The ESPN Reporter That Should Be Getting The Attention

NFL Network Reporter Alex Flanagan (pictured) gave her take on Britt McHenry's parking garage blow up and how she feels about it.

In a great blog post, Flanagan says the wrong ESPN Reporter is getting all the attention. 

Speaking of McHenry, Flanagan writes, I certainly don’t wish her any ill will. My “mother of two daughters voice” hopes she’ll learn that while she was hired, maybe in part, because she’s in shape, has nice teeth and is well educated, those things don’t make her a better person…neither does having a job on TV. In fact, a tow truck employee who endures the rage of angry rule breakers, pissed their car got towed and whose job requires them to keep their cool even when insults are being hurled at them, probably deserves more accolades and respect than someone like me who attends sporting events for free and regurgitates coach speak.

Flanagan points out that McHenry went from being relatively unknown to being a household name this past week after that video of her degrading the tow company employee went viral. “No publicity is bad publicity” seems truer today than ever before. In our oversaturated TV market, executives want people who stand out, ones that can move the needle.

Flanagan thinks that people should be more focused on another ESPN Reporter and not McHenry. She writes, Shelley Smith has been a reporter for ESPN for more than 20 years. Like Britt, Shelley got into a nasty fight with an enemy. But you might not have heard about it. Shelly is battling breast cancer. She recently finished chemotherapy and before she starts a series of 25 radiation treatments in May, she’ll report for ESPN during the NFL Draft from Hawaii on quarterback Marcus Mariota.

About Smith, Flanagan writes, her hair doesn’t look so good these days. Because of chemo, she doesn’t have any. But instead of being angry and irate, she’s treated her enemy with grace and poise and has become an inspiration for others on how to behave when you have been totally screwed for no good reason at all. I would absolutely have her back if after a bad day she wanted to “go off” and give cancer a piece of her mind. But I doubt she ever will. If you ask me, that’s the kind of story and TV personality who deserves some air time.