe someday, if Mitch Albom repents from his little white lies and finds that he has totally run out of material, then he can take on the unembellished, Incredibly True Story of "Lightning Rod" Rodansky.
(Don't laugh...all superheroes wear spandex!)
While I was talking to one of my skating friends back home, he mentioned that Mitch Albom, a well-known sports columnist from the Detroit Free Press, had been given a mandatory 6-week "vacation" for fabricating (or at least elaborating on) some of his stories. The initial tip-off was a story he did on Michigan State in the Final 4 of the NCAA basketball tournament, when he said that Magic Johnson and other celebrities were sitting in the stands, watching the teams of their alma maters play. Upon further investigation, it was found that he had stretched the truth in quite a few of his other articles.
My family has always liked the writing of Mitch Albom, because he often brings a different perspective to the typical sports story. But I found it especially funny that Mitch felt he had to stretch the truth in some of the articles he has been writing recently. I find it hilarious that he seems to have run out of good, true stories to tell.
"Why is that?" you may ask. It is because last year, at about this time, I sent an email to Mr. Albom informing him that his hometown has an Olympic speedskating hopeful. There was no reply.
Now, I know that Mitch Albom must be a very busy man, between all of the sports column writing and all of the fiction writing. And now, apparently, the author of "The 5 People You Meet in Heaven" has begun to get his facts and fiction mixed up. I'm sure he had way too many things on his mind to deal with some girl who does an obscure European sport and happens to be from his hometown. In fact, there must have been so many GREAT stories bouncing around the bloated worlds of pro and collegiate sports that he couldn't decide which one to tell first! There must have been so many interesting stories to tell...that...uh.....he even had to start making stuff up!
For an aspiring Olympian, the hometown sports writer is a vital link to the community. By writing about local athletes who have a shot at making the Olympic team, the Olympic sports writer is not only promoting the athlete, but also making the community more interested in the Games themselves. It is a lot more fun to watch the Olympics when you know that the person you see competing on your TV is someone from your own hometown.
I think the best thing an Olympic sports writer can do is to help bring attention to an athlete whose financial situation is the main obstacle in his or her way. (Remember that gymnast named Mohini, who was surviving on Power Bars until Pamela Anderson read an article about her and donated some money for her training?) If this is done properly, a connection can be made between the athlete and a potential sponsor. Everybody wins in this case, because by helping the athlete make it to the Olympics, the sponsoring company (or individual) and the community feel more connected to the athlete's achievement and to the entire Olympic experience.
By the time I had completed two seasons on the World Cup circuit, my former coach from the West Michigan Speedskating Club, Mark Jastrzembski, thought I deserved some exposure from the Detroit media. Getting some publicity would be great, because if I could attract a sponsor, I could stop working until after the Olympics and focus on skating.
Mark emailed someone at the Detroit Free Press, letting them know that the Detroit metro area had a speedskater who had competed in World Cup events and had a shot at making the next Olympic team. The story was picked up by one of their Olympic sports writers, who gave me a call after I had come back from Europe.
After covering most of the typical aspects of my skating career, I pushed the interview in the direction of my financial challenges, and from the writer's responses, it seemed like I was really getting my point across. She said she had worked with several Olympians before, and she knew how hard it was for them to make ends meet. I repeated again and again that the most helpful thing she could do for me would be, in the article she would write about me, to get across the idea that even though I loved working in science, I really wanted to focus 100% on speedskating until the Olympics and put my research on hold temporarily. She told me she would do this, and that she would be sure to include my email address in the article as contact information for potential sponsors.
I was puzzled when I didn't hear from anyone. At my parents' house two months later, I happened to see what the article actually said. Basically, it was a cute story about some science geek who had participated in some international speedskating races. The last line said this: "Eva's growing list of fans can contact her at: (the email address I was using at the time)."
No wonder I didn't hear from anyone! Who would possibly be inspired to do anything, by an article such as this, other than to turn the page? Read between the lines, and it sounded something like this: "Yeah, she's just another one of those suburban, high-achieving, jack-of-all-trades types. She'll never make it -- we better focus on the REAL Olympians."
The apathy gets worse. Before that same visit to my parents, I had called this Olympic sports writer to let her know I'd be in town and to invite her to get together. During the 10 days I'd be in the Detroit area, she couldn't find 30 minutes to meet one of her hometown Olympic hopefuls for coffee, because her "5th grader was going to be graduating from elementary school." It made me wonder how I ever managed to balance cancer research with training for the Olympics. Must be nice to have developed such a low tolerance for stress.
The following year, I decided to give her another chance, so I let her know when my 10K turned out to be the world's best of the season. There was no response. A couple months later, I asked her to forward a message to one of the writers who deals with the Detroit Red Wings, to let them know that I was interested in coaching power skating for their kids' hockey camps. Once again, there was no response.
Just as I was beginning to think she had fallen off the edge of the earth, I saw an article that she had written about next year's potential Olympians. The article mentioned KC Boutiette, Chad Hedrick, Shani Davis, and others. Of course, there was no mention of Hometown Girl Eva, despite the fact that even USA Today managed to pick up on the fact that I won the B Group 1000 meters in Heerenveen.
This coming season, there is an excellent chance that I will make the Olympic team, despite the fact that I have not received any support from my so-called "hometown." I have laid my whole self on the line for this goal. I will drain my savings down to zero. I haven't worked a real job for almost a year now. Sharpening rental skates does not count. The time for compromising is over.
And, if I do make the team for Torino, do you suppose I will even grant that Detroit sports writer an interview? No way. Through every interaction she avoided having with me, she showed her apathy and her belief that I wasn't a true contender. This makes it so much easier to say, "You weren't there when I needed you. BLOW!!!"
So, it happened that after I recovered from my bad experience with that particular sports writer, someone encouraged me to try contacting another local writer, which is how I eventually ended up emailing Mitch Albom. But, apparently, my story wasn't interesting enough, so I was right back where I started.
---
I'm not sure I'm sorry that the story of my speedskating career never truly got picked up by the Detroit media. After all, would a sports writer who was concerned about his or her reputation be willing to take on all of the controversy of my story and do it justice? I think not.
In the end, the person who is in the best position to convey my story is me. Having dragged myself to the point where the finish line is in sight, I no longer really need to be concerned with attracting sponsorships. I don't need to make money from speedskating, because a real career in science is waiting for me. I also don't need to make money from my writing. I'm not scared of getting fired for writing something controversial. With no fear for my livelihood or my image, I am free to tell the whole story.
And maybe someday, if Mitch Albom repents from his little white lies and finds that he has totally run out of material, then he can take on the unembellished, Incredibly True Story of "Lightning Rod" Rodansky.
(Don't laugh...all superheroes wear spandex!)
posted by Eva at 2:59 PM
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