With apologies to Perry Como, walking into a professional locker room can be daunting…these are the guys you’ve idolized and now you actually have to talk to them, you have to initiate the conversation….no question it can be scary but armed with a few simple guidelines, it can be navigated…
Ian Browne of MLB.com and Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk took students through the process recently at the Boston University Sports Journalism Seminar Series and the candor with which they did was assuring…”Try to get to know each guy and put them at ease because when they trust you, it makes your job so much easier… rather than being the guy who’s digging for dirt, let them know you’re the guy they can talk to and you’re not gonna burn them” said Browne, a veteran of baseball locker rooms, perhaps the toughest to work of all our major sports…
But that doesn’t mean when it comes time to ask the hard question, you have to shy away….And you know what , the athletes know those questions are coming and they’ll be there to take the heat. Browne had a simple rule to go by: “phrase it in a way that they are not threatened by it, you want to tell your readers what was going on or him(the player)”…
Easily the night funniest exchange came when i asked Olynyk if the players actually liked being interviewed even though they know it comes with the territory…”We play three, four times a week, said Olynyk, so let’s say this, (your) class was M-W-F…if I came M-W-F before each of your classes and asked ‘so, how was that test yesterday? (laughter)…I see you missed question six, it was obviously ‘A’ and you chose ‘C’, why do you think you did that? (more laughter)…was there some problem with the textbook, the teacher didn’t do a great job?…and then you go to Wednesday’s class, before class, (and i ask), so you’ve done great on two tests but you bombed the third one, do you think you were a little overconfident?…it’s every day, every day you don’t mind it but it’s just sometimes it’s a little overwhelming, some days you just don’t want to talk about test number 17!”(still more laughter)…
Whether it’s high school kids, college stars or professional players, you’re going to have to interact with them…treating them with respect will get you a long way and better yet, get your questions answered…how can you lose?
16 Comments
Saba Aziz posted on November 18, 2013 at 9:18 pm
I’m a huge sports fan and that is one of the reasons why I chose sports journalism as my career path. I have a lot of respect for professional athletes and their work ethic. Having played national tennis and Fed Cup for my country, I realize the physical and mental pressures athletes have to go through day in and day out which is why I have a soft corner for them. And that is exactly why I understand that getting a microphone shoved into your face after a tough loss, and having to explain each and every move of yours on the field, can be a big turn off.
In today’s world, where sporting events are given more importance than your presidential elections and athletes are treated as super stars, modern day sports media has become a lot more demanding. From media days, pre- and post- game interviews to press conferences and other press appearances, professional athletes are in constant spotlight. While some may bask in the glory, for others all this attention can be a bit overwhelming. This, in turn, highlights the need for reporters and journalists to establish certain ground rules when approaching athletes. Because at the end of the day, like Professor Shorr, you rightly pointed out, our workplace happens to be their living room which is why we need to give them their space.
Journalists need to develop that trust and a working relationship with athletes because their livelihood depends on these guys. Because professional athletes get bombarded with hundreds of questions each day, it helps to move away from the repetitive, generic questions and ask something different and interesting. Athletes appreciate it when the interview is conversational as opposed to an interrogation. Also, one should know the different personalities of the players and how they should be approached because no two players are the same.
Teams and leagues prefer if journalists go through their media relations team rather than approach the players directly. In August 2011, the head of the University of Kentucky’s basketball media relations department barred the university’s student newspaper after a student reporter approached two of the team’s players. (http://www.kentucky.com/2011/08/30/1862265/uk-athletics-student-newspaper.html) According to DeWayne Peevey, UK’s athletic director for media relations, the reporter broke the university’s unwritten policy barring media from interviewing student-athletes without first going through UK’s media relations teams.
A lot of stress is laid on the athlete’s relation with the media today. Almost all professional athletes and teams have a press agent or publicist now, who oversees their interaction with the media. This is precisely why we see tennis players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic giving responsible, well-thought out answers at press conferences because they’ve been trained to do so. Long gone are the days of controversial statements and trash talk we so often saw in the days of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Similarly, leagues like the NFL and NBA have media trainings to better prepare players to address the reporters.
At times, things can also get ugly between the media and athletes. We’ve seen countless examples of these. Here’s American tennis player Andy Roddick’s video at a press conference in Beijing, following his first round loss at the 2011 China Open. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/andy-roddick-reporter–retire-video_n_992536.html) The reporter asked Roddick a ridiculous question about who will retire first, Federer or him. With clear frustration etched on Roddick’s face, he took a long pause, replied “I think that you should retire” and walked out of the room.
