For the ladies: you're apparently lucky I got this Andre Ethier shot

Posted by Ryan Jerz 05/01/2009. Permalink | Shortlink | Tweet it!

Andre EthierAndre Ethier: This is my most viewed photo on Flickr, and could become more popular as a rarity. Photo by Ryan Jerz.

It appears my man Andre Ethier isn’t too keen on having his photo taken, since he signed a pretty lucrative deal this past off-season. I actually have no idea if that’s the reason, but what he says makes sense, and he did just become quite wealthy, and is a pretty marketable face and talent.

I’m not in any way bashing on Ethier here. I love him as a player, and was thrilled I got that shot. I’ve also written at length about him in the past. Amazingly, that post was pretty accurate in relation to his season so far in 2009.

Anyway, I think the fact that his pretty open admission to not wanting his photo taken could lead to an interesting discussion about athletes, their marketability, and the problems that could arise with the total proliferation of Facebook and other social sites. Ethier’s claim that a routine dinner with a beer could become “out at 3am and hammered” is not far from the truth. I like those photos as much as the next guy, and I’m a frequent reader of sites such as Deadspin because they do a great job of making athletes seem exactly like the rest of us. But I take it all with a grain of salt, too.

In the meantime, enjoy my photo of Andre Ethier. And enjoy the season he’s having.

Ryan JerzRyan Jerz is an all-around good guy who shoots photos and video, builds websites, and works in athletics at the University of Nevada, Reno. He received a Masters Degree in 2007 from the University of Nevada, Reno's Reynolds School of Journalism.

Comments

Laura wrote:

He is definitely a looker… I had no idea.

My husband and I often have discussions about professional athletes and their willingness (or lack of) to meet & greet with fans. My husband takes the high road and says it’s not an obligation nor in their job description, but I muse that these guys must have been little boys in a ballpark at one time, and have they forgotten what that felt like? Interesting topic for sure.

May 1, 05:00 PM

Ryan Jerz wrote:

I tend to agree with both of you. If it had been any number of other athletes, I admit I might have reacted differently. But Ethier has been decent in the past, according to things I’ve read. He did have one story that was printed about him that I wonder if it caused him to change his tune. He supposedly said something to the effect of “I have a lot of girlfriends already” to some fans at Wrigley Field. He is married with a couple of kids, and while he certainly wouldn’t be the first athlete to have extramarital affairs if that were true, if it wasn’t then it could have easily made him a different guy toward people. I think especially so now that he’s a fixture in the Majors and has a good contract.

May 1, 07:02 PM

LB wrote:

You don’t expect me to admit I like that photo, do you?

May 2, 09:36 AM

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