Dear Friends,
Isiah Thomas is without argument one of the greatest basketball players in recent history. He led the Detroit Pistons to multiple NBA championships, was a 12 time NBA All Star, captured the NCAA championship at Indiana University, and earned a gold medal at the Pan-American games.
Off the court he served two separate terms as president of the NBA players association, was vice-president of the Toronto Raptors, owned and operated the Continental Basketball Association, and was recently named coach of the Eastern Conference Champion Indiana Pacers. As a civic leader he has personally paid the tuition of 75 students who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to go to college.
Yet despite all his on-court accomplishments, off-court business success, and continued humanitarian efforts, not every media report paints Thomas in a bright light. In fact, sometimes he is painted as an outright villain.
Recently Thomas addressed this discrepancy in an interview that appeared in the Chicago Tribune and I think his prospective is one that is of merit and applicability not only to others in the public eye such as myself, but to anyone who has felt the brunt of unfair judgement.
To paraphrase, Thomas explained that one can find a positive or negative opinion about most anyone - it all depend on who you talk to. And, what makes more interesting news — a story of a nice guy working hard or a scandal?
If you look at all the articles that have been written about Thomas or the stories that have been relayed on television, the negative implications without fail came from individuals he'd been in competition with — either players from opposing teams or executives from rival businesses. Look at interviews with people who actual know the man, who have worked with him — and the picture is much different. I know first hand. Prior to his accepting the coaching position with the Pacers, Isiah and I were exploring co-producing a basketball-genre television series.
I recall a freelancer for a small California paper who reported false and slanderous information about me citing his only source as a rival stage director that I'd never met, because my family, agent, publicist, and peers who had worked with me didn't provide the type of scandal the writer thought would sell.
A radio station in Florida spliced together pieces of an interview I did with them out of context. Instead of hearing answers I'd given promoting a production where I played a drug addict, listeners were led to believe I was a drug addict.
Is the media to fault for this type of sensationalist journalism? I guess one could argue that they are only responding to the public's demand for gossip based, as opposed to fact based, reporting.
Journalists by trade are not void of ethics. Journalism is like any profession — it has its good, its bad, and its ugly. The majority of people in the press that I have had dealings with have been very professional. It is the few that spoil the reputation of the many. And, even publications with questionable ethical standards will only bend the law of slander so far.
A director in Chicago propositioned me: in exchange for sex, I'd be cast in a certain project. Obviously, I declined. Obsession and bruised ego got the best of the director who resorted to desperately contacting various news organizations with a tale that I am not the real Rikki Lee Travolta, but an imposter Rikki Lee Travolta— a story even the tabloids realized was too far fetched to print (perhaps the real Rikki Lee is in Kalamazoo Michigan with the real Elvis).
Like Isiah Thomas, I have learned that there is good and evil in this world. There are people who are so unhappy with their own lives that they will tell lies about others to try to make themselves feel better. There are also people who will defend the truth and stand up for what is right. It is our choice as individuals as to what side of the line we conduct ourselves. Maybe by taking the higher ground, we can serve as inspiration to those who have chosen a path South of Heaven. One can hope. And, we can continue to include them in our prayers.
Peace Love Trust
rikki lee travolta
Review other RLT commentary
It's All Relative
Stand Against Racism
Writing About Life
Crazy Pants Travolta
Gregory Hines
Everwood
Book Excerpt: Bus Fare
Learning to Stand
A Time of War
Country Charm
Talking Frankly About Family (& Christmas)
My Fractured Life
Forever Love
Good and Evil
Man Behind the Wheel
The Little Engine that Could: A Memorial
Perceptions of Perfection
Personal Decisions
Responsibility in Communication
You Done Good
Duality of Man
Evolution of a Hero
Reason to Quit - Stop Smoking
Beware of Stalkers
Dare to Dream
Do The Right Thing
Dealing with Abuse
Mother's Day
Right to Choose
Support the Cause
Just Try
Virtue of One
Martin Luther King Jr
Free Form Jazz
Creating the News
Great Expectations
Story of a Life
Acting 101
Why I Cried
Personal Values vs. Monetary Value
Broken Hearts
Dignity over Jealousy
Community Responsibility
Life, Honesty, and Integrity
Drug Withdrawal
Christmas Spirit
Rikki Lee Travolta's debut album!
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