Ottawa vs. An ‘Idol’ alumnus
It isn’t often that an entire city turns on the wife of an athlete, but that appears to be the case in Ottawa, Canada. In case you’re not up to speed on your athletes-dating-celebrities north of the border: Mike Fisher is an NHL player. If you don’t pay attention to hockey, he falls somewhere between decent and average. He’s having a terrible 2010-2011 season.
In July of last year, Fisher got married to one of the most famous “American Idol” alums, Carrie Underwood. She lives in Nashville. Fisher was in Ottawa. She’d travel north and attend his games, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the two were the city’s “It” couple, and hung out with the Prime Minister.
But Fisher was traded last week. Dealt to — you guessed it — the Nashville Predators. Outrage followed in Ottawa, and not because Fisher was a big loss (though he was one of the team’s most popular players). You see, the city feels as though Underwood somehow orchestrated the deal (or her husband did, upon her advice) so the two could be in the same city.
Incredibly, the departure of Fisher and Underwood was compared to the Edmonton Oilers trading Wayne Gretzky to the LA Kings in 1988, which — allegedly — happened because his wife (Janet Jones) was in Hollywood acting.
At some point, we almost expect Carmelo Anthony’s wife, “entertainer” La La Vazquez, to be blamed for his exit from Denver. They were married last July, and naturally it was part of her reality TV show. She’s probably angling for a spot on “The Real Housewives of New York” as I type this.
» Your quote of the week, although it may only amuse me:
Cam Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner who led Auburn to a national title last season and then declared for next month’s NFL draft, where he’s supposed to be taken in the first round, perhaps in the top 10:
“I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.”
Way to start that branding early, Cam. If you haven’t followed Newton’s checkered college career, he started at Florida, and was thought to be the heir apparent to Tim Tebow. But Newton was arrested for stealing a student’s laptop computer and withdrew from school. Then he turned up at a junior college before going to Auburn.
Multiple outlets reported — and the NCAA confirmed — that Newton’s dad tried to “sell” the quarterback to Mississippi State for $180,000.
Icon, indeed.
–Jason Raj McIntyre covers athletes away from the field of play and runs the popular blog, TheBigLead.com
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