There was a very interesting piece by Jon Hanson and Michael McCann in the 2006 Providence Journal titled “The psychopathology of athlete worship”. It mentioned how American journalists enjoy villainizing certain sports figures while making super-heroes of others. And the most celebrated stories are those where an athlete overcomes a big challenge in life before becoming successful, as cancer-survivor Lance Armstrong at that time and the autistic high school basketball player Jason McElwain.
At the end of the day, there’s no denying that for sports to thrive, athletes and the media go hand in hand. They might not be the best of friends, but neither one can do without the other. At the least, we can expect the two to cooperate, act professionally and make each other’s job a whole lot easier.
Katarina Luketich posted on November 18, 2013 at 9:57 pm
I’ve read that article about the UK student newspaper dilemma (http://www.kentucky.com/2011/08/30/1862265/uk-athletics-student-newspaper.html) a few times and I had a hard time making a decision on what I think about it. It’s difficult because I can see both sides of it, however I think that in the end the student newspaper was in the wrong for a number of reasons.
From my time here at BU I know that there’s a process you need to go through as a student journalist (or any journalist for that matter) to get access to teams and players by getting permission from SIDs. Everyone knows it and I would never think of going to any of the hockey players and asking to interview them without going through Brian Kelley first. It’s an important process here at BU and I can only imagine that it’s even more critical in a team that get’s much more national attention like the UK basketball team.
When the student writer made the decision to contact the walk-ons he must’ve thought, “is this wrong?” If he hesitated in answering his own question, I don’t think he should’ve gone through with it. He knows there is a process media members need to respect and he went around it with the justification that “they’re just students like me.”
This issue goes back to what Olynyk was saying in seminar that at times athletes feel like the media is constantly bombarding them, which is exactly why there is a media relations person like Jeff and why media days and times exists. They serve to ensure that the athletes’ time is respected and not taken advantage of.
I also don’t think the argument of the first amendment violation holds water in this case. The University of Kentucky’s basketball media relations department wasn’t targeting what they wrote; it was the way in which they got the information. There is a media relations department for a reason and I think their required process should be respected.
In the end it all goes back to building relationships, which has been the overarching theme in most of our seminars. You want to create relationships with athletes so that they give you information, however it may be even more critical to build a bond with the media relations person. They are the person that grants you access and having a good relationship with them can only make your road to establishing relationships with athletes even easier. That student from Kentucky certainly burned that bridge.
Edward Murphy posted on November 19, 2013 at 12:31 pm
What it comes down to is that athletes don’t really care about the media. Yeah they can say its part of their job but they are paid to play sports not talk to us. They don’t really appreciate the media or its craft. They do believe they’re better than us and don’t respect our knowledge of the game because the media members for the most part haven’t played the sport they did.
It’s not to say athletes are bad people, most are very nice but I can understand the annoyance. This is part of the reason I have no interest in being a reporter because I don’t want to deal with aggravated athletes and having to beg for one quote. It would be frustrating to me. I’d much rather just talk about what I want on my own terms.
Kelly Olynyk was spot on when he said it gets repetitive night in and night out when you’re asked the same exact question. If there is one time you can get athletes to open up it is when you show you have an immense knowledge of the sport and can formulate a question they haven’t heard yet. Knowing your background information is definitely the most important part.
I respected Olynyk and his honesty about the media because it just confirmed what I already believed. Yes, its the medias job but there is definitely an aspect to it that can irk these athletes. It takes a special kind of reporter to be persistent enough to get these tough answers out.
Rachel Harrington posted on November 19, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Many sports media professionals have already reminded us this semester that athletes are people, too. Having Kelly Olynyk with us last week only reasserted that point. He may be a starter for the Boston Celtics, but that doesn’t mean any of us should be afraid to talk to him. Instead, as journalists, we need to take our time to build a relationship with him. Like with any source for an article, earning his trust is the only way he’ll be comfortable enough to give us the information we need for a good story. We don’t expect our coworkers to tell us their deepest secrets so we shouldn’t expect reporters who see players only a few minutes a week to have the best articles either.
