Curtis Granderson, sports stars, and sex shops

By: American Decency Staff

[Editor's additional note as of December 2, 2007]: We are noting that we have arrived on someone's blog. That's understandable. Some within our office have been Curtis Granderson baseball fans as well. We aren't trying to demean this fine young ball player who has done and is doing a lot of good in the community. We don't deny any of that.We are writing because he is a sports figure that IS looked up to by many youngsters and to have his name and picture (he was the only athlete pictured in the Detroit Free Press article – see url below) tied directly to the sex industry is alarming. Sex shops (as the article states and as our article states) are trouble. THEY ARE NOT GENTLEMAN'S CLUBS.] In addition, we now, too, discover that in 2007 he agreed to become the baseball correspondent for The Playboy Morning Show, heard exclusively on Sirius Satellite Radio. Isn't this rather telling as well? We think so. (The company that invented entertainment for the sophisticated gentleman has reinvented it for the radio with features borrowed from the magazine such as The Playboy Advisor and The Playboy Forum, plus weekly contributions from senior editors, Playboy Playmates …" [http://www.fullathletemarketing.com/News_032607.html] I'm writing today about sports stars and their inclination to frequent sex shops. Below I am going to point to one baseball star that I hope that you will blog urging him to take higher ground for himself and for those young athletes that already look to him at his young age. I read the following article in the Detroit Free last week – November 21, 2007. It caught my attention particularly because a young Detroit Tiger star, whom many think is a quality guy, states that: ''It's a place where you can go and be a guy,' … The article entitled "Tigers' Curtis Granderson, others, talk about how strip clubs are prime for athletes" starts by stating the following: "It is pro sports' open secret: A legal, but risky, world of women, adult entertainment, testosterone, money and alcohol, where athletes bond with teammates, celebrate victories and drown sorrows over losses. In what used to be old, dimly lit places with sawdust on the floor and a stigma attached to the furtive patrons, athletes now are in plain view at a new breed of high-end "gentlemen's clubs" with VIP sections, late-night dining, limo service — and, increasingly, trouble. …" http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007311210004 Several years ago we fought hard in Michigan to oppose sex shops due to the criminality, degradation, health concerns and destruction of life. We had a number of individuals come forward who came out of the pornography industry to testify of what occurs in these pits of hell. One of these was a former manager of Deja Vu out of Jackson, Michigan. David Sherman. His testimony was replicated by former dancers who gave similar accounts. [sidebar: Mr. Sherman, to his shame, has returned to the money of the sex industry in recent years] Dave Sherman's account before a Michigan House committee in 2000. "Having been involved in the Adult Entertainment Industry for fourteen years. I am very aware of the consequences this business can have on all involved. Over the years, I’ve seen friendships, families and lives destroyed. Much of the activity of the adult entertainment industry is illegal and criminal. In addition, there are tremendous negative effects on entertainers, communities, local businesses as well as families. The following, for your benefit, are some of my personal experiences with the Adult Entertainment Industry. Right from the start, drug and alcohol use is rampant. The dancers call it partying. They don’t realize that they are medicating themselves in order to do the work they do. Also, the abortion rate is extremely high due to the fact that most have lost contact with family members due to what they do. They also feel they could never take the chance on flawing the body from carrying a child. Additionally, the dancers believe they have no way to support a baby without dancing, and therefore can’t quit to have one. Basically, they are caught in a a very real, painful catch-22. The girls, if they have never danced, are usually extremely against it and most of the times are hired as waitresses, even though waitresses are not needed. This makes the atmosphere become part of their life. At this point, they see it as a job, not as stripping and are converted quite easily to dancing. Once dancing, they get used to being objectified. It becomes as important to them to hear how beautiful they are 200 times a day as it is to actually make the money from the dancing. Between the use of drugs to medicate what they do and hearing how beautiful they are all all the time, they soon experience what I call “BDAâ€Â Basic Dancer Attitude. This is when the dancer thinks that no matter what friends, children, husband and families think about them, it doesn’t matter. They can all be replaced because all of the patrons around her find her attractive, beautiful and idolized. Now, the dancers are truly caught in the “adultâ€Â scene. With friends and family gone from their lives, they exist alone in this dark, subculture of sex, drugs, alcohol and prostitution. All of this perverse living, to the dancer, is now just part of her normal lifestyle. After a couple of years at this level, the dancer then realizes she is getting older and attempts to fit back into society. She tries boyfriends, school or really anything to cling to what is 'normal.' Realizing that she cannot live in both worlds, she returns to the subculture of the Adult Business, actually despising the real world. This leads to more dependency on drugs and alcohol, which now makes them 100% lost to this life. The dancers will continue living like this until they realize they can no longer stay at their 'current level', and keep making money and getting the compliments. Once they realize this, they begin to master more perverse things to make cash, to make up for fading looks and dancer burnout. The cycle then becomes even more vicious with depression, drugs, alcohol and body mutilation to stay thin. Finally, they realize they can no longer keep up with the new and younger girls and leave, going to one of five places. 1. They go to a very filthy, nasty club that’s full of girls in their position. Here they perform and do some of the most vile and filthy acts you can imagine to make money…." For the complete testimony, email me at: info@americandecency.org ============================== Lastly, I ask you to urge Curtis Granderson at his young age to understand the serious nature of his assertion that ''It's a place where you can go and be a guy,…" Offer counsel and caringly remind him of how highly he has been regarded and now to see his picture front and center on Free Press article and read from his own words: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007311210004 "… Strip clubs have become 'the place to be' for many young men and women, Detroit Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson says. 'It's a place where you can go and be a guy,' Granderson says. With the women, live entertainment and large-screen TVs showing sports, 'You've pretty much checked off everything on the list for what a guy might want to do to enjoy himself or relax outside his house.'…" Does this sound like an individual who has no knowledge or experience with strip clubs? In addition, in recent days we also discovered the following: March 26, 2007 – "Curtis Granderson, starting centerfielder for the American League champion Detroit Tigers, has agreed to become the baseball correspondent for The Playboy Morning Show, heard exclusively on Sirius Satellite Radio. Granderson will report every Monday morning during the 2007 Major League Baseball season. …" http://www.fullathletemarketing.com/News_032607.html Blog Curtis Granderson your concerns: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=granderson_curtis Also, express your thoughts to the Detroit Tigers Baseball club http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/help/email.jsp?c_id=det&primarySubject=Other&secondarySubject=None&dest=fanfeedback@tigers.mlb.com ADA — a) that the ADA is an overtly Christian organization whose positions on the nature of morality emanate from a biblical worldview. b) that Christians are called to the pursuit of holiness in all aspects of their lives. c) that holiness demands of God's people that they be a light in a darkened world d) that being a light in a darkened world does not mean selfish retreat from the world, but an activism within it that proceeds from love for our neighbor. e) that the ADA desires to provide those who would desire to be a light with the tools and resources necessary to be that light. OUR WORK IS STRENGTHENED WITH YOUR STANDING WITH US IN LETTER WRITING, PRAYER SUPPORT, FINANCIAL HELP. ADA IS A MEMBER OF THE ECFA EVANGELICAL COUNCIL FOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 https://americandecency.org

---