|
Good morning, folks.
Earlier this week, I solicited your opinion on what you thought our role should be in attempting to find out what’s up with Jonathan Toews. I also asked what, if anything, we should report if we were able to unearth details on what the medical condition is, that’s keeping him off the ice.
In case you’re just joining the conversation and you hadn’t heard, the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks and native of Winnipeg has not been playing hockey this season. In late December, he and the NHL team announced that he would not be attending training camp while dealing with a medical issue and there was no timetable set for his return. He has yet to return to the ice and there have been no clear updates on his situation.
Advertisement
Here’s a selection of what you had to say:
• Leave Jonathan Toews and his family alone. Hockey and its players provide us with entertainment, that is all. That does not give us the right to have information, or any right to their private life. When he is able to play again he will, and the fact that he is not playing now, should tell us that there is a significant reason that is affecting this. He deserves privacy to deal with his own situation. This sense of entitlement people have that they should know everything about anyone in the public eye is disheartening. Imagine if all your coworkers, neighbours and complete strangers felt they had a right to know every detail of your life. Just because you play sports for a living does not mean you should lose the right to personal privacy… Whatever he is going through is seriously impacting him and his family. I don’t need to be privy to that struggle;
• Thank you for being up-front and for clarification. I was a member of the Winnipeg media for 35 years. I agree that some media are more interested in pursuing a story using the excuse that “the public has the right to know,” when they are really pursuing the story only for the glory they might receive in doing an exposé. My own interest in my inquiry to you about Toews’ condition was to see if his hospitalization warranted letters of support for his recovery, much the way fans rallied to the public outpouring of support for Dale Hawerchuck. I respect Jonathan’s request for privacy, but he should have realized that the veil of silence on his condition leads to speculation that might develop into an unintended invasion of his privacy. Sometimes it’s best to lead with the truth and put all speculation to rest;
FILE – Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) plays against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago, in this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, file photo. Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will miss the start of training camp due to an illness, and there is no timetable for his return. The 32-year-old Toews said Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, he has been experiencing symptoms that have left him feeling “drained and lethargic.” (AP Photo/David Banks, File)
• Information on matters concerning health and well-being should be released on a need-to-know basis. If you don’t need to know, it’s none of your damn business. If Toews had wanted his health information released, he would have done it. Let him be;
• Steve, I would say that you should do about the Toews situation according to how you see your role as a journalist. Are you a “nice guy” who is out to not offend anyone, or are you an investigative journalist who is wanting to reveal the story on the situation. The former writes a pondering article like you did and the latter digs for information, confirms the sources and what information is gleaned and publishes for the benefit of the readers and community. Toews deserves to be treated with respect; however, he is a public figure who owes his fans something as well. I would start by calling him directly, not his family or associates, and proceed from there. You never can tell what a direct contact with respect and humility can garner to a story waiting to be told;
• Hi Steve: I enjoy your email columns and am responding to your question about the extent to which a professional athlete’s health information should be made public. In my opinion it is no different than anyone else’s personal health information — it is private information until the person makes it public or allows it to be publicized. I would be very much against you — or any of your colleagues — intruding on his family when he has expressly asked for people to respect his privacy as he deals with his health challenge;
• When it comes to professional athletes whose livelihood depends on the paying public who watch and follow them play, I believe that they have to surrender some privacy… it goes with the territory. Take an extreme and unrealistic example but one to make my point. Suppose before having to renew seasons tickets for the Jets games we do not learn that Scheifele, Conner, Ehlers and Hellebuyck have all come down with some terrible disease, and will certainly not play this year and possibly never. Shouldn’t I be entitled to know the status of these players before committing to spend thousands of dollars on season tickets? I am a consumer and arguably should be able to know everything about the product I am buying… I don’t think you should be expected to be an investigative reporter to pry out the issue with Toews but rather that Toews or perhaps more appropriately, the Blackhawks, have a duty to disclose;
• It’s pretty clear to me when he says, “please respect my privacy as I focus on my health and recovery”;
• I believe that the severity of Jonathan’s medical concerns tells us everything we need to know at this point in time. He proactively asked for the media to respect his privacy. The runaway train known as the internet has caused a great deal of pain to people all over the world.
Thanks to all of you who sent me a note on the subject. I always appreciate hearing your take on things.
As always, feel free to touch base with me anytime by replying to this mailing or by sending me an email here.
|
.jpg?w=560)
