OT: Media and its relationship with athletes: does it need to change?

[Zaddy]

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka posted this today on her Twitter:



I really admire her courage in making such a big statement against the media and how it handles its interactions with athletes. These people (the athletes) are obviously paid handsomely and should not be shielded from criticism when it's warranted but I also find the whole media circus as being too invasive in this day and age, being interviewed before, during, after games and whenever else. And these interviews rarely even yield anything of substance as it's the same questions over and over again. And then of course there are the journalists, or hacks rather, who are clearly out to get certain players.

I think it's just become too much at this point. At the end of the the day athletes are athletes and they should be allowed to focus 100% on their craft and not constantly being forced to do press and media. These people are human too and should be treated with a little more respect and journalists shouldn't waste their time if they don't have anything constructive to ask them. Players will only give the same robotic answers regardless. I'd rather have less but higher quality media than 24/7 access that is only a nuisance to the players and also doesn't give much of an insight for the fans.

I don't know, I'm rambling on here. What do you guys think about this? Do you support Naomi Osaka's decision?

Click to read more...

 

[CravenMH]

I certainly don't have a problem with athletes after a loss declining interviews. For myself, I don't even watch them. Mainly because I can see in their faces that they really don't want to be there. So I feel that and also put myself in their shoes and really don't want to watch either. I will however watch/listen to the coaches post game.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I dont consider those reporters who only cover sports to be anything but Glorified fans to a point. Sounds nasty, but over the last few years, I have dealt with sport reporters and have lost respect for them due to how they carried themselves.

The media has changed. Like with the news, the "bleeds it leads" approach is how they do things and care little for actual facts and more about shock value.

 

[Beerfish]

Athletes get tossed utter soft ball questions 95% of the time.

If you would like to hand back half the money you make then avoid the media by all means.

It's part of the job.

If you don't want to participate in interviews , don't. I just don't care to hear about the reasons why.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I don't know why we are still doing interviews. Does anyone care what players say after a game, Win or Lose?

 

[Satire]

I'd rather each team has a PR person that deals with the news media.

I think that it is not just the interviews, it's the Twittersphere and everything else that people throw online that makes it tough. Before you'd give comments to the newspaper and that was the end of it. That's not the case in the world we live in now...

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I wouldn't miss hearing another player say "Gotta get pucks deep, play hard along the boards and win more puck battles" then proceed to not do any of that time and time again. Hockey players are the dullest athletes on earth.

Good for her.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

Just listen to the dumb questions the Oilers players have to field. Then they give an answer that the reporters don't like so the reporters ask them the same question worded slightly differently so that the reporter can try to get the quote they're looking for. If you're going to make players/athletes answer questions then set some standards. If the athletes get fined for not doing interviews and answering questions then maybe reporters should be fined or have their press passes temporarily revoked for asking stupid or asshole questions. Asking a challenging question is one thing, but a bunch of the questions athletes have to answer are just a waste of time or sometimes disrespectful so I appreciate where Osaka is coming from.

 

[Drivesaitl]

What do I think? A star athlete wants the pay but doesn't want the conditions that come with it. Its a complete cop out, and her colleagues end up having to carry weight of response to media instead of her.

I mean this is a priveleged life. What actually is she complaining about?

Media posit softball questions almost all day any day. I've yet to hear one ask RNH how much the series with the Jets would be different if he even compared 10yrs later to say Schiefele, Wheeler, etc, despite being #1 in his draft year. That could be construed as an invasive, dissecting direct question. It never gets asked.

I think Naomi could grow up and accept some of the responsibility that comes with being a star. I mean I doubt she's going to defer from front page paid articles or features so I suspect she's being a hypocrite. Translation she just can't be bothered and is using some lame excuse like star athletes are abused in media scrums.

Give evidence of how.

"Oh I'm being harmed" shut up

 

[yukoner88]

What do I think? A star athlete wants the pay but doesn't want the conditions that come with it. Its a complete cop out, and her colleagues end up having to carry weight of response to media instead of her.

I mean this is a priveleged life. What actually is she complaining about?

Media posit softball questions almost all day any day. I've yet to hear one ask RNH how much the series with the Jets would be different if he even compared 10yrs later to say Schiefele, Wheeler, etc, despite being #1 in his draft year. That could be construed as an invasive, dissecting direct question. It never gets asked.

