Sports celebrities can run, but they can’t hide from TMZ

Shocking news came Monday when TMZ revealed the video of running back Ray Rice striking his fiancée inside the elevator at a hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who initially suspended him for two games, stated he has not seen this video until Monday. As soon as the video became public, the Baltimore Ravens made the conclusive decision to terminate Rice’s contract immediately. Additionally, the NFL suspended him indefinitely.

Previously, TMZ released the audio of the Clippers owner Donald Sterling remarking racist comments on African Americans. During the taped conversation,  he approached to his girlfriend Vanessa Stiviano that he felt annoyed when she associated with African Americans and apprised her not to bring them to the games. As soon as the league found out from TMZ news, the NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned him from the NBA for life and forced him to sell the team.

Domestic violence and racism is a serious problem in America. These stories from TMZ indicate very clear that evidence plays a significant role in the decision making of sports league commissioners. Without sufficient evidence via TMZ, Sterling would remain as an owner with the Clippers, while Rice would remain as a running back with the Ravens. There is no way for sports celebrities to hide when the evidence is presented by TMZ.

TMZ is a celebrity news source that is mainly focused on the lives of celebrities. It becomes inconvenient for sports celebrities to evade from the media world, especially when journalists create some factual or fictitious stories on their personal lives. Whatever happened to sports celebrities, TMZ would use surveillance video or audio as evidence for investigation tool. In fact, sports celebrities are the products; therefore they are being monitored everywhere.

Some prominent people, including sports celebrities hate news media such as TMZ for creating stories on their website to share with the general public regarding their personal and private lives. Some celebrities sensed that TMZ would attempt to do anything to put celebrities in the worst situation because they are being targeted by society.

The astonishing thing about TMZ is that whatever sports celebrities do in their personal lives, TMZ possess the capability of discovering information and delivering fascinating stories to attract its audience worldwide. In the media world, TMZ’s occupation is not to deliver sports celebrities in trouble but to educate, inform, and entertain its audience. Accordingly, the New York Times cited TMZ as “one of the most successful online ventures of the last few years.”

While sports celebrities acknowledge that TMZ is capable of making fascinating stories to attract its audience, whether it is good or bad, TMZ is constantly in search for information that brings its audience to hear what they want to hear regarding the lives of sports celebrities. NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter warned rookies during July’s NFL Rookie Symposium that “there is no hiding crime anymore. Everybody is TMZ.”

TMZ is quite powerful in that numerous journalists possess the ability to follow sports celebrities everywhere in the world, and spread multiple stories worldwide. When journalists spread the stories that are factual (or fictitious) worldwide, there are practically no way for many sports celebrities—including owners, players, and agents—to hide from TMZ.