As a journalist, it’s harder to put myself in the athlete’s shoes. Too many stories about the big egos of some and even bigger paychecks of others can make this a challenge. I used to think athletes that bemoaned the press every second were primadonnas. After all, if it wasn’t for the media, these players wouldn’t be held in such high regard and make top dollar for being able to shoot a basket. What I’ve taken away from the sports journalism seminars, however, is that more often than not, most athletes, even the ones with big egos, just want to be treated like regular people. It’s important to find a way to connect with these stars, even if it’s something as simple as Naoko Funayama speaking to Daisuke Matsuzaka in his native Japanese language.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ian Browne is a reporter that puts the time in every day as a constant fixture in the Red Sox locker room. Because he sees the players frequently, he can’t just write whatever he wants about them and not expect to face the music. As journalists, we should always be prepared to defend what we write. Similarly, if we do make a mistake, we also must be willing to take the blame. Inevitably, we will be wrong at some point, but we could actually use that to our advantage if we own up to our mistakes when confronted by a player. That might even enhance a relationship with an athlete if we come to an understanding with him or her by the end of the discussion.
Nowadays, athletes are prepared to work with the media but many see these training camps more as preparation to deal with the media. I imagine that many professional sports figures wish they could just play the game but the organizations they work for know better than that, which is why they organize programs to prepare their athletes for speaking with broadcasters and journalists. Having to be careful about each and every word you say must take a toll on athletes. For this reason, it’s all the more important, as journalists, to make the talent, so-to-speak, feel comfortable. An athlete’s discomfort with the media might have to do with a past experience, so as a media professional, it’s our job to let him or her know that we’re just doing our jobs and aren’t looking to throw anyone under the bus.
Saba pointed out that journalists’ livelihoods depend on athletes trusting them. I agree with this and think that to a lesser extent, athletes are dependent on journalists. Sure, athletes make the bulk of their earnings from how they play on the court or field, but they also turn a profit from advertisements, endorsements and even broadcasting appearances. If an athlete can show they’re willing to cooperate with a reporter, and even better, shine on camera, that opens up new doors for their own profit earning ratio. Show that you’re a team player, on and off the field, and your worth can only go up.
Ultimately, an athlete wouldn’t be famous without the media and a sports journalist wouldn’t have anything to write about without athletes. The best relationships between the two sides come when both parties understand this. Just as it doesn’t help to begrudge an athlete for making millions, it also isn’t beneficial for an athlete to ignore a reporter’s questions all the time. Through trust – a common theme in our seminars – journalists and athletes have the best chance of fulfilling both their goals.
Meredith Perri posted on November 19, 2013 at 1:04 pm
I knew coming into this seminar that I would hear the athlete’s side of what it is like to deal with the media constantly, and I thought I had a pretty clear understanding of it. As someone who has covered numerous teams at Boston University and during other internship-related opportunities, I understand the system that is in place to talk with players.
I never really thought much beyond that, though, which is why the scene that Professor Shorr discussed in his post where Kelly Olynyk compared being interviewed before and after every class to his job really stuck with me.
Having someone that I don’t really know come up to me every day and ask me about each move that I make in class would probably drive me insane. The reality is, however, that I talk with my friends before and after most of my classes about the assignment, what the professor lectured on, the mistake I may have made on a test and so forth.
This is why it is important to establish the kind of relationship that Ian Browne mentioned with the players. No one wants to have a person they don’t really know ask them seemingly mindless questions. If you do your research, get to know the individual and respect their privacy, though, the players will automatically view you in a different light.
Furthermore, creating a conversation – something that both Browne and Olynyk stressed – is essential to not just developing those relationships, but making the player comfortable.
Think about it – what is the difference between Kevin or Tim asking me how I did on a paper and a random person? The three of us know each other, so we already have a relationship. Discussing the results of a paper is a joint conversation where we can go over where we may have gone wrong or what we excelled in without one of us looking simply for a quote.
You’re not going to have the same relationship with a player as you do with one of your closest friends, but you can strive to create an environment that is just as comfortable for the player.
This is why this seminar was essential. There are so many ways to “lose” when talking with athletes – think back to the interview we discussed earlier this year where the reporter kept making the same point in all of his questions even though the athlete had already debunked that point, saying the team was not frustrated with its performance. The only way to really get the type of information that reporters need is to develop relationships and have a conversation.
Natalie posted on November 19, 2013 at 1:46 pm
I thought this seminar was really valuable because it helped add a lot of perspective after hearing from both a professional athlete as well as veteran media that has covered professional athletes.
