Blog Censorship?
You enjoy reading Gilbert Arenas’s blog, right? Of course you do. Who doesn’t? Not only is it laugh-out loud funny, but through it we are offered a rare and unfiltered glimpse into the very strange life of a pro athlete. As with most good things, there’s someone trying to ruin it. And that someone is corporations.
Companies that pay Arenas huge sums of money to promote their products (adidas, for example) aren’t happy with some of the things he says on the blog. In a nutshell, Gil is a little too honest, which if you’ve ever worked in the corporate world, is a huge no-no. From the Wall Street Journal:
His criticism of Adidas’ new signature shoe created an even bigger issue. Adidas, which wasn’t ready to talk about the design, wasn’t happy with Mr. Arenas’s criticism, according to Adidas spokesman Travis Gonzolez. But “we all took a step back. We said, ‘It’s Gil being Gil and there’s not a lot we can say.’ We don’t want to affect what he writes,” says Mr. Gonzolez.
Still, Adidas, EA and Spalding each say that whether an athlete blogs, and how they can work together with the blog, will be a part of future endorsement negotiations.
The part about corporations “working” with athletes on their blog, in other words, censoring what they say, is obviously problematic.
Here’s the thing: Gilbert Arenas is a very big star; you could make the argument that companies like adidas need him as much as he needs them. There’s no way they’re going to be able to control what he says; they may make suggestions from time to time, but if he doesn’t like something, he’s going to let us know about it.
The problems will arise when these companies sign a lesser-known player, someone still trying to make a name for himself and who is thrilled that a large corporation wants to throw money at him. The age of innocence is over, bloggers.
(Thanks to True Hoop for the heads up.)
37 Responses to “Blog Censorship?”
Oct.4 at 3:34 pm
Ron says:
Gil needs to stay honest and speak at will. He can’t become a puppet or a sell out. It’s not him. We love Gil just the way he is.
Oct.4 at 3:50 pm
Cheryl says:
Yeah, I read about this. Because blogging has become the simplest and fastest (and truest, in some estimation) way to disseminate information, many will try to gain some mediocum of control. I just hope it never happens. If it does, then it will truly be “1984″.
Oct.4 at 3:51 pm
Cheryl says:
Stay true, Gil. In fact, I hope you blog about this…
Oct.4 at 4:05 pm
Hoop Dreamz says:
I was about to say that Cheryl… wouldn’t be surprised if Gil mentions any scolding the 3 stripes might have given him in his next blog
Oct.4 at 4:05 pm
Ryan Jones says:
If I may play the a**hole corporate laywer devil’s advocate (at least until eboy shows up): Guys like Gilbert get paid a LOT of money by companies like adidas to promote their product. It’s one thing if a player, say, uses a blog to take a stand against sweat-shop labor used in the product he endorses; it’s another if he’s happily accepting money from that company, and then goes and disparages their product in the name of “free speech”. Or put it this way: If any of us publicly dispareged the product sold by the companies that employ us, would we reasonably expect to continue getting paid by those companies? Just, you know, a thought.
Oct.4 at 4:06 pm
Ryan Jones says:
I believe I misspelled “disparage” at some point. Forgive me.
Oct.4 at 4:07 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Last thing, full disclosure: Travis Gonzolez is my homie.
Oct.4 at 4:18 pm
Captain America says:
This conflict was inevitable and disappointing. Gil connects to his fans (me included) in a unique way given his personality. His own blog really adds to his image through the corps.
Oct.4 at 4:19 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
It may not be a perfect world but at least there’s perfectjumper.com!
Oct.4 at 4:28 pm
Kayce Online says:
i love Gil’s honesty but i kinda agree w/ Ryan.. if you’re endorsing a brand, you should at least commit to a basic level of respect by staying silent about certain things if you think you are bringing that company down in any way..
Oct.4 at 4:31 pm
jbn74sb says:
I, for one, am tired of Gilbert Arenas. Focus on your game and shut up for a minute.
Oct.4 at 4:33 pm
d.Y. says:
adidas could have done a better job spinning this. if anything, willingness to dis his own shoe gives gil more credibility than any celebrity EVER. this means when gil gives something on the brand love, it’s even more deserving.
Oct.4 at 4:35 pm
jbn74sb says:
Gil’s job, as far as adidas is concerned, is to sell shoes. Dissing the product you are trying to sell must be a marketing technique unique to the UofA, which otherwise specializes in drinking and desert honies.
