RkFast said:...WHY are some people considering his hiring as a bad move for Trek?
Back when Howard Cosell was a sports announcer (wa-a-ay back in time, for those of you born in the
80's), through the entire duration of his career, he was simultaneously the most popular and the
most complained- about personality on TV. He was, in short, a lightning rod. Where there was
controversy, he stirred it. Where there was none, he created it.
Zap is the same kind of character. I haven't read much of his stuff. I've never subscribed to any of
the magazines he worked for. Hell, I wouldn't wipe my ass with Mountain Bike Action...
Zap is a rabble rouser. He has opinions, but as the expression goes, like *other things* everybody
has one of those. His real characteristic is that he doesn't just stop at stating his opinion, he
slags on other people's opinions. If you tend to agree with him, you probably think he's pretty
cool. If you don't, you probably think he's a jag-off.
He's also one of those people who seem drawn to publicity the way flies are drawn to fresh
horseshit. And he definitely has a nasty side. I say that because I read his interview in _Dirt Rag_
in which he comes off like, well, a nasty SOB, IMHO.
Working for Trek as Brand Manager, this guy will need to build consensus. Which means that he'll
have to avoid becoming the enemy of most of the people he needs to work with. This could prove
challenging, unless his nastiness is just a pose, a way to get his picture in the magazines.
He's probably not going to be "famous" as a Brand Manager. He might ocassionally be quoted in the
trades, but if he's making the trades in a story about who he has most recently [censored], he's
probably not going to be successful. And if what he really wants out of life is to be some kind of
celebrity, this job won't get him there. Which means that he might not do it very well. Which means
that he might not last.
We'll see.
--
Tom Purvis - arkansasvalley.nettpurvisOpen ↗ Salida, CO