I think the media and athlete relationship is one of the oddest human relationships that exists. Too often media removes the human factor and shoves the microphone in the athletes’ faces simply to get a sound byte. Browne shared some great perspective on how to approach athletes and ultimately I think it boiled down to treating them with respect as one human would to another.
It sounds simple, but I’ve already seen enough locker room sound byte seekers to know that not a lot of journalists approach their job with this respect-giving attitude. Too many times I’ve watched journalists not even make eye contact with the players they are interviewing, and that’s an immediate turn off for the player.
If you’re not respected, it’s far less likely that you will return respect.
I think there is a lot to say about being patient and aware of athletes’ body language. If they need space, leave them some space. As Browne mentioned and Olynyk echoed, be patient with your questioning as a journalist. Sometimes, leaving a moment of silence gives the interviewee a moment to think and give a better, more thoughtful answer.
I think a lot of locker room etiquette also comes with experience. As a rookie beat reporter, you’re not immediately going to know how a specific locker room works because they differ from sport to sport and from team to team. But if you go in with a respectful attitude, a patient questioning technique, and an awareness for the athlete’s space, I feel like you will be better prepared to handle the locker room atmosphere and athlete interviews.
Tim Healey posted on November 19, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Ian Browne summarized beat reporting — and in large part, the journalist-athlete relationship — in one, succinct phrase: finding wrinkles.
It was a major topic of conversation when we had the beat reporting seminar with Baxter Holmes and Ben Volin, and it is a significant lesson when you’re covering a professional team with any regularity. The reality is beat reporting isn’t sexy. It’s a grind. It’s tiring. It’s boring, at times. That’s why finding wrinkles is so important — to keep things fresh for you, the writer. If things are new to you — and your competitors, fellow beat writers — they will very likely be fresh for the readers, too, which is what matters most.
One of the strongest tributaries to the river of wrinkles comes from one’s relationships with the athletes, which is why this seminar was so important — and insightful. Browne’s advice was not particularly ground breaking but a more-than-welcome reminder of some of the nuances to his job. Putting the athletes at ease by making conversation and being around on a regular basis are two of the best ways to build those relationships, which can snowball into them trusting you with nuggets or being more willing to give you the time of day.
These relationships are important because of Eddie’s point, which the cynic in me agrees with. They are pro athletes making more money than I would know what to do with. Journalists are gnats — gnats in their living room, to use Professor Shorr’s phrase. Why should they care? Kelly Olynyk’s “we know it’s part of our job” response gave me some hope, but I retain a degree of skepticism because so often athletes come off as, well, completely apathetic when it comes to the media. To use the Red Sox clubhouse as an example, there are those like Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jonny Gomes who stand by their lockers and answer questions before and after just about every game, win or lose. But there are so many others that either refuse to talk or talk briefly while hiding behind platitudes.
Last week I had the benefit of hearing Bob Ryan speak on campus in an event that served as primer for this seminar. He mentioned how he is not at all envious of any sportswriter covering a major pro team these days since access is so limited — a far cry from when he got his start. And although I only yearn of knowing what it was like back then, I have to agree with him in his point about access nowadays. It’s so controlled that you have to ask, what’s the point? Why don’t more teams go the route the Celtics’ Jeff uses in scheduling to have certain players at their lockers at certain times? That seems like a more efficient use of time.
That inspires the question: What are you afraid of? What are teams afraid of? Take the August 2011 situation with the University of Kentucky basketball team as an example. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve dealt plenty with SIDs and I know the student journalists were, technically, in the wrong. But the SID didn’t need to get all high and mighty. They were walk-ons — walk-ons! for UK basketball! — and the conversation didn’t get far. I assume the student journalists work with the SID on a regular basis, and if the student journalists know what is good for them, they know not to get on the SID’s bad side. He can mess with their access in unofficial ways, after all, and generally make their professional lives difficult. A simple “Don’t be idiots” from the SID would have been enough.
Thinking more locally, some athletes are afraid of getting burned, and that is rational to a certain extent, especially in a market like Boston where the media presence is a large one. But most writers are not looking to write about John Lackey’s divorce or similar nonsense only tangentially related to the team. Those who are looking for dirt likely have that reputation and can be treated appropriately. The others just want new, different, appropriate angles. They want wrinkles.
