Melissa Ford Thoughts on Jayne Kennedy
As much as Melyssa Ford wanted to conquer the world on T
uesday, she had no idea -- nor was she prepared for -- what was about to happen to her.
Her icon status rose to another level.
Figuratively. Get it?
Somewhere between Pam Oliver/Ahni Luv, Jillian Barberie/Vida Guerra, Suzy Kolber/Buffie The Body, Ford -- known by many as Jessica Rabbit -- descended on this Super Bowl with mike in hand, and with the mission and vision to be the sports world's next Jayne Kennedy.
"Nobody in the business of sports journalism has done it with as much class, with as much beauty, with as much eloquence as Jayne Kennedy," she said. "No one has been able to follow her success. I want to come right behind her."
She paused. "Only bigger and better."
AP
The Seahawks were swarming around Melyssa. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
No other reporter got the attention Ms. Ford did on Tuesday. No one got the "gets" she got.
No one else had MVP Shaun Alexander, offensive guard William Henry, defensive tackles Chartric Darby and Rocky Bernard, defensive end Rodney Bailey, linebacker D.D. Lewis and cornerbacks Jeremy LeSueur and Jimmy Williams in a circle spitting original Super Bowl lyrics for his/her camera crew -- and getting on their Nextels to brag to their boys about who they were hanging with.
With every step, the "ooohs," "aaahs" and "oh snap!s" followed. From players and media cats alike. Even white journalists who had no idea who she was wanted to know who she was. Once seen, once experienced, they all understood why, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, there was a buzz on the field that was appropriately named after her.
Even Jimmy Williams admitted, "I was trying not to look at her, but I had to. That's Melyssa Ford! She's at the Super Bowl!"
As ESPN's Michael Smith said, "Everyone thought this was going to be a regular, boring media day. Then she showed up."
But it wasn't the booty -- excuse me, that was a Freudian/Mike Epps slip -- the beauty that threw all who came in contact with her. This is what messed us all up: her skills.
"Tremendous talent," were the words used by Rams wide receiver Torry Holt, who was on assignment for the NFL Network. "The girl is deceptively bad [meaning good]. I can see her being the next one [in sports reporting] without a doubt."
"Captivating," is one word ESPN's Stuart Scott used. His other words? "And not just her looks. She was the star of the day."
All of a sudden, the most downloaded black woman on the planet … the one who keeps Black Men, Smooth and King magazines flying off newsstands whenever she appears in them … the one whose claim to worldwide fame is her appearances in Jay-Z's videos and Nelly's jeans … the one who played a hoochie mama in Showtime's "Soul Food" … has to be taken seriously.
Because her entry into the sports world just got serious.
"There's never been a challenge that I haven't been up to," she said later in the day, tossing back a red wine, with a salad in front of her. "As far as sports is concerned, I want to go deeper than what everyone is doing. I want to capture complete stories about players' lives. Not just the things we continuously see on television.
"A lot of professional athletes come from, how can I say [it], less-than-desirable living situations. A significant number of players, especially in the NBA and the NFL -- had it not been for their circumstances, Lord knows what they'd be doing right now. Driving a bus, selling crack, who knows? Telling these stories is what drives my interest. Getting behind the facade that's behind the image that's presented in the media."
What Jayne Kennedy did … only deeper.
