Mindfucking Mintzy
Full Disclosure:
I’m good friends with Ben Mintz (a.k.a. “Mintzy”). I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. We’ve played poker together, partied together, and attended music concerts together. He’s a great guy and terrific media personality. He’s also excellent at what he does for Barstool Sports (though I’m neither a fan nor a follower of that media outlet).
Backstory:
After stints in New Orleans and New York, Mintzy now lives and works in Chicago. He entered a big poker tournament a few days ago. To his surprise, he ended up at the final table, which will be played later today (Monday). I don’t follow poker anymore, but I think the prize money at stake in this tournament is well over $100,000. So, it’s a possible huge score for him. Oh, and Mintzy also enters the final nine with the chip lead. Great spot to be in…or …maybe not.
The Problem:
Trouble is, Mintzy works full-time for Barstool Sports. He’s been a controversial figure and is now one of their most popular personalities. He does a lot of on-site reporting — mostly color commentary and fun stuff to watch. Mintzy was assigned to cover an event for Barstool Sports today, which apparently is a big deal. As an employee he certainly had an obligation to be there ready to work, and he failed in that responsibility. However, Mintzy is playing the final table today (at last report). The owner of the Barstool website found out about this, and was pissed. Justifiably so, in my opinion.
Making the Problem Much Worse: So, what do you do? Chip equity is probably $40,000 or so (that’s purely a guess). He might win well over $100,000. But, he’s also put his employer in a really bad spot. This isn’t a win-win. In fact, I might be a lose-lose. If Mitzy plays the tournament, will he get fired? If he fulfills his obligation to his employer, he walks away from a chance at a six-figure score (not showing up means getting blinded off — I had that happen once back in 1998 at the New England Poker Classic….I left the final table and was blinded off).
My Take:
What I think is most outrageous is the owner of Barstool Sports publicly embarrassing and humiliating an employee in public, in a very shameful way. This strikes me as the height of unprofessionalism. Even though I can sympathize with Mintzy, he certainly screwed up. He should never have entered a tournament that would create a conflict and hardship for others. Mintzy probably deserves some disciplinary action. Maybe, he should even be fired. But that’s a decision to be made AFTER this tournament. It’s also a decision that should be made IN PRIVATE. Putting someone’s problems on a national social media platform is a disgraceful display. It also seems subject to some legal action, assuming Mintzy suffers from it. Sure, go ahead and handle the matter behind closed doors and if warranted, terminate his employment. But to humiliate someone like this isn’t just unprofessional. It’s repulsive. How many of us would like our mistakes and worst moments to be broadcast to the world, potentially causing financial and emotional distress?
I also think it’s outrageous to mindfuck someone before perhaps the biggest moment of their poker life. Those of you who have competed in high-pressure situations like this will understand. Gee, couldn’t this phone call, posted on Instagram wait until after the tournament? Moreover, does such an exchange really belong in public? How fucking rude.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH (though I hate giving this person and site clicks)
I debated whether or not to comment on this issue. Typically, I would not want to give any added publicity to a person or site that treats its employees in this manner. However, since the issue is now public knowledge and everyone seems to have an opinion on it (what serious poker player hasn’t faced a similar problem with time constraints, albeit on a smaller scale?), I’m putting this out there for discussion and debate.
Oh, and for those who suggest this is a prank or orchestrated, that makes things even worse. To intentionally mislead followers with no explanation or disclaimer is grossly irresponsible.
You can watch the video and decide for yourself.
Comments welcome.
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