Kevin Dillon posted on November 19, 2013 at 3:43 pm
When it comes to covering sports, it is best for athletes and the media to get along with each other. After all, talking to each other is part of their jobs, as Ian Browne of MLB.com and Kelly Olynyk of the Boston Celtics discussed.
Browne’s point about making each interview as conversational as possible was about as spot on as it could be when it comes to developing interesting story ideas. Athletes are not going to just come over to you and tell you some amazing story about their lives. As Olynyk said, talking to the media is just a part of an athlete’s job, and it seems like it is something he just wanted to get out of the way so he could get back on the court. Making conversation with an athlete makes the interview seem more like a social talk with a colleague instead of an interrogation, which will make an athlete much more apt to tell give the reporter an interesting quote.
At the same time, a reporter is not going to be able to force a good quote out of a player. Athletes are people, which means that they won’t say exactly what you want them to say so you can have a compelling article. You can introduce an idea to them and see if they agree or disagree with what you are trying to prove, but they might not give you the answer you want. As a reporter, you have to deal with that – at least better than Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post did (http://deadspin.com/how-the-new-york-post-manufactured-a-stupid-jets-contro-1466918312). Being a reporter is not about getting the sound bite that will make your article or video clip go viral, it is about telling the story the way it is, establishing trusting relationships with the people you cover, and presenting a fair and honest coverage of the team. If you can do that, the readers will come.
I thought this seminar was particularly interesting because we got to an athlete’s perspective of what we do. Obviously Olynyk’s M-W-F example was the funniest one of the night, but it was helpful to learn about which types of journalists Olynyk prefers talking to. For example, he said he likes to have all of the reporters at once so he doesn’t have to repeat himself, but when it is a one-on-one thing he likes when the reporter introduces themselves and has follow-up questions. The more follow-up questions asked and the more time for the athlete to talk, the more he has a chance to clarify what he means.
As for Browne, he mentioned that Pedro Martinez and him were on much better terms after the two had discussed that Browne’s intention was never to put him in a bad light in his article. That clarity between the two helped for a better working relationship, and it made Browne’s job a lot easier.
It seemed like Olynyk had a bit of a concern of “getting burned” as Professor Shorr had asked, so making sure you are accurately representing an athlete’s thoughts was my main takeaway from having Olynyk in class. For me, I don’t want athletes to be afraid of what I am going to write. I just want to tell it like it is, and let whoever is reading it decide how they want to take it.
Nick Zelano posted on November 19, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Something that we need to remember as journalist is that the subjects of our coverage, the subjects ad topics that we discuss and asked to analyze are PEOPLE. These athletes are human beings that are just as complex and fragile as anyone else we may know. Talking to Kelly in our class was a great exercise for us as future journalist because it helped us understand their mindset as people being analyzed and questioned everyday on everything they do.
Eddie brings up a good point about how it is clear that the athletes do not care much about the media. Yes, they understand it is our job to get a story, they are professional (for the most part) but at the same time they have a job to do as well. Kelly brought this up many times, his job, his career is to play basketball. He is mature in knowing that dealing with the media is a part of that job description but at the same time, is it really? Him playing basketball for the Celtics has nothing to do with him answering questions or talking to the press after each game. He will still play basketball and that is what he gets paid to do.
I think that this exercise in our seminar was a great learning experience because even Ian was able to talk about the fact that these athletes are still humans. They are people just like you and me and the basis for getting what you need to get your job done, to getting a good story is treating them as such. Making a personal connection, making the conversation between two people instead of between two robots is clearly the better way of doing it.
Kelly also said something about how a journalist who knows what he is talking about, who is confident and who can make it more conversational is the best kind to deal with. He talked about some guy who asked him about his first NBA game when he had already played in it the game before, very unprofessional. He also said how sometimes the conversation can be “text like” where it goes question-response questions-response and it becomes very robotic. I really think as new professionals, new to the locker room it could be very easy to fall into these bad habits, asking the wrong questions and making the conversation more robot like.
This seminar helped us look out for these habits and also helped us think about athletes as humans and so we can take that with us as we enter a locker room. Kelly made a lot of jokes ad actually changed my opinion about him as an athlete. I hated him when he played for Gonzaga and thought he was highly overrated and even rooted against him in college. After meeting him the other night and experiencing him as a person rather than just an athlete, I can root for him in his career. I think the same will happen as we cover and meet more athletes. We will come to see athletes as people, cover them better and learn about them as people first, athletes second.
