Tara Henley a writer and broadcaster most notably with the CBC has penned: “Why I resigned from the CBC and went to Substack. Speaking freely.”

This is a fascinating perspective; obviously freedom is far more valuable than acceptance.

Getting upset because someone is “abusing” free speech is silly; that’s like freaking out over self-driving car accidents. That’s naturally going to happen: that’s the uncomfortable process.  (It’s also extreme thinking…like buying a gun to protect your loved ones from a home invasion. You can just get dog or set up an alarm system if protection was the legit issue.)

In April 2021 Paul Pierce was fired from ESPN; he would no longer be a regular on The Jump. He talked to SI about his frustrating TV experience revealing:

“There’s a lot of stuff over there that you can’t say. And you have to talk about LeBron all the time.” (Ugh I know…some of them on ESPN even refer to him as King. I understand how rating economics work especially for ESPN I just don’t agree with it.)

I get it. I can understand his frustration or similarly a journalist’s frustration with an arduous institution like the CBC which echoes Paul Pierce’s comments.

(How do you balance the classic “that’s not what we do?” with the shifting standards of the internet? I’m not even talking about clickbait; just integrity which is rooted in knowing who you are and what your strengths are.)

So Tara Henley like many other journalists has identified a benefiting outlet that facilitates her freedom; she’s now “free” to pursue different stories; elevate unique voices and have fun. Okay then. Let’s see where all this goes. Without the backing of a large organization her work will rise and fall on timeless principles such as quality and sound journalism.

If you find Tara’s response inspiring then know she isn’t alone…3 fresh folks worth following who mirror her journey are: Ethan Strauss left The Athletic, Bari Weiss left the NY Times and “after a decade as a Forbes senior editor, Zack O’Malley Greenburg now writes exclusively at Substack, where he’s serializing his fifth book We Are All Musicians Now.”

This is an encouraging trend. How will the institutions and news organizations respond? Will they evolve or pimp out clickbait? It’s possible some institutions don’t view any of these defections as feedback.

There’s always the goofy white guy who thinks this isn’t an issue; that it’s all overblown hype (thankfully he’s not as terrible as the goofy white guy who believes people only advocate for free speech so individuals can be politically incorrect. “You just want to be racist!” That guy often makes me laugh…his world like his thinking is so insular.).

Bottom Line? This trend is fantastic. The writers flourish with intellectual freedom and we get quality writing.

Be Free.

-28-

Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

My Summer Lair Chapter #157: Does Winning Mean You Are Successful?

Winning covers a multitude of sins. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant played together on the LA Lakers from 1996 to 2004; winning three consecutive championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and making an NBA Finals appearance in 2004. Yet what’s fascinating is that winning didn’t do it for Kevin Durant. He played on the Golden State Warriors from 2016-2019 and they won 2 championships (2017, 2018).

In The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty author Ethan Sherwood Strauss writes the following 3 sturdy observations:
“Most sports books are celebratory in nature, but this one dwells on the sadness that comes with success.”

“I think that’s part of the modern condition: the modern celebrity is being tricked into giving away too much and corrupting their image for the public.”

“Many NBA stars are hookah heads, surprising as this may sound. They are up later than you and occasionally require a more relaxing social activity.”

These are distinct insights you don’t often get in a traditional NBA book; based on this My Summer Lair conversation it’s clear Ethan passionately thinks about these things. If you have a chance check out the book. You’ll dig it.

This is my second Oakland NBA writer interview having interviewed The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson for his Kevin Durant book: KD: Kevin Durant’s Relentless Pursuit to Be the Greatest. Both sports writers contemplate the broader culture when they write: they see patterns and gauge impacts. They’re telling you an NBA story but the NBA is just an analogy. Ethan’s book is clearly about “The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty.” So you’d pick up this book thinking it’s about the NBA and the Warriors and Curry and KD blah blah blah. Yet as you see from those 3 observations: “Most sports books are celebratory in nature, but this one dwells on the sadness that comes with success.”

That’s no longer an NBA story per se that’s something far more compelling and honest.

It’s a damn good book; it helps if you’re into the NBA but even if you’re not it’s worth the wrestle and trying to understand what success means for you…what success looks like for you. That’s the journey Kevin Durant and the Warriors are on: which makes their team name so apt.

Ethan Strauss @ W • T• F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Tuesday April 28, 2020 at 4:30pm

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter because the F in FOMO doesn’t stand for Fun.

My Summer Lair Chapter #157: Does Winning Mean You Are Successful?

Winning covers a multitude of sins. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant played together on the LA Lakers from 1996 to 2004; winning three consecutive championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and making an NBA Finals appearance in 2004. Yet what’s fascinating is that winning didn’t do it for Kevin Durant. He played on the Golden State Warriors from 2016-2019 and they won 2 championships (2017, 2018).

In The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty author Ethan Sherwood Strauss writes the following 3 sturdy observations:
“Most sports books are celebratory in nature, but this one dwells on the sadness that comes with success.”

“I think that’s part of the modern condition: the modern celebrity is being tricked into giving away too much and corrupting their image for the public.”

“Many NBA stars are hookah heads, surprising as this may sound. They are up later than you and occasionally require a more relaxing social activity.”

These are distinct insights you don’t often get in a traditional NBA book; based on this My Summer Lair conversation it’s clear Ethan passionately thinks about these things. If you have a chance check out the book. You’ll dig it.

This is my second Oakland NBA writer interview having interviewed The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson for his Kevin Durant book: KD: Kevin Durant’s Relentless Pursuit to Be the Greatest. Both sports writers contemplate the broader culture when they write: they see patterns and gauge impacts. They’re telling you an NBA story but the NBA is just an analogy. Ethan’s book is clearly about “The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty.” So you’d pick up this book thinking it’s about the NBA and the Warriors and Curry and KD blah blah blah. Yet as you see from those 3 observations: “Most sports books are celebratory in nature, but this one dwells on the sadness that comes with success.”

That’s no longer an NBA story per se that’s something far more compelling and honest.

It’s a damn good book; it helps if you’re into the NBA but even if you’re not it’s worth the wrestle and trying to understand what success means for you…what success looks like for you. That’s the journey Kevin Durant and the Warriors are on: which makes their team name so apt.

Ethan Strauss @ W • T • F

Host & Photography by Sammy Younan

Recorded: Tuesday April 28, 2020 at 4:30pm (EST)