“I wanted to ask Boyle about his terrific career a couple of weeks ago, but he was too busy carrying out his classless, planned, pathetic personal attack on a reporter. So, bye. Grade: D.”~Rick Carpiniello
The above statement demonstrates the seriousness of how the media perceives an athlete. The media can either become an ally or an enemy for a player, so a player wants to be careful how she treats the media. Further, an athlete could find herself in difficult waters if she fails to meet league or sponsor’s expectations regarding interaction with the media.
In 2014, Marshawn Lynch was fined $100,000 for not making himself available to the media after the Seattle Seahawks-Kansas City Chiefs game. The $100,000 was actually the combination of two separate $50,000 fines; one that was imposed in 2013 for not meeting with the media and a new one for his current violation.
According to the NFL’s media office, “The NFL Media Policy mandates that players must be available to the media during the practice week at the team facility and in the locker room following all games. Star players, or other players with unusually heavy media demands, must be available to the media that regularly cover their teams at least once during the practice week in addition to their required postgame media availability.”
Lynch spoke to a couple of reporters via the phone after the Chiefs game, but that was not enough to satisfy the League. Trying to avoid another fine, Lynch had a 50 word interview after the Seahawks-Arizona Cardinals game.
The idea that an athlete has to speak to the media is troubling especially in light of the numerous complaints pundits and officials within the League and on teams have with guys speaking their mind on social media. If a guy says something others disagree with, then the guy receives unnecessary media attention and is the bad guy.
Most athletes do not want to be bulletin board material. And some athletes prefer their privacy. Most importantly, sometimes, a player has a bad day either on or off the field. The expectation that an athlete has to make himself available after a game–especially if he played horribly or was hurt–can be terribly insensitive. But it is a journalist job to get the interview in every situation.
Hence, there are interviews like Marshawn Lynch’s. While it gave journalists something to chuckle at, there was really wasn’t anything said that a journalist could use in a story. The NFL cannot be upset; the obligation was met. Yet, from the outside looking in, it appears that interview was a waste of time.
Last year, the St. Louis Blues lost to the San Jose Sharks in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals. The guys were devastated, and in a remarkable stance, Coach Ken Hitchcock allowed the players time to grieve before interacting with the media.
Perhaps, there should be more flexibility in the NFL as well as other league’s media policy to avoid wasting everyone’s time. Until then, here are few pointers to keep an athlete out of trouble with the media, fans and more importantly, the league (any league):
⦁ Never attack a member of the media even when provoked-try not to take things personally;
⦁ Allow designated player association personnel to speak about labor disputes-some version of “no comment” works well in this situation;
⦁ Stay humble and think before you speak;
⦁ Make supportive statements about teammates and players associations without lying;
⦁ If you get caught in a sticky situation, accept responsibility;
⦁ Remember the media will either be your ally or your enemy;
⦁ What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas–the same is true of the locker room;
⦁ Zip the lips–avoid gossip (off the record comments), lies, omissions, and do not over share information;
⦁ Prepare for interviews;
⦁ Be professional, respectful and engaging when interviewing;
⦁ Know your brand and be yourself; and
⦁ Be thankful for the opportunity to be interviewed–someone else would love to be in your shoes.
If you still feel uncomfortable interviewing, seek assistance from a retired journalist or press agent. Further, do not forget to learn the language, or hire an interpreter, for the country that the interview will take place. In any case as was noted in commentary on Outside the Lines this week, take a cue from one of the best athletes to ever address the press–the New York press at that–Derek Jeter.
Source: SNY