Aaron Holden posted on November 19, 2013 at 9:24 pm
I think the most important thing from the perspective of the reporter is to get the information readers want to see, even if its a tough question. As a reporter you cant avoid something just because it’s going to hurt someone’s feelings or hurt your relationship with them. Sure, it’s never a good thing to burn a bridge, especially with someone you’ll see and need to talk to everyday for months, but it is necessary to be a good reporter. Browne was true in saying that you could phrase the question where it doesn’t seem like you’re attacking them and that’s great advice. That may not always be true, there might be only one way to get the answer and that is by “attacking” them. In the end, you are there to get answers and quotes for your readers. You’re job is to ask the tough questions while the players job is to answer them.
On the flip side, players know these questions are coming and they cant avoid them forever. Even if they do, someone else will come out and answer the question you’re not supposed to answer. Some questions could clearly be detrimental to a players career or life, like any Aaron Hernandez faced this past summer, but answers always get out. It is always in the players best interest to answer any and all questions so that the answer can be controlled by you, in your own words. If you don’t want the media to misconstrue a situation then tell them what happened so they have it straight. Another strategy for players would be taking Browne’s advice and phrasing something so that it doesn’t themselves and their players.
It’s a give and take relationship where either party shouldn’t have to walk on thin ice during each interview. There’s a way for both sides to get what they want, but that sort of relationship takes time and effort. The best reporters have put in the right amount of both to be able to always get what they want out of the players they cover.
Adam Jakubiak posted on November 20, 2013 at 11:00 am
I really enjoyed having Kelly come into our seminar last week and share his perspective on what it’s like dealing with the media as a young professional athlete.
Like several others in our class, I’ve been to several press conferences involving college and professional athletes, and I always find it interesting to see how the athletes handle the media. Obviously, some are better than others. Kelly is only 22 years old, but he has been in the national spotlight for a long time when you account for his time at Gonzaga and even before that. The media has thrown a lot at him and I think he’s done a pretty good job in regards to handling the media. When I think about how some players are better than others with the media, it’s all about experience and Kelly certainly has that, in my opinion.
When I have been in press conferences, it’s obviously big to me to make the players feel comfortable and get them to respect and trust you. Asking a tough question is inevitable and a big part of being a successful journalist. The timing and tone is also key. We just have to know how to ask a certain question. I’ve learned through my own experiences and seeing others in action to not start a conversation by coming right out and asking a player exactly what you need, but to get a more relaxed conversation going, and then getting the athlete to talk about what it is you’re looking for. You’ll build up a good reputation with players, and the trust will go a long way.
It was important for us to see the athletes’ perspective of the media, and I appreciate that Kelly was honest about it. He understands that the media has a job to do, and wasn’t hesitant to admit that some questions can get very repetitive. What we also have to remember is that the athletes are also people. When you treat those you’re covering with respect, they will hopefully respect you in return and you’ll get the story you need.
Andrew French posted on November 20, 2013 at 11:47 am
This was the best seminar yet in my opinion. Why? It taught us first hand from a current athlete in a major media city, how to ask the right questions and how to get the best responses to athletes in the locker room.
Even when I interview college kids, I’m a little gun shy. When I went up to meet Olynyk, I was even more gun shy. I follow some of these Boston athletes so close that actually meeting them and asking them questions seems nuts to me. Since I believe this is one of my biggest problems as a journalist, this seminar helped me a lot.
Olynyk gave some great pointers in the seminar for us to use going forward. For example, it’s nice when someone asks you something different. Olynyk poked fun at Frank a little bit for asking how Boston has been so far because he has heard that question a dozen times. Think of something new and exciting. Don’t be repetitive.
Both Ian Browne and Olynyk agreed that introducing yourself is important too. Put them at ease, shake their hand, and tell them who you’re working for. Think of it as two guys talking at a bar. You want to make it as conversational as possible. Easier said than done when you’re talking to a pro athlete! Be professional and be prepared. Know their background. Players can apparently sense if you haven’t done your homework. Good to know!
But another interesting part of this seminar was hearing how the players combat the media (aka us going forward). Obviously this is important because if we know their strategies, we can work around them and get the answers we need. One piece of advice Olynyk was given by the Celtics when he got here was to give them the story YOU want, not the one THEY want. The PR side of this seminar was helpful just because I feel like now I have a better understanding of the subjects I may be covering. I know what they think I’m trying to do. Knowing their strategies is half the battle in getting the answers you want.
