There are tons of clichés and sayings about taking something bad in life and turning it into something positive. "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!" is the first one that comes to mind.
That's what sports reporter, TV host, mom, writer, and wife Alex Flanagan has done on her blog with an unfortunate situation that has been rocking the world of sports reporters.
It started when ESPN reporter Britt McHenry ignored posted signs outside of a Chinese restaurant and left her car overnight. In accordance with local laws, the car was towed.
Rather than taking a cue from someone like Sam Bieno, who dedicated her life to kindness, Britt was caught on a hidden camera saying incredibly cruel things to the woman working at the tow yard.
Her rant, which we've included below, quickly went viral, and Britt's name became known in households across America.
When Alex Flanagan heard the story and was asked for her opinion (as another female sports reporter), she took the opportunity to remind people what really matters in life…
When Britt's car was towed, she was upset — as anyone would be — but no one expected the things she'd say to the person behind the counter.
She mocked the employee for not being college-educated and told her to lose weight. She made fun of the woman's looks and said, "I'm on television."
Her full tirade can be seen here.
Britt has been suspended from ESPN, and she has apologized for her "outburst."
It was fellow sport reporter Alex Flanagan's (pictured below) response that turns this story into something uplifting and inspirational.
Alex took to her website and wrote a blog post. We have included excerpts from it below:
"People have been asking me my take on the female reporter who was caught on tape insulting a tow company employee. I’ve kept my mouth shut for the most part, because I know in my 22-year career I’ve made a lot of mistakes, said things I wish I could take back and haven’t always treated people the way I should have."
(You can read the full post here.)
"But here is where I really have a problem with this whole situation. The 28-year-old ESPN reporter went from being relatively unknown to being a household name this past week after that video of her degrading the tow company employee went viral. The outcome is…an increase in Twitter followers and an explosion of Google hits when you search her name on the internet. In the long run, it will probably lead to her climbing the corporate ladder even quicker…"
Flanagan continued to explain why she didn't think McHenry's publicity was fair.
"Since the incident, her face has been all over the place. Her story has been discussed on The Today Show, Fox News, in The New York Post and US Weekly, just to name a few. I think that’s unfair. Here is why. There are so many hard-working women in my line of work deserving of that kind of airtime who likely will never get it because they won’t have their own bad girl scandal."
That's when Alex brought up one of her colleagues, Shelley Smith. Shelley has been a news reporter for ESPN news for over 20 years, and like Britt, she also knows how to fight.
Shelley has been battling breast cancer. She has completed chemotherapy and is preparing for 25 rounds of radiation treatments. She plans to continue reporting in May.
Alex wrote on her blog about how it's women like Shelley who deserve attention.
"I first met Shelley when I worked at ESPN some 15 years ago. I’ve admired her since. Back then she was a working mom who focused on providing the best future she could for her little girl Dylann. Shelley’s love of sports rubbed off on her daughter, who grew up to be the captain of her college soccer team at the University of Oregon. I’ve never heard words like “diva” or “entitled” associated with Shelly’s name. She’s respected for being an excellent writer, a hard worker, a great reporter and a good teammate. At 56 years old, and battling cancer, I would imagine being beautiful is the least of this baby girl’s worries…But instead of being angry and irate, she’s treated her enemy with grace and poise and has become an inspiration for others on how to behave when you have been totally screwed for no good reason at all. I would absolutely have her back if after a bad day she wanted to “go off” and give cancer a piece of her mind. But I doubt she ever will. If you ask me, that’s the kind of story and TV personality who deserves some air time."
Alex's blog post is an important reminder that we need to share more positive stories about people like Shelley. They're the ones who deserve the recognition.
Please SHARE if you agree that positive women like Shelley deserve to have their story shared!
