Sports Illustrated article on Russell Wilson "...And Then?"

[mikeak]

Managing your image is something like - you know what this week I don't feel like visiting the hospital because my week sucked but I am going to go anyways so it isn't being blown out of proportion.

Or I feel like going to Vegas and party and take a picture of a bunch of dollar bills looking like a money phone but I think that may play poorly in the media so despite me feeling like doing it I am simply not going to do it

Not managing your image (properly) and dealing with the result is wearing Miami underwear when you play in SF, going on a beach vacation when your team has a bye week in the playoffs and you have never won a playoff game, going to Vegas and rolling a dollar bill in the restroom..........

 

[chris98251]

I look at it this way, Wilson may have a lot of cliches but he is the consummate pro, he doesn't have smudge marks for the media to attack, even his divorce he went headlong into it and stated this is what's going to happen and now I'm done talking about it.

When you have nothing to report the media these days starts trying to create controversy and doubt. Wilson is who he is just as Marshawn is, Marshawn doesn't talk to the media due to them twisting what he says and they hate it, Wilson talks to them but they can't break thru and they hate that. Media attacks Marshawns lifestyle and character hoping something sticks, now it appears they will try to do the same with Wilson he just has a lot less to attack so they take a good and try to make it a bad by saying it's not really who he is it's all for show.

 

[entropyrulesall]

Even though the robotic and cliche Wilson persona can be annoying at times I try to remember that he's still a black man, who identifies as African American, who is playing the most high profile position in all of sports which has historically been given to white players. Not to make this a race issue but I think Russell really embraces and respects the notion that he is a torch carrier for past and future black quarterbacks and doesn't want to do anything that will evoke ANY controversy. He also takes his role as the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks as seriously as a 5 Star General takes their command.

Is anybody that surprised that a player who looks so prepared all the time and plays at a high level would be that obsessively perfectionist in his everyday life?

My one takeaway from this article was the RW is building his brand and his post-football plans are already being planned for. He is going to be BIG TIME and Seattle will just be one of the many stops in his life. I have already I started to separate my feelings about Wilson as a player and Seahawk from that of those of Wilson personally.

 

[Happy]

I get these on my timeline every Tuesday week in and week out, and they bring a bit of perspective to my mostly petty concerns. Insincere my ass, dude walks the walk.

 

[brimsalabim]

So there must be something wrong because he gets it? Strange point of view. Would every one be more comfortable if he spent his time making it rain in strip clubs and partying with drunk coeds at south beach? Really it's a problem that he shows good judgement and concern for others? To each his own I guess.

 

[hawknation2014]

Russell Wilson's greatest crime is making selfish pricks feel insecure about their own contributions to society.

Go Hawks!

 

[Natethegreat]

Russell Wilson's greatest crime is making selfish pricks feel insecure about their own contributions to society.

Go Hawks!

Exactly, just because he is doing something you would not feel the need to do (and would not really want to do) doesn't mean he's a fake.
Obviously he cares about others or he simply would not put the time into doing what he does. There are plenty of NFL players that spend there time partying, going to strip clubs, and generally living it up. Why, because thats what is important to them but I guess they aren't "fake" so Kapernick seems a lot more likeable now I guess.

 

[WilsonMVP]

I realize that i may have mis-read him but it sounded like to he said he doesn't like the fact he visits Children's hospital every week and makes a kids' day.

But, why does it matter whether he posts pictures of the kids there? Why does it bring negativity that he does that? I guess people can have their own opinion, I just think it's a little harsh to be offended(I couldn't think of the right word) at a public figure's posting of pictures of kids in the hospital on social media.

Either way, I think this should be discussed somewhere else so I'll leave it at that.

I think posting the pictures must be really cool for the kids. They can show their friends and family that they met wilson and have a picture with him.

I am on twitter everyday and Wilson always is posting about something related to Religion or the Childrens hospital

 

[ClumsyLurk]

Russell Wilson's greatest crime is making selfish pricks feel insecure about their own contributions to society.

Go Hawks!

