Rams reunion: sweet or cynical? Live
The St. Louis Rams organization got the warm and fuzzy media-moment it wanted on Saturday, when Marine Lt. August Valentine surprised his Rams' cheerleader wife, Candace Ruocco Valentine, also a Marine, at a preseason game.
The frequency of these type of reunions at sporting events has gone and flipped the cynical switch at Deadspin. A recent article takes shots at the event for several reasons, including the fact that the groom is a grandson of legendary tycoon Gussie Busch.
Awesome moment of the day?
A @StLouisRams cheerleader gets surprise visit from her husband, back home from overseas. http://t.co/meluCqVZQy
11:00 PM - 29 Aug 2015
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The Deadspin article also points out that the cheerleader, is the daughter of Katherine Ruocco, a candidate for Illinois state representative for the 113th district (Rep. Jay Hoffman's current seat). The district includes Granite City as well as parts of Fairview Heights and Belleville.
On Twitter, many people shared the video of the reunion, as well as the Deadspin reaction:
A lot of levels to examine when it comes to the NFL and militarism. Curious what you think of this @ToLey88 piece? http://t.co/gM1xXOGgy9
4:00 PM - 02 Sep 2015
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4:41 PM - 02 Sep 2015
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4:14 PM - 02 Sep 2015
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@TurfShowTimes @ToLey88 @Deadspin Who cares if it's staged! NFL=entertainment & our military & families deserve praise! Get Rams2LA already!
11:28 AM - 02 Sep 2015
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Ruocco posted video of the reunion to her campaign page:
Our daughter USMC First Lieutenant Candace Ruocco Valentine (also a St. Louis Rams cheerleader) received the Soldier Salute honor at the St. Louis Rams v. Indianapolis Colts football game last night.... and a surprise visit from her USMC husband returning from overseas :) God bless and watch over all of our military men and women.
Click to view Facebook VideoKatherine Ruocco for ...via Facebook on August 30 at 3:26 PM
Candace Valentine said the reunion "was intended to be a very small gesture at a preseason game" which don't typically have much coverage or interest, Valentine said. She said the attention to the couple's family backgrounds seems overly negative. "The negative reactive is shocking to me, but it's been overwhelmingly positive otherwise."
