A Suit. A Scandal.
He also understands his business, his brand- who can use it, how they use it and how to protect it.
His stand against Sportsnet over Suit-Gate is the correct one. Brendan Kennedy wrote about the situation for the Toronto Star. No one wanted to comment directly, but Bautista agreed with the Star’s facts about the situation.
It doesn’t matter what Devon Travis is paid in a season or how much the suit was. He should never have been asked to pay for the suit out of pocket. The tackiness of that is overwhelming.
Travis provided his face, his time, his name and his association with the Toronto Blue Jays to GotStyle and Sportsnet. Forcing him to buy the suit after they used his face, name, time and association is wrong.
It doesn’t matter what Devon Travis is paid in a season or how much the suit was. He should never have been asked to pay for the suit out of pocket. The tackiness of that is overwhelming.
Travis provided his face, his time, his name and his association with the Toronto Blue Jays to GotStyle and Sportsnet. Forcing him to buy the suit after they used his face, name, time and association is wrong.
No one should have to pay a company/individual when they have been used to make money for the company/individual. And have no doubt, Devon Travis was there to make the store and the station money. He looked very cute in his new Ted Baker suit (though I think it needed to be fitted), but he was just a means to an end.
GotStyle is a major advertiser for Rogers. You can hear their “Style Tip” segments on the FAN 590 pretty regularly. The suit should either have been billed to Rogers/Sportsnet or the cost of the suit comes out of their advertising agreement with Rogers. Some people on Twitter were telling me this wasn’t GotStyle’s problem, that it was completely between Sportsnet and The Blue Jays. I don’t agree- all of this should’ve been hashed out before Travis showed up at the store. GotStyle benefitted from the segment as much as Sportsnet did. And it really doesn’t look good that they went to Travis to get paid. Tacky is the word I would use.
Per the Star article:
No, it really doesn't. No one saw this as a hard news story. Integrity is maintained when there is transparency. Be upfront about it:
GotStyle is a major advertiser for Rogers. You can hear their “Style Tip” segments on the FAN 590 pretty regularly. The suit should either have been billed to Rogers/Sportsnet or the cost of the suit comes out of their advertising agreement with Rogers. Some people on Twitter were telling me this wasn’t GotStyle’s problem, that it was completely between Sportsnet and The Blue Jays. I don’t agree- all of this should’ve been hashed out before Travis showed up at the store. GotStyle benefitted from the segment as much as Sportsnet did. And it really doesn’t look good that they went to Travis to get paid. Tacky is the word I would use.
Per the Star article:
Janice Tibbetts, a journalism instructor at Carleton University in Ottawa, believes Sportsnet was right not to pay for the suit.
“If Sportsnet had’ve paid for the suit, it could have given the appearance of having too cozy a relationship with Travis and the Blue Jays,” she said. “It’s a lot fuzzier than out-and-out paying for news, but Sportsnet and the Jays already have the same owner, so there’s the perception already that they’re too close, that there’s an ethical conflict or there could be some threat to journalistic independence. So it just looks better if he pays for his own suit.”
No, it really doesn't. No one saw this as a hard news story. Integrity is maintained when there is transparency. Be upfront about it:
“How to Dress a Jay with Hazel Mae, sponsored by GotStyle."
The end.
This feels like someone screwed up and left the inexperienced kid holding the bag (or the suit.) They took advantage of Travis’ inexperience and that’s why Bautista has taken a stand. He’s a good teammate to use his clout. And I really love how quiet he’s been about it. It's been a cold war for a little while which is going to heat up as October approaches.
Finally, Devon? Mark Buehrle and LaTroy Hawkins will take you to buy a suit. And will actually foot the bill.