Five Reactions To The Ray Rice Suspension
By Chris Brown
Content Producer, 105.7 The Fan
The video that emerged of Ray Rice and his then fiancee Janay Palmer in the elevator of the Revel Casino in Atlantic City has dominated the News (sports & otherwise) this week. Along with the news came a myriad of opinions about everything from conspiracy theories to victim blaming, condemning the NFL commissioner's prior action to a full blown lynch mob mentality.
The news struck everyone differently. The video made some sick to their stomach. Others were purely in shock. Before the dust even settled, businesses and individuals alike were reacting and taking action.
Some of these reactions have made major headlines, while others have not. We found 5 reactions that really stood out to us.
Creativity In A Positive Way
An Ellicott City father turned his daughter's Rice jersey into a statement.
"We were just trying to decide what to do with our kids' Ray Rice jerseys as we really didn't feel we wanted them to wear them anymore. Everyone we saw online was cutting them up or things like that. We tried to come up with something a bit more positive and fun," Bryan Bartlett of Ellicott City told the Baltimore Sun.
Parents are faced with tough situations every day and sometimes need to explain difficult things to their children. Some parents don't want to have these conversations with their kids, but maybe opening that line of communication at an early age will help prevent future offenders.
See how Bryan Bartlett turned a negative into a positive for his 6 year old daughter at the Baltimore Sun.
Free Pizza, Beer... Whatever
Local businesses are capitalizing on the suspension of the once beloved running back of the Baltimore Ravens. A local pizza joint is offering free pizza. A bar offers a free tab. Just turn in a Ray Rice jersey. Some are saying that they'll make donations to the House of Ruth Maryland, a home for battered women and children, for each jersey they receive all while joking, "These jerseys will save us money on toilet paper this week."
Sure, it's a clever way for a business to gain exposure and business but at what cost? Making light of a terrible situation isn't the best business practice. But maybe they're really just trying to turn a bad thing into a good one, show support, raise money and grow awareness. Who's to say what the true motives are here but let's hope, as a society, it's for the right ones.
Ray Rice Jersey Burning Challenge
Sure he doesn't "speak for the city of Baltimore" like he claims but what is this kid even trying to do? Just get rid of the jerseys? No buckets? No donations? ...or maybe he just enjoys playing with matches. Hard to say, but maybe we should lean away from the aggressive side of things and try to make something positive come from it.
Just Make It Disappear
Merchandise disappeared from shelves and websites. Rutgers is clipping Rice from a video they play before home games. Some items you can even return for a full store credit. The Baltimore Ravens have even announced on Twitter that there will be a jersey exchange at stadium stores.
The Baltimore Ravens will offer an exchange for Ray Rice jerseys at stadium stores. Details can be found here.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 9, 2014
After all, out of sight, out of mind. Right? The NFL's face is already red from the whole mishandling of the situation from the start. The Ravens have taken some pretty heavy heat as well. Whether you believe all the cover up hype or not, this could be viewed as more of an an attempt to hide their shame than doing right by the fans who throw money at them year after year.
The New England Patriots did the same thing a year ago after their tight-end was charged with murder. Trade in your old jersey because they don't want this guy representing their brand anymore.
Making A Difference
You can visit the House of Ruth Maryland website to find out how you can make a real difference.