Reporters Need To Not Serve As A Distraction
I've covered locker rooms for several years in the NFL and NHL. A locker room is a strange place to be, a place where you try to get a dripping wet, 340 pound naked man to tell you something meaningful about their team's 41-3 loss. Or a man from some Eastern European country to explain to you in broken English how the winning goal was scored. Players are not thrilled when the gaggle of reporters comes bursting through the door. And I don't blame them. I don't know how much I would enjoy getting my brains beat out on the field, then be accosted immediately after taking a shower.
Let me be clear on this: I'm okay with female reporters. I'm okay with any reporter actually there to do their job. What I can't stand are the people who cover games who do nothing. And, unfortunately, there are many of those.
Working for a sports radio station, we needed tape to supplement our programming. Sometimes, out of market stations or networks would use us as stringers. Having access to players after a game was critical to our success. The best way to deal with players is cover practices. Then you become a familiar face on game day and you may have two or three players that you have a relationship with you can go and talk to. Everyone wants to talk to the quarterback, but sometimes a defensive end or guard has an interesting perspective. One of my all-time favorites was Grey Rugamer. He'd always say something interesting and funny.
I've worked with female reporters before and, as I said, they are just like male reporters in that the ones who know and understand their jobs are great to be around. Theresa Walker from the AP in Nashville an outstanding reporter and is respected by everyone in that market. In fact, I introduced a young female reporter to her so that my young friend might learn something from someone I have nothing but positive things to say about.
What I hate are the people who are issued credentials that don't belong within 10 miles of a press box or locker room. You see them every year at Super Bowl media day, the people from MTV or Hollyscoop. The people from radio morning shows who go to ask strange questions and care more about getting a rise out of someone than the game. They act like those guys in the Coors Lite commercials.
The wide access given the media by the NFL may be the issue. I think media directors ought to restrict locker room access to people who actually belong there rather than accommodate everyone. I know that this isn't practical, but tightening up who gets locker room access and who doesn't might go a long way to keeping the posers out. It's the posers that cause the problem.
Bottom line is, there are both media and players at fault from this recent deal with the Jets. The person who sent Ines Sainz to cover the Jets did so purely because of the way she looks, thinking the players would talk to her. The media director who gave TV Azteca credentials apparently thought they were a legitimate news organization (that can be debated). Ines Sainz is about as quaified to cover games and locker rooms as my dog Butkus, and I bet B.D. knows more about football than she does. She dresses provocitvely and innapropriately for the locker room. This doesn't codone the Jets conduct, but it does point out this situation was headed for a train wreck the minute someone let her in.
If you act and dress as a professional, you'll be treated like one. If you dress like another kind of professional, you'll be treated like one as well.
Let me be clear on this: I'm okay with female reporters. I'm okay with any reporter actually there to do their job. What I can't stand are the people who cover games who do nothing. And, unfortunately, there are many of those.
Working for a sports radio station, we needed tape to supplement our programming. Sometimes, out of market stations or networks would use us as stringers. Having access to players after a game was critical to our success. The best way to deal with players is cover practices. Then you become a familiar face on game day and you may have two or three players that you have a relationship with you can go and talk to. Everyone wants to talk to the quarterback, but sometimes a defensive end or guard has an interesting perspective. One of my all-time favorites was Grey Rugamer. He'd always say something interesting and funny.
I've worked with female reporters before and, as I said, they are just like male reporters in that the ones who know and understand their jobs are great to be around. Theresa Walker from the AP in Nashville an outstanding reporter and is respected by everyone in that market. In fact, I introduced a young female reporter to her so that my young friend might learn something from someone I have nothing but positive things to say about.
What I hate are the people who are issued credentials that don't belong within 10 miles of a press box or locker room. You see them every year at Super Bowl media day, the people from MTV or Hollyscoop. The people from radio morning shows who go to ask strange questions and care more about getting a rise out of someone than the game. They act like those guys in the Coors Lite commercials.
The wide access given the media by the NFL may be the issue. I think media directors ought to restrict locker room access to people who actually belong there rather than accommodate everyone. I know that this isn't practical, but tightening up who gets locker room access and who doesn't might go a long way to keeping the posers out. It's the posers that cause the problem.
Bottom line is, there are both media and players at fault from this recent deal with the Jets. The person who sent Ines Sainz to cover the Jets did so purely because of the way she looks, thinking the players would talk to her. The media director who gave TV Azteca credentials apparently thought they were a legitimate news organization (that can be debated). Ines Sainz is about as quaified to cover games and locker rooms as my dog Butkus, and I bet B.D. knows more about football than she does. She dresses provocitvely and innapropriately for the locker room. This doesn't codone the Jets conduct, but it does point out this situation was headed for a train wreck the minute someone let her in.
If you act and dress as a professional, you'll be treated like one. If you dress like another kind of professional, you'll be treated like one as well.
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