Pack v Canes: There is a reason why Dale Gibson writes about business instead of working in business

The feud between the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University has taken too many turns for us to ignore any longer. We will go back and paint a more complete, comprehensive and educated picture of the issues in the near future.  Today, someone has to chime in with some facts and common sense, considering the poor media must be handicapped by secret laws that somehow stunt their ability to think and definitely limit their ability to research, as opposed to serving as stenographers for Gale Force Holdings and the Carolina Hurricanes.

The basic situation here is actually pretty simple – 

1. NC STATE HAS CONTRACTUAL SCHEDULING PRIORITY at PNC Arena. PERIOD. There is no arguing this. The Hurricanes have admitted it.  Some may not like it.  Some may wish it were different. But, it is a fact that exists in reality and is not disputed.
2. The previous NC State administration, led by Lee Fowler and James Oblinger, effectively chose to subordinate NC State’s rights and priorities on these matters.  Just accept this as fact and don’t worry about too many of the specifics.  But, when analyzing this situation, please ask yourself how often your view of how something should have been handled lined up with the views of Lee Fowler and James Oblinger?
3. The current NC State administration, led by Debbie Yow and Randy Woodson, is choosing to exercise the legal rights bestowed on NC State in our agreements with Gale Force Holdings and the Centennial Authority.  NC State is not asking for any special rights or benefits beyond those previously agreed to by all parties.
4. The Carolina Hurricanes/Gale Force Holdings have launched a public relations barrage and media blitz criticizing NC State, and are clearly trying to leverage some preconceived notions that Debbie Yow is difficult with which to work.
5. NC State has, disappointingly, remained quiet on the topic; seemingly choosing to retreat to our old behaviors of rolling over and playing dead instead of standing up for ourselves, fighting for what is best for NC State, and fighting with a well constructed media campaign.
6. The local media has been all to happy to participate in the one-sided ‘reporting’ of whatever the Hurricanes have to say without much effort to dig into the complex layers of the situation.
7. Earlier today the Centennial Authority asked Randy Woodson and Jim Rutherford to meet regarding the scheduling issues.  (Link)

This brings us to today, when SFN was pulled into the dialogue by Dale Gibson, the Managing Editor of the Triangle Business Journal; he wrote this abomination of an editorial in an attempt to continue supporting the Hurricanes’ public relations media blitz.  This is a sad, sad, sad article/opinion; made even more sad by how ill-informed Gibson is regarding the specifics of this situation.  That lack knowledge doesn’t stop him from sharing his erratic opinion, however.  Ultimately, this provides a clear and obvious reason why Dale Gibson writes about business instead of actually working in business.

Gibson’s piece  uses an anonymous quote from our message forum community as support for his ‘opinion’.  Oh my God. You read that correctly. You want to know why print media is dying and no one respects the opinions of its reporters? Look no further than this type of sad and shoddy ‘editorial’. Why Mr. Gibson didn’t just truck on down to the Moore Square bus terminal for some better quotes that would match his uneducated, preconceived notions is a mystery to us all.

The rest of the work Mr. Gibson did pen is equally sad.  For example:

• He admits that he has never met Debbie Yow, so he has no idea what she is like to work with.  He says, “I have never met Debbie Yow, but by all accounts she is, uh, what’s the phrase? “Tough as nails.”  

Really?  THAT is what we’ve devolved into?  A veiled reference to calling a tough woman in the workplace a ‘bitch’ but not having the stones to do it?  Could you imagine old Dale trying to fit into today’s modern American real world work environment with that 1960’s mindset?  You wanted to call her a ‘bitch’. You were dying to call her a ‘bitch’. Why try to hide from your sexism and not just call her a ‘bitch.’. It’s easy. Watch this: you’re a pussy. See! See how easy that was?  Be a fucking man next time and say what you mean.

• Gibson often cites that NC State and the Hurricanes have gotten along for ’13 years’ prior to the evil Debbie Yow showing up.  It is here where the article’s goal to assassinate Yow’s character can’t be mistaken and falls prey to the GFH spin machine that is misleading the all-too-eager local media.  What else can explain the willingness to either lie or willfully ignore the fact that NC State and Gale Force Holdings have previously engaged in legal arbitration at least once in the past 13 years?  Gee, I wonder why that hasn’t been reported by ANYONE in the litany of stories over the last couple of weeks where the sweet-hearted Hurricanes have waxed poetic about the amazing love affair of the last ’13 years’.  Sounds like a relevant fact. I wonder why it hasn’t been reported?  Oh yes, because it screws up the current media strategy to make this all about ‘unreasonable’ Debbie Yow.

OF COURSE the last 13 years have been considered ‘great’ by the Hurricanes.  Think about it: one side of the relationship was getting significant benefits (and resulting economic profit) to which they were not remotely entitled for absolutely zero cost.  The other side of the relationship was too dumb, stupid, lazy, incompetent and personally selfish to care at all about the arrangement.  OF COURSE hiccups were few and far between!  Now that one side of the relationship is no longer lobotomized, the other side suddenly doesn’t like the deal.  How have local writers been SO focused on telling the Hurricanes story that they’ve missed the fact that the real story is not Debbie Yow in 2013; the real story is Lee Fowler and NC State’s incompetence for the entire decade before Debbie Yow arrived?

In fact, as I was writing this piece Chancellor Woodson was quoted by the N&O making the my exact point:

“That’s the big challenge,” Woodson said. “That’s where we’re going to have to have some real thoughtful conversation. Because everybody has talked about what’s changed. Nothing has changed. We have the same contract we’ve had forever. The difference is we’re really aspiring at N.C. State for athletic excellence. It’s important for us to give our coaches every opportunity to schedule. … the best games during the year. That’s what we’re doing.”

If Dale Gibson and Gale Force, and everyone else out there, want NC State to give up its legal and contractual scheduling priority, then what do you suggest NC State receives in return?  In a business transaction one side needs to provide consideration to the other as compensation for an asset, option, property or right. All anyone can tell at the moment is that NC State is supposed to give their rights away to the Hurricanes because, well, basically, some people simply seem to like the Hurricanes more than you like Debbie Yow or NC State.

Now that I think of it — the Triangle Business Journal should have to give up its space on news stands to Business North Carolina Magazine.   What does it matter that TBJ has negotiated with vendors and given consideration to have a right of garnering certain placements on news stands?   Business North Carolina Magazine (‘BNC’) deserves that space, because, well, I like BNC!  They are great guys and are my friends.  And, I hear that Dale Gibson at TBJ is really hard to work with.  Some people even say he is, how do you say it, a ‘wuss’.  So, it doesn’t surprise me at all that TBJ is being mean and not letting BNC have more of TBJ’s contractual space on news stands.  It is time for TBJ and Dale Gibson to stop being so unreasonable!  After all,  this is America in 2013.  Who REALLY is expected to live up to agreements and contracts?  What good is the rule of law and previously agreedto commitments when it gets in the way of my personal preferences and the pocket books of my buddies?  Join me in proclaiming that it time for Dale Gibson and the TBJ to stop being so unreasonable and let other newspapers and magazines have TBJ’s space on newstands!

See how that works?

Post-Script #1: Dear Dale, I’m genuinely sorry for calling you a pussy.  But, I had to make my point in an extreme way about how out of bounds a veiled reference to a ‘bitch’ is in today’s world.