But what really made this seminar so great was the guests that were there. A pro athlete, Kelly Olynyk, to tell us how he takes on the media and how he likes to be approached with questions, a reporter, Ian Brown, telling us how he approaches athletes and how to maybe break down some of those walls athletes have and get them to open up and answer you (also how not to piss them off), and the PR guy for the Celtics was also there. He was there so Olynyk didn’t say anything stupid but by the end of it, he had given us some great tips on how to talk to players like Olynyk, what his job entails, and how to go about getting an easy interview with a player without making them or the PR staff angry. Oh, and they take note of the reporters who are polite and treat everybody with respect. That’s why you always introduce yourself!
The point of the seminar is you can’t get star struck. They know why you’re there, they know you have a job to do. So don’t sweat it. The locker room is their living space however, so treat them with respect. Don’t go barging into their lockers while they’re changing. Wait along the outside until they let you into their home. A little respect goes a long way with these guys.
Andy posted on November 20, 2013 at 1:48 pm
Last week’s seminar may have been the most revealing of the semester for me. I have enjoyed hearing from all of the sports media professionals, but getting to hear from the other side of the conversation. I was a little weary of what Kelly Olynyk would have to offer since he has only been in the NBA for a few months, but the perspective that he brought to the classroom last Thursday was phenomenal.
Ian Browne also had great perspective, being a reporter for all types of different Red Sox locker rooms. His message was very clear, and was one that we have heard from many of our speakers this semester, relationships are very important. It’s all about being there every day, and building trust within the locker room, according to Browne. I enjoyed his perspective on how to ask tough questions. By using slightly passive language, athletes are more likely to respond that if you ask direct aggressive questions about their performance, especially if their performance was bad.
While everyone got a kick out of Olynyk’s explanation of how annoying it would be to answer questions about our schools experiences, I took something very different out of his appearance. He is a prime example of how you have to reserve your judgment of athletes until you meet them. Just by his appearance, the long hair, and the fact that he comes from Gonzaga, it could be easy for one to make assumptions about him. The fact is that he is very thoughtful and would likely give a good interview. His perspective on his role as a member of the team, and his interaction with the media was very impressive as well. He offered the thought that out of the box questions are more likely to get a good response from him. This was very helpful for us as interviewers, because it reinforces the lesson that preparation is key to a good interview.
It was great to get the other side of the business. We often focus so much on the media side, without thinking enough about the fact the it is athletes that make this whole business possible. Without them, there is no us. So it is vital to figure out how to best communicate and coexist with them in order to succeed in our chosen professions.
Jeanna posted on November 20, 2013 at 10:29 pm
“How can you lose?” The way you can lose in this type of interaction is to the exact opposite of what we discussed in the seminar. If you do not treat the athlete, regardless if they’re high school or professional, they’re not going to treat you with respect. And if they do not hold you at respectable standard, you’re not going to get any substantial answer from them. Another way to lose in this type of situation is to not understand the dynamic that exists between the athlete and the journalist. To them, we are walking into their locker room which is similar to their living room, their comfort zone, their personal space. We have to be careful the way we present ourselves, conduct our interviews, and ask our questions. To them, we all blend together and our questions get old. We have to acknowledge that and understand that before we will be able to create any kind of interesting conversation or interview.
I agree about Kelly’s example being the funniest part of the night:
”We play three, four times a week, said Olynyk, so let’s say this, (your) class was M-W-F…if I came M-W-F before each of your classes and asked ‘so, how was that test yesterday? (laughter)…I see you missed question six, it was obviously ‘A’ and you chose ‘C’, why do you think you did that? (more laughter)…was there some problem with the textbook, the teacher didn’t do a great job?…and then you go to Wednesday’s class, before class, (and i ask), so you’ve done great on two tests but you bombed the third one, do you think you were a little overconfident?…it’s every day, every day you don’t mind it but it’s just sometimes it’s a little overwhelming, some days you just don’t want to talk about test number 17!”(still more laughter)…
I was cracking up just because I really believe that this is how most professional athletes view journalists! I felt stupid and guilty for being one of those people that Kelly was mocking. It was hilarious because it was true. I can totally see how professional athletes would feel like that.
