Hackles were up everywhere after sports/talk host Jim Rome asked National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern on Wednesday if the NBA Lottery was fixed. Stern’s retort – after scolding Rome for asking the question in the first place – was to ask Rome, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?”
Rome has made a reputation as a broadcaster provocateur who pushes buttons; the powerful Stern remains a polarizing figure of his own in the professional sports world, and reaction to his shot at Rome has been largely negative.
Change channels to 19-year-old Washington Nationals rookie outfielder Bryce Harper, a baseball phenom-in-the-making whose exploits on the field belie his youth. Apparently his quick-thinking outside the lines is of the same caliber. Asked by a reporter after his strong performance in a win against the Toronto Blue Jays if he would celebrate by drinking because the drinking age in Canada is 18 and not 21, Harper didn’t rise to the bait. His immediate, off-the-cuff answer, “I’m not answering that…that’s a clown question, bro” has gone viral.
At CommCore we always advise our clients to pause before responding to a tough (or needling) question. Give your brain a chance to check itself before you respond with a comment you may regret.
Apparently Harper can see a curveball coming off the field as well as on it regardless of who is pitching it. We think sports mogul Stern might take a page from rookie Harper’s book.
What do you think?