Years ago when we were heavily involved in putting on the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, we learned a new term – “Red Light.” This term is used by members of the media to describe a person that acts one way off the camera, and another way on the camera. When television cameras come on a red light also illuminates to let the people on camera know that they are being recorded. In some instances, people that are not the nicest or most accommodating folks around, change their demeanor when the red light goes on to appear as though they are the greatest people on earth. One year at the Hall of Fame we had just such a person and we were warned about it in advance, so we could manage it to some extent.
This past week reminded me of that “Red Light” experience years ago. Through the great generosity of our friends and partners at Visit Lake Tahoe our family was able to check off a bucket list event. The American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. This event is part golf tournament and part celebrity fun. Kids love it as they can get up and close with some of their favorite athletes and celebrities to chase autographs and take photos. As you can imagine, some of the “famous people” that are invited to play in the event are better at the fan and kid engagement process than others. We saw firsthand this week several cases where the “Red Light” theory surely applies. Meaning that when the camera is on, these people are great, when it’s off and kids and fans are chasing autographs, they are, well, not so accommodating.
Here is a short summary of what we personally experienced this week with my son Brock (about to turn eight in a week) trying to get autographs and maybe a photo here or there. Just like my crew did when we were his age. Here is an A-list and then some others, hope we don’t burst your bubble on some of these superstar athletes.
Best-in-class…..
Tony Romo – He was great with the kids and parents alike. Even though he didn’t play as well as he wanted to as a past champion of the event, he was funny and hospitable with the fans when signing autographs and taking pictures.
Albert Pujols – When his playing partners (see below) blew by a bunch of kids wanting autographs, he stopped, doubled back, and took some of his personalized golf balls from his golf bag. He signed them and then handed them out to several kids. The personalization on his Titleist golf balls you ask? The number 703. The number of home runs he hit in the big leagues. Awesome.
Derek Carr – He signed a lot, and even when a kid didn’t have anything to sign, he said, “Parents, okay to sign their arm?” Which he did to my son and others in our group.
Don Cheadle, Demarcus Ware, and Charles Woodson – All in this group as well. Spent time signing, taking photos, shooting hoops between holes, and tossing out hats and gear.
In the middle…..
Travis Kelce – One day he was great. The next day he and his brother blew through the large crowd to the locker room and signed nothing. Ugh.
Trevor Lawrence – He was great most of the time, but cut off an autograph session with only 3-4 kids left in the line. 30 more seconds wouldn’t have hurt him. He did have a funny incident with a 49ers fan where he actually signed a McCaffrey jersey. That was classic.
Bringing up the rear…..
Charles Barkley – Sir Charles avoided fans as much as he could, even though he played as well as he ever has at this event through the years. He is one of the most popular celebrities at this event, and as a lifelong Sixer fan, this one was a bid disturbing to me.
Aaron Rodgers – Word was he signed some autographs. We didn’t see that the two times we crossed his path over two days. For a guy that continually tramples on his own brand, you’d think that making more kids happy (even with the cameras off) would serve him well.
John Elway – Signed nothing after his second round even with numerous kids and dads (with jerseys on or in hand) yelling his name. Not sure we need to go further on this one.
Alex Rodriguez – Without going into detail, A-Rod hit his ball into the gallery and nearly hit a few folks 15-20 feet away from us. My son retrieved his ball and gave it back to him. Usually when something like this happens, the player signs the ball or a glove after the hole and gives them to the fan(s) that were in harms way. Apparently A-Rod didn’t know of this tradition since as soon as the hole was over he bolted to the next one with no acknowledgement to the fans involved. This is when Albert Pujols stopped and doubled back to make the kids at that hole happy with his golf ball signing noted above.
Two editor’s notes on this last one. First, while a great businessman after his athletic career, A-Rod isn’t likely to ever get into the baseball hall of fame. Pujols by all likelihood will get inducted in his first year of eligibility in 2028. Second, A-Rod is somewhat new to golf. He finished nearly dead last in this event behind golf icons Larry the Cable Guy and Bobby Flay among others. If he doesn’t know how he should have handled that, we guess he should get a pass this year.
The bottom line is that there really isn’t any reason to be a “Red Light” person when you reach the level of iconic status these athletes and celebrities have. Especially this last group in our listing. Sometimes those that the fans helped them GET to where they are by buying tickets, jerseys, or premium television packages, forget that we (the fans) are the ones that put them where they are. If the fans don’t support their teams and leagues, they don’t exist.
All in all it was a great event and something our son will never forget. And those of you that follow us know that the Monday Huddle Up is nearly always a positive journey. At the same time, when there are things we see that could be better for our entire industry, we like to try and point them out.
The big takeaways are these…..
If you are in a position to positively impact others, take the time to do it. Even when it may not be the most convenient for you, those few moments can make a huge impact on someone.
We are all flawed. Let’s try this week to be better than we were last week. No matter if the Red Light is on or off.
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