Who is Steve Simmons? |
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Who is Steve Simmons? |
 Steve Simmons is a writer with the Toronto Sun. That should be your first clue.In one of his columns, he decided to comment on the giant eight-player trade between the Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Renegades. His comment? "There was an eight-player trade in the CFL this week and the truth is, I couldn't recognize one of the players sent packing." Wow, what insight. Of course, this bothered a few people. The article in question was brought to my attention by a post on the 13thman.com (where these emails have also been posted). Like most everyone else, I was annoyed that this guy would make such a disparaging comment about the league, and decided to let him know how I felt. I sent him an e-mail, never expecting to get a response. Surprise, surprise. This guy must have gone to the Fred Fateri School of Dealing with People. He wrote me back, making even more stupid comments. So I wrote back. And so on. Here's a copy of the e-mails we've traded so far. If, after reading these, you'd like to make your own comments to Mr. Simmons, his e-mail address is steve.simmons@tor.sunpub.com. On Monday, January 19, 2004, Stamps Fan wrote: "So you don't know who any of the eight players are in that blockbuster Calgary-Ottawa trade, eh? Perhaps you shouldn't comment on it then. It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Hey, look, there's NFL games on! Go make inane comments on that, and leave the CFL notes to someone who can catch a clue." On Wednesday, January 21, 2004, Steve Simmons wrote: "it's not a comment about me - I could walk into the Air Canada Centre any night and ask anyone to name one player from the trade - no one would know the names that's a commentary on the league and how little it does to make its names known not on my own personal experiences..." On Thursday, January 22, 2004, Stamps Fan wrote: "The difference between you and the average fan you're polling at the ACC is twofold - one, they aren't paid to know what's going on, and two, they don't advertise their ignorance. The league is doing plenty to "make it's name known"... for those who care to listen. On Thursday, January 22, 2004, Steve Simmons wrote: "it's not ignorance when no one in the largest market in the country knows their names" On Thursday, January 22, 2004, Stamps Fan wrote: "Ahh yes, the old "If it ain't important in the GTO, it ain't important" argument. Wonderful. I suppose you're on the bandwagon that supposes you have a hope in h-e-double hockey sticks of landing an NFL franchise and ridding yourself of the "burden" of supporting a CFL franchise. I've got news for you, Mr. Simmons. They'll put three teams in LA before they consider Toronto. You've got a great CFL franchise there, with a long and storied tradition... try supporting it, and the league. If you're not interested in doing so, please stick to commenting on what you know." On Sunday, January 25, Steve Simmons wrote: "you confuse bandwagon for reality - and this has nothing to do with the nfl - the reality is, toronto cares little for the argos and a whole lot less for the rest of the cfl - that isn't my opinion or my doing - that's reality - the cfl has marketing studies that show precisely the same thing I can't help it if people don't know the names and it isn' t my job to market players or teams - that's their job - it's my job to comment - and when i said i didn't know the names i suspect the majority of my readers (i am employed by a toronto newspaper) felt the same way" On Monday, January 26, Stamps Fan wrote: "I'm confusing bandwagon for reality? Please remember this the next time the Argos go on a hot streak, and the city suddenly remembers them. You say that Toronto cares little for the Argos. Could that be because they've been told, over and over, by the local media that the team isn't worth caring for? What exactly do you - and please, feel free to speak for the entire population of the GTO again - have against this team? As for it being your job to comment, the only point I was trying to make is that your attempt at sarcasm about your knowledge of the CFL simply came off as uninformed and ignorant. Normally, I wouldn't have ever seen your article, but I was compelled to read it after hearing the complaints of more than a dozen Torontonians who, in strange contrast to your comments about nobody caring about the Argos, were upset at your silly little jibe. Just for your information, I will be forwarding a copy of this e-mail, and the link to our previous conversations (www.silverstampeder.com/stevesimmons) to the CFL office (strangely, located in Toronto). I'm sure they'll be interested to hear your views as well. Keep up the "good" work." On Monday, January 26, Steve Simmons wrote: "People do not respond to media. Media responds to public. I happened to be a columnist at the Calgary Herald in the late 80s when the Stampederrs were bankrupt. All the media banded together in what was then known as Save Our Stamps. When they were a city council vote away from being extinct, we were writing columns pleading with people to buy tickets. No one bought anything. Barely a ticket was sold. You can't tell people where they will spend their money, what television shows they will watfch, what music they will listen to. People determine that on thier own. We respond to their responses. PS - the Toronto media was widely behind selling out Pinball Clemons last game as an Argo. Everyone was supporting it. TV. Radio. Newspapers. The announced attendance was barely 30,000, 25,000 short of a sellout. Some influence." On Monday, January 26, Stamps Fan wrote: "People do not respond to media? Are you seriously trying to tell me that what you write has no influence on people? That media is a closed communication loop? If that's true, what's the point? And media responds to public? That sounds like you're a proponent of infotainment - give the masses their bread and circus! While I have come to expect that sort of "it's all about the subscriptions" mentality from the Sun chain, I didn't think it's reporters bought into it. That kind of approach makes you a bunch of gossip columnists, rumour mongers, and popularity chasers. Media is supposed to be the fourth estate - seperate, unbiased, and able to report on what is happening, not on what is popular. As for your experiences with the Stamps in the 80s: Is this what soured you so badly on the CFL? You write columns trying to get people to buy tickets for Stamps games, or for Pinball's last hurrah, and everyone ignored you? No, you can't tell people how to spend their money, but you go a long way towards influencing them. If you don't think you have any influence over your readers, perhaps it's because you're not doing you job properly. That means covering a story not only because it's popular or the hot topic, but because it needs to be told. Tell me this: Why did you write in support of the Save The Stamps campaign? Why did you try to get Toronto excited about Pinball's last game in the blue? And 30,000 for an Argo game isn't enough? So the team didn't sell out the Skydome - that's a failure? Just because you can seat some 60,000 people in that cavernous building doesn't mean the team fails by failing to fill it. By all means, critisize when it's due. I'm no proponent of rah-rah boosterism in the news. But there are positive stories out there to be found, if the reporter isn't too jaded to look." More to come, I'm sure. This website is not, in any way, shape or form, connected with the Calgary Stampeders, Grey Cup 2002, Canadian Football League, The Sports Network, Fritos or any other company mentioned here. The thoughts and opinions are my own. The logos belong to the teams and/or companies, and I hope they won't mind if I use 'em. |