I think Naomi could grow up and accept some of the responsibility that comes with being a star. I mean I doubt she's going to defer from front page paid articles or features so I suspect she's being a hypocrite. Translation she just can't be bothered and is using some lame excuse like star athletes are abused in media scrums.

Give evidence of how.

"Oh I'm being harmed" shut up

At the end of the day, they are still human though. Top athletes may get paid very well compared to us regular Joes, but that doesn't shield them from dealing with human emotions. Especially if they are dealing with a personal demon.

Some reporters/interviewers can be rather callous at digging into an athlete that's come up short in a big match with the pure purpose of trolling said athlete into having a more dramatic emotional response so they can get their headline or big sound bite in.

Athletes are expected to be professional under pressure, reporters should have standards too.

I don't think she's going into hiding, she's basically telling the press that she's not talking to them till they up their standards and quite being assholes, for the pure benefit not protections her own long term mental health.

 

[rboomercat90]

Maybe Naomi is worried that reporters are going to ask her why she’s started to physically resemble a linebacker since the COVID break ended for tennis players.

Funny how she had no problem talking to reporters last summer when she was pushing a cause.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Maybe Naomi is worried that reporters are going to ask her why she’s started to physically resemble a linebacker since the COVID break ended for tennis players.

Funny how she had no problem talking to reporters last summer when she was pushing a cause.

Bang. She loved the media attention prior.

What really changed?

 

[CageRage]

What do I think? A star athlete wants the pay but doesn't want the conditions that come with it. Its a complete cop out, and her colleagues end up having to carry weight of response to media instead of her.

I mean this is a priveleged life. What actually is she complaining about?

Media posit softball questions almost all day any day. I've yet to hear one ask RNH how much the series with the Jets would be different if he even compared 10yrs later to say Schiefele, Wheeler, etc, despite being #1 in his draft year. That could be construed as an invasive, dissecting direct question. It never gets asked.

I think Naomi could grow up and accept some of the responsibility that comes with being a star. I mean I doubt she's going to defer from front page paid articles or features so I suspect she's being a hypocrite. Translation she just can't be bothered and is using some lame excuse like star athletes are abused in media scrums.

Give evidence of how.

"Oh I'm being harmed" shut up

Exactly. You are paid handsomely to deal with all of the parts of the job, so do it.

I get paid a lot less and I deal with assholes all the time in my line of work. Over time I have perfected my craft of dealing with assholes. It's a good skill to have.

 

[Drivesaitl]

At the end of the day, they are still human though. Top athletes may get paid very well compared to us regular Joes, but that doesn't shield them from dealing with human emotions. Especially if they are dealing with a personal demon.

Some reporters/interviewers can be rather callous at digging into an athlete that's come up short in a big match with the pure purpose of trolling said athlete into having a more dramatic emotional response so they can get their headline or big sound bite in.

Athletes are expected to be professional under pressure, reporters should have standards too.

I don't think she's going into hiding, she's basically telling the press that she's not talking to them till they up their standards and quite being assholes, for the pure benefit not protections her own long term mental health.

What is actually the stated concern? Why does she now forbid interview. what actually initiated this. I do not see the actual concern explained anywhere. I have about as much sympathy for an athlete complaining about how the big bad media are harming them than I do Harry and Megan complaining about their terrible lot in life being spoiled pampered royalty.

That said, I had no problem with Glenn Anderson refusing to speak to media after awhile because he just considered them pricks. But in that instance his concern was pretty justified. Jones had Matheson had made it their business that they were feeling personally slighted by him 10 times a season and basically writitn that it was Anderson being a dick.

 

[nabob]

The only issue that I have with reporters are the ones who ask questions that they hope will kind of get lost in translation, and then take the reply out of context in their article.

we saw it happen with Yakupov, Omark, and most recently Pulju on the Oilers alone. Too many “journalist” who are just looking for hits so they try to create a controversy.

As for the tennis player I have never heard of...good for her I guess. Will she still want the media to leave her alone when she wins and when there’s magazine deals and she’s able to use the media to her advantage?

 

[Drivesaitl]

Exactly. You are paid handsomely to deal with all of the parts of the job, so do it.

I get paid a lot less and I deal with assholes all the time in my line of work. Over time I have perfected my craft of dealing with assholes. It's a good skill to have.