Russell seems like a very nice person and a highly agreeable young man.

Go Hawks!

 

[rigelian]

I look at it a bit differently. The writer says he can't decide whether Wilson is Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez. He draws no conclusion one way or the other. For the most part he writes about what Wilson does. In essence he leaves it up to the reader to decide. I don't think it's a bad thing. How much can you know about who a guy really is from a day or two of interviews? This is especially true of Russell Wilson, who puts a great deal of effort in his image.

My general feeling is I like Russell Wilson, however, I feel more passion about ETIII, Sherman, Kam, Lynch and Baldwin. They seem more real to me.

I do believe that Russell is more Jeter than Arod.

Update: The line that makes me smile about Russell Wilson was the one he said to Doug Baldwin after the Super Bowl after he thought the locker room was emptied of the press (super bowl ed. of SI). "We whipped their @ss. That expletive wasn't even close." That Russell Wilson made me smile.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

This is all part of the package when you're a player of the most important position in a team game that is on the cusp (read this year) of being top 5 at said position. In this position you must manage your image or it will manage you (mostly to horrific results if given too much chance).

Was that a clever pun on the Wilson SI cover, Mizzou? :snack:

I didn't exactly mean it that way but oh well...*curtsies*

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Russell Wilson is such a unique person in this day and age that I think many people have a hard time accepting what he does at face value. They simply can't wrap their mind around it.

Even as an avid Hawk fan, I occasionally have to slap myself in disbelief. :0190l:

 

[volsunghawk]

I don't think it's any secret that Wilson is ambitious, driven, etc. He doesn't just want to be the Seahawks QB. He wants a legacy. He wants to be what Cam Newton got blasted for saying... an icon. And to reach that level, he pushes himself harder than anyone else in so many ways. Some of those ways are in the weight room and in the film room, and they benefit the team. Some of those ways are in the media, and that's why you get the cliches and the children's hospital visits. And because he's careful with his image and how he's portrayed in the media, he can come off as a bit inauthentic, sure.

But in the end, what does it matter if he wakes up thinking, "How can I make myself look good today?" instead of thinking, "How can I make a sick kid smile today?" as long as he's still going to that hospital and spending time with those kids? As long as he's genuine with them, the end result is what matters... not what's going on in his headspace. And to be honest, I think it's probably a bit of both. I think he wants to find ways to burnish his image and increase his media presence, and the hospital visits are a way for him to enjoy doing that (versus trying to do some other crowd-pleasing thing that he might not enjoy as much).

I believe that he's genuinely a good person, but he's definitely calculated in how he presents himself to the public (which is not surprising, considering that his father had him practicing interviews as well as throwing spirals).

 

[MarylandHawk]

^ Dude I've been a fan of Wilson's for a long time, and he was doing charity and community-related stuff long before he even decided which professional sport he wanted to play. He's just a nice guy, period.

 

[volsunghawk]

^ Dude I've been a fan of Wilson's for a long time, and he was doing charity and community-related stuff long before he even decided which professional sport he wanted to play. He's just a nice guy, period.

I'm certainly not suggesting that this stuff only started when he hit the NFL. As I noted, his dad had him working on interviews back when he was a kid. I think the seeds of him managing his image were planted early - and I also don't think that it makes him any less of a good guy or less genuine (though many will view his image management as a form of insincerity).

 

[pocketprotector]

You can't win with some people. It reminds me of the twisted and sad souls who complain about the ice bucket challenge.

 

[sc85sis]

There is a substantial difference between being cognizant of your media image and being phony. The article neither said nor implied that Russell is phony, rather it indicated that Russ is careful. In today's climate he has to be.

Russell only does commercials for products he uses. He doesn't reveal his full personality in public. He works with a small group of people he trusts. These are signs of great awareness and even integrity, not of someone being a douche. He is the face of the franchise, kids look up to him and he takes that responsibility seriously.

People have unrealistic expectations of famous people. We worship them while looking for the slightest faults so we can tear them down. They are human, but we rarely allow for that.

Russell is doing just fine.