Between Kelly’s funny perspective and Ian’s extensive experience, I find it really important to set yourself apart from that type of journalist stigma. Instead of traveling among the outside of the scrum of journalists fighting for the exact same sound bite, I think it’s important to find a different angle. Some nights, when it’s January during a dull string of road games in the middle of a long NHL season, there may be only one story for that particular night. Not that the angle of your story should be different, but you should at least carry yourself differently or set yourself apart. Hang back and see who isn’t getting interviewed. Wait a second after everybody leaves and say “Hey Chara, I know you just got hounded with questions, but I have just one more, you got a sec? Thanks.” Introduce yourself. Make eye contact. Say please and thank you. Have them remember you and respect you next time you come into the dressing room. Be different from the rest of the group.
Another topic that I found to be important in this seminar, that we have discussed in other seminars, is the idea of forming a relationship with these people and making the interview conversational rather than a strict “Q-A-Q-A” pattern. If you’re a local journalist or a beat writer you’re going to be seeing these people a lot and it is crucial to your ability to get a good interview IF you have a good relationship with these people. To me, even the demeanor that Ian Browne presented in class makes it seem that he has a really good personality and sense of patience for this profession. He seemed calm, steady, and respectful which is a combination for great journalism when it comes to dealing with professional athletes.
I found this to be an interesting example of how not to conduct yourself as a journalist in a press conference with a professional athlete:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPXrEh0y_k
First of all, if you want to be a respectable journalist and have any type of credible reputation in the field, then you never phrase a question like that. Don’t seem disrespectful or combative. Don’t use trigger words. On the other hand, if you have a different motive… such as wanting a professional athlete to say “y’all m***** f******…” in a post-game press conference, to later be fined by the league, ruin any relationship you could have with them in the future… then this is the way to do it!
As that is a humorous example, it is really important to carefully handle your relationship with professional athletes. In this type of dynamic, each side (journalist vs athlete) have their own set of motives and goals. The athlete wants to perform well and the journalist wants to tell a story well. Sometimes they collide if the relationship is not properly handled. However, if you’re smart, careful, and respectful, it is possible for both sides to accomplish their goals.
This reminds me (and makes me laugh) of something my dad always told me when I played volleyball against some really talented, division I, huge, 6’3″ girls on the other side of the net. Something he learned when playing football: “They all put their jockstrap on the same way.” Professional athletes are human just as journalists are. As we learned from Kelly, they’re real people and want to be treated fairly. Use respect, and you’ll get respect. And more importantly, you’ll get the story!
Raphaelle Steg posted on November 21, 2013 at 12:50 am
I love sports. That is why I want to become a sports journalist. Because I am passionate. I love the emotion the game brings me. But I know that in order to be a good sports journalist, it is essential to be professional. When you are in the locker room, or during a press conference, or in an interview, you are not the spectator, fascinated by what is happening on the field. You are not the small child with his idol. You are a journalist, with a job to do. Sure it is important not to forget that there is a human aspect in this line of work, but it is not a place to be starstruck.
Having this seminar was essential. And I feel we were very lucky to have an athlete talking to us in a way we could understand and sympathize of his situation. He is still very close in age with us, even younger than some of us, and maybe because he is just starting in the NBA, still closer to ‘reality’. He knows that we have a job to do, that it is also part of his job to talk to the press, and he respects that. It is this respect that we owe the athletes in return.
The respect between the athletes and the media has to come from both sides. Every journalist we talked to during all the seminars have emphasized that: preparation, professionalism, respect, honesty are some of the key words used. If you respect them, by not deforming their words, and by being professional, they will respect you and work with you. The story of the journalist who interviewed him and did not know that it was his second game is astounding. Everybody can make mistake, but as they said, they will always remember this one. It is frightening, but logical. How many times have we screamed in front of the television at a journalist who was wrong about something we knew. When Paris won the French League last May, I remember a sideline journalist asking the goalkeeper who played a big role in the title how he felt winning after only a year in the club, and he said “I’ve been here two seasons!”. Come on!
I had the chance to face many athletes during my internship at the Olympics in 2012. And I can witness that the relationship between the athletes and the media changes from sport to sport, and before and after a medal. All the teams had a mandatory press conference before the Games, and it was a tough exercise. The press wants to have all the basic quotes, that bore the athletes tired of answering the same questions, but when they tried asking different questions, many athletes did not know how to answer, especially in a tense situation before the Games. Then, we had the chance to interview every French medalist. It makes a big difference when they have achieve their goal. But still then, there was a difference between the popular sports, where the athletes are more used to the press coverage and answering questions with more that three words, and the sports that come to light every four years