Writing about the Patrick Kane situation is not for the faint of heart. It’s not an endeavor to be taken lightly. Yesterday, we covered the Patrick Kane rape allegations and how this story changes public perception of the Chicago Blackhawks superstar.
When a story this huge comes along, it’s a very difficult situation for columnists everywhere.
Patrick Kane is more than the face of the Blackhawks; he’s the face of USA hockey. And the Blackhawks aren’t just Chicago’s team, they’re America’s team. So this is a major national story, not just a local story.
With so many media personalities discussing it and writing about it, the chances are very high what you’re going to say has already been said by someone else or will be said by someone else. So that means you don’t write about it?
Then you run the risk of having the opposite problem- ignorance. What’s the point of having a voice if you don’t use it? Especially on the most important issues. The legal process will run its course on Patrick Kane. This may include Kane appearing in a court of law. The court of public opinion though, has been in session since last Thursday.
“The Court of Public Opinion” served as the perfect inspiration for this sketch about Bill Cosby from “Inside Amy Schumer.” It was the last time Schumer was as funny and as brilliant as the critics and mainstream media make her out to be.
Have a watch:
Schumer plays Cosby’s defense attorney in the court of public opinion, and the strength of her case is “I am a good person. Cosby had a great show. Good+Good doesn’t equal bad.”
That’s what’s happening right now with Blackhawks and hockey fans. Right now, many are experiencing cognitive dissonance that goes something like this. “I am a good, moral person. Patrick Kane is a great hockey player on a great hockey team. These good things can’t be bad.”
When Kane allegedly assaulted a taxicab driver, the court of public opinion still ruled in his favor. Patrick Kane the brand didn’t suffer significant damage from this incident.
When the shirtless snapshot of Kane, along with several other “risque” photos of the team partying in Vancouver in 2010 went viral, it could be reasonably labeled “just guys having fun.” The character of “Kaner” was born then. Today, that affectionate nickname needs to be retired. Kaner sounds like it could be a name for somebody warm and cuddly.
Patrick Kane is definitely not these things.
When Kane’s Cinco de Mayo party photos from the University of Wisconsin broke the internet, the court of public opinion ruled “ok, this is sort of funny, but sort of pathetic, and a Stanley Cup Champion should be above such things, but hey, we all did stupid stuff when we were young.”
You can’t apply those explanatory cliches in this situation.
What Kane is accused of doing now is much more serious, and we should treat discussion of this topic with the utmost sensitivity.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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