Dealing with the media is part of an athlete’s job
February 6, 2019
We’ve all seen it. The famous Marshawn Lynch post-game interview, more commonly remembered as the “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” interview.
The more I work in sports journalism, the more I understand how important of a role the media plays in sports. It’s understandable that some players like the spotlight while others don’t, but we live in a world with an obsessive media. Fans are always obsessing over star athletes and are looking to connect with them in some way.
That is why the four major sports organizations require players to talk to reporters. They have to continue to make the fans happy. After interviews are done, they are usually played on sports channels or used for local media outlets. It’s what helps keep people interested in both the players and the organizations that they play for. At the end of the day, it’s always going to be a business.
Athletes are paid millions of dollars a year to play their respective sports. It might have gotten lost in the fact that athletes are playing a game, but it is still their job. Part of their job obligations is to cooperate with the media, represent their teams properly and serve as a positive role model to the audience.
Athletes need the media. They are the ones putting fans in seats and money in the bank for the multi-million dollar athletes to benefit from. Friends or not, they need each other. It would actually make life easier on reporters if they didn’t have to worry about lack of participation from the athletes. Ultimately, it would keep the fans focused on the games instead of drama-filled postgame interviews. Wouldn’t athletes prefer their highlight plays be shown over news that they blew off the media? Reporters are always going to look out for themselves, so it’s best to have them on your side.
Athletes also don’t have to answer every single question that reporters ask them. They are allowed to ask for the next question if they are questioned about something that they don’t feel like talking about. As long as that response is not abused and as long as they participate and answer other questions the best that they can, no reporter will get mad. For pro athletes, taking part in interviews with reporters is their job. That is what they get paid to do, and the media is what’s helping them continue to get paid. After all, the media is only there so they won’t get fired.
Thomas Mc Geown • May 30, 2021 at 6:11 pm
It is amazing how the trendy left’ obsession with respect and mental health is dumped.When it comes to forcing distressed sports athletes to give press interviews. The majority of the fans support the rights of the athletes over the servile press jackal interviewers of BBC and Sky who are out to exploit them for their own profit. Solidarity with Osaka.
C.J. McClure • Jan 24, 2021 at 5:55 pm
It costs $0.00 to be a fan of a sports team. Fans pump out all this money because they want to, not because they have to, or are obligated to in any way. No one’s forcing them to give what they give, so they arent really entitled to a athletes personal thoughts and opinions, on that basis. The idea that “I pay all this money for games, and jerseys, and whatever” so im entitled to these things from an athlete is absolutely ludicrous. At the end of the day, you can switch allegiances to a different team, or stop going to games, or buying apparel and suffer no consequences at all. So this idea that athletes “owe” fans something, cuz of the “sacrifices” they make for the team they play for, is an invalid one. This idea comes out worse when fans think they can berate, abuse, and harass players cuz “I pay money to watch this team.” And the ability to not speak if you dont want to speak is literally a basic human right, thats why police give the “Anything you say or do can and will be used against you.” line when arresting people. The idea that fan’s “right” to happiness somehow trumps an athletes right to LITERALLY FREEDOM OF SPEECH just baffles me. An athlete’s job isnt to speak to the media. He/She wasnt drafted or given a contract because of how well he could speak to the media. Its to play a sport. Thats literally it. Theyre there because they can play a sport well, to play a sport well and that’s it. This addressing the media stuff isnt apart of that. How well they can speak to the media isnt going to affect their actual job. No one’s gonna trade or sign or cut a guy cuz “He’s just not good at speaking to the media.” Athletes dont hold out cuz “Dont they see how well I spoke to the media? I should be paid a lot more for that.” Athletes dont get bonuses cuz of how well their media interviews go. It literally all has to do with the performance in the sport they play and thats it. So literally on that alone, dealing with the media isnt apart of an athletes job. They’re human beings with the right to free speech. If they dont want to talk about something to people who are just gonna twist way they say and make false narratives, or paint a false image of them to capitalize and exploit, then they shouldnt have to. Its not gonna affect what they actually get paid to do. Or what people pay to see them do. Sure money from the fans is what keeps athletes paid, but thats a hill for the athletes to die on. Fans pay to watch the players play a sport(or stuff specifically to an athletes job of playing a sport). They arent obligated to receive or owed anything else from that player, just because of how much money pay to see a player play a sport. If I pay you specifically to fix a leak in my house you dont owe me a TV installation on the side, just cuz I paid you a lot to do it. I paid to get my leak fixed, thats it. Im not obligated to receive anything else. Fans pay to watch players play a sport, or show support for those players playing a sport. Thats it. They arent obligated to receive anything else. If fans dont like that, then they can just stop giving the athletes money. But again, they tune into games, or buy jerseys, or pay for tickets at games, specifically related to athletes playing a sport, not at all related to athletes giving interviews. No one buy LeBron’s, jerseys or put him at the top of NBA player rankings cuz of how good he is at addressing media. Therefore the only thing that should be obligated from NBA players is for them to show to practices and games, and play to the best of their ability. That’s it.
Tank Destroyer • Jun 7, 2019 at 5:36 am
Im havin good, having a fun time, because I am going to play basketball and shoot, baskets, and have the best time, that I could ever, have. Ma haecut , looks nice p