Monday, January 27, 2014

What Richard Sherman Taught Us About First Impressions

Who's ready for the Super Bowl! I'm ready for a little football especially since "my team" the Broncos will be playing. I was in Denver (for the Stock Show) the big AFC and NFC weekend. Since one of my coworkers is a big 49ers fan we made a stop in the Cowboy Barn to watch the game before supper that night. Unfortunately, the 49ers lost and at the end of the game we saw the now famous Richard Sherman post game interview.

I didn't care for the interview very much. He rubbed me the wrong way. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.


I thought he was arrogant, brash and handled himself unprofessionally. I admit I judged Richard Sherman. However, after doing a little more reading or research on Mr. Sherman you might decide he's a decent guy. They have been numerous articles commenting on the other side of the story, you can read them here, here, and here

Sherman is lucky. He has great PR people, and there are journalist know that this is a story that they can continue to capitalize on. The other story is getting shared. That's the thing Richard Sherman isn't like you and me. 

Have you ever done something in 20 seconds that you wished you could take back. That you wished someone was there the next morning to write a nice little article on the true you or share the other side of the story. The fact is that first impressions matter, a lot. And they matter even more when you are an average joe like you and me. 

And that's why I don't like the Sherman Richards interview. Social media was a buzz with people standing up for him, defending him and trying to share the truth. However, more often than not there isn't going to be anyone to fix your first impression error. 

So what you do think? Had your opinion of Sherman changed? Should we not judge people? Or should we remember that our rants, poor judgement calls or unflattering pictures likely will be judged and no one might hear the other side of the story? 

5 comments:

  1. Good golly, this post struck a nerve with me. I have a strange personality. Sometimes people don't "get me", but the ones who do love me. I will go home and replay a conversation in my head to make sure I didn't say anything that could be taken the wrong way. I struggle with thinking before I speak. That being said, I try to be extra careful when meeting new people because first impressions rarely change, especially if you never come in contact with that person on a regular basis. I think when a public figure puts their foot in their mouth, it is worth doing a little research before you form your final opinion. Everyone deserves a second chance. If I was a public figure, Katy bar the door! The media would have a field day with me. :)

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    1. Sarah, I think you do a pretty good job representing yourself! I mean I have only ever talked with you through email and social media and I bet you are a really fun loving gal in person. I am definitely a person that likes to give second changes, however in a lot of situations we unfortunately don't get a change to make another impression.

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  2. Crystal, This is a great post! I too judged Richard Sherman after I sat and watched Erin Andrews interview him. I have read and heard about his achievements, why he isn't a "bad guy" and how he truly has a gift for the game, but I just keep going back to the fact that in MY opinion he acted in poor taste. I also wonder how many people from the Seahawks organization came to him shortly after the outburst and told him to get his act together?

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  3. It's such a shame that the media gets to replay THAT 15 seconds and THAT'S what you have chosen to pay attention to. Why not look at the 15 seconds before that when he ran over to Erin Andrews of Fox and gave her a HUGE hug? Or how about the 15 seconds before that, when he ran over to Crabtree and extended his hand to shake while uttering "hell of a game, hell of a game" and Crabtree chose to facemasked him? Or how about the 15 seconds when he walked across the stage as a Stanford graduate with a 3.9 GPA? How about the multiple 15 second clips when he shows up at schools and homes with clothes and shoes for underprivileged kids provided by his charity? Or the 15 seconds when he speaks to football teams and encourages them to think outside the field about what they are going to do with their lives, making deals with them to improve their grades for rewards such as new cleats?

    The fact is, we all get to chose which 15 seconds we pay attention to and give weight to when judging a person. I know which 15 seconds count and it certainly wasn't THAT clip, in MY opinion and that of many others.

    And I hate to tell you this, but my Seahawks are going to win ;) #GoHawks #25 #judgelestyeebejudged

    ~Suzie Salmon Seahawks fan forever :)

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    1. It is a shame, but it is also reality. Forunately a lot of people have read rest of the story and have maybe changed their mind on him. He does a ton for youth and his community. What it boils down to is we don't always have that second chance to make another impression on the people around us.

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