Oct.4 at 4:42 pm
Cheryl says:
C’mon, now. You do realize that all the celebrities shilling for products don’t all actually, you know, USE said product, do you? These are just the ‘face’ (or voice–I’m thinking about Donald Sutherland and Volvo–and I can’t see him driving anything other than a Benz or Bentley) of the product or company. Then there’s the reality of shoes being responsible for injuries, too, that never really get mentioned. Say what you want, Gil. I’m listening.
Oct.4 at 4:43 pm
Cheryl says:
And I disparage my company all the time. I’m still here (though I can think of a number of places I’d rather be).
Oct.4 at 4:43 pm
jbn74sb says:
I think that’s the problem, Cheryl. We’re listening to Gil, and Gil is essential telling us, don’t buy the shoes that adidas is paying me millions to wear.
Oct.4 at 4:48 pm
Lew B. Money says:
so Cheryl, care to let your people know what company it is you’ve reproached? for the sake of the argument.
Oct.4 at 4:51 pm
Cheryl says:
the gov’ment…
Oct.4 at 4:51 pm
white hot eboy says:
This is kind of my area of expertise, but since Ryan disparaged me, I’m not going to give you an actual informed opinion. Stupid farmer.
Oct.4 at 4:52 pm
Cheryl says:
And Gil just mentioned a particular shoe that he didn’t care for, not the whole brand. And I have atleast 4 or 5 pairs of addidas.
Oct.4 at 5:12 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
meh
Oct.4 at 5:36 pm
Rubens says:
didn’t gil said that a model a the shoe was bad? am i missing something?
Oct.4 at 5:37 pm
Rubens says:
and eboy is officially flappy bobby
Oct.4 at 5:58 pm
white hot eboy says:
Rubens, speak English, I can’t understand simpletonian.
Oct.4 at 6:14 pm
Rubens says:
i take it that your kid, if you have one, never watched fairly odd parents
Oct.4 at 6:18 pm
Rubens says:
* i’ll
Oct.4 at 6:33 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Honesty is the best policy.
Oct.4 at 7:14 pm
jbn74sb says:
Honesty, like all things, should be used in moderation.
Oct.4 at 9:06 pm
nolawi says:
I agree honesty is the best policy!
Oct.4 at 10:14 pm
gani says:
i see the point about the sponsors being concerned with what is written about their product. and you can’t bite the hand that feeds you, right? sometimes people should know what opinions should be let out in public and what should be kept to themselves, if you ask me.
Oct.4 at 10:55 pm
gii says:
gil is awesome and so is his blog. i liked the gil zero’s and although i haven’t played hoops in months i’m actually considering picking up a pair of the giIIzero’s just cos of him. adi - lay off his blog. oh - and i think he only criticized the original mock up - but he seems to say nothing but positives about the upcoming released version… where’s the problem?
Oct.4 at 11:55 pm
Tim Dennis says:
Gil should be honest about nba live 08 cuz it sucks ! his shoes are tight but his game! OMG
Oct.5 at 1:29 am
emart says:
it’s just gil being gil.
Oct.5 at 1:58 am
Solito says:
Gilbert Arenas is totally expendable for Adidas. Don’t kid yourself. He is a unique person, no doubt. But Corporations create imiges based on a players character. If Gill is gone, they create a new imiage with a new player. Just like they did with Gill when Lebron was gone. When Kobe got trapped in Colorado, Nike said BAM, Kobe Air is grounded. Let’s see who else is out there. Ah! Hello Mr. James (of course they had been after him for much longer, but he was next). Gill’s rebell approach is tolarated, as long it sells products, and increases share holder value, if not, he is useless to them. Its a business deal, simple as that.
Oct.5 at 11:08 am
Jake says:
Hey guys just wanted to give the heads up that someone at ESPN loves you.I think. Russ Bengston got name dropped in an article by Rick Bucher.But being the smart people you are, I’m sure you already knew that. Also, I had a dream that SLAM started a Tv channel,offering the best basketball related shows ever. Please guys,they say dreams come true.
Oct.5 at 11:10 am
Jake says:
scratch that…it was Henry Abbot in Thursday Bullets
Oct.6 at 12:11 pm
Joel O's says:
@Cheryl: It’s already been done; especially with regards to politics, in less… democratic countries, blogs have become nothing more than another means of propaganda.