Please PM me the complete skill set, heh, I wasn't always perfect at it.. Sometimes I would get drawn in. Just like here. That said I wasn't privy to being able to say who I would and would not respond to or talk with. Sometimes I wished..

 

[Little Fury]

What do I think? A star athlete wants the pay but doesn't want the conditions that come with it. Its a complete cop out, and her colleagues end up having to carry weight of response to media instead of her.

I mean this is a priveleged life. What actually is she complaining about?

Media posit softball questions almost all day any day. I've yet to hear one ask RNH how much the series with the Jets would be different if he even compared 10yrs later to say Schiefele, Wheeler, etc, despite being #1 in his draft year. That could be construed as an invasive, dissecting direct question. It never gets asked.

I think Naomi could grow up and accept some of the responsibility that comes with being a star. I mean I doubt she's going to defer from front page paid articles or features so I suspect she's being a hypocrite. Translation she just can't be bothered and is using some lame excuse like star athletes are abused in media scrums.

Give evidence of how.

"Oh I'm being harmed" shut up

"Media interviews are all softballs/athletes should do them anyway" is a weird take.

Anyway I want to see more pros do this:

 

[Drivesaitl]

I don't know why we are still doing interviews. Does anyone care what players say after a game, Win or Lose?

I can only tell you that I tried twice to listen to RNH 11minute exit interview and fell asleep 3 times each time. Lets just say RNH is as boring in interview as he is on ice.

That said Drai's wasn't any better. Basically nothing said. he even stated "I'm going to give you the most boring answer ever" when asked about players moves, how he felt about it and what was needed. He expanded to say its not his job to consider such things.

 

[Drivesaitl]

"Media interviews are all softballs/athletes should do them anyway" is a weird take.

Anyway I want to see more pros do this:

I don't care if they do or don't. But to asshurt write out a long memo about how you refuse to do interviews is just looking for, and craving attention. "Oh look at me, the big bad media hurt my health" If she doesn't want to do interviews just walk away. We don't need or require an official memo in which she's just looking to go viral for publicity points on how much the poor girl has been harmed. I means thats really at work here and where most people will lack sympathy. its first world problems of the highest paid. I dont' expect we'll agree on this one.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

I love to talk. I'd probably give Chiasson style interviews where the interviewer would just cut me off of my long winded answers and cut back to studio while I'm still rambling on .

 

[Drivesaitl]

Next, her concern, alleged, is that media make fun of players and or their mental health. She states this is what she "feels" and that "This rings true" " whenever she see's or is involved in one."

But she then conflicts herself saying that some of the media are OK and have known her for a long time and are "friendly".

Maybe she should get a publicist that specializes in not writing illogical tripe. Its right in her statement, and its asinine and unsubstantiated.

"This rings true" lol

Isn't it true, conceivably, that she is disparaging some of the tennis media with her undue and alleged concern that is not substantiated? What about their mental health?

jk aside her posturing will undoubtedly result in more sucking up and pandering to her poor plight. With non tennis media quick to pillage tennis media and tell it to be "forward thinking" She'll win this despite her stated message being basically stupid.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I love to talk. I'd probably give Chiasson style interviews where the interviewer would just cut me off of my long winded answers and cut back to studio while I'm still rambling on .

I have no comment on this..

 

[bone]

Without knowing anything about what predicated this reaction from this tennis player as I've never heard of her (granted I don't pay any attention to Tennis), it's hard to agree. More often than not, I find the press goes pretty easy on most of the athletes I've watch post-game interviews and athletes for their part don't really add much more than cliches.

If a particular member of the press was particularly harsh with her, she probably could have created bigger problems for that reporter for calling them out on it, but instead just takes her ball and goes home. To me, this is just an athlete saying that their job is more important than the job of the reporters and doesn't do all that much to progress that relationship.

 

[syz]

I mean the Oilers should probably pay players extra to have to deal with the Edmonton media guys.

 

[Little Fury]

I don't care if they do or don't. But to asshurt write out a long memo about how you refuse to do interviews is just looking for, and craving attention. "Oh look at me, the big bad media hurt my health" If she doesn't want to do interviews just walk away. We don't need or require an official memo in which she's just looking to go viral for publicity points on how much the poor girl has been harmed. I means thats really at work here and where most people will lack sympathy. its first world problems of the highest paid. I dont' expect we'll agree on this one.

You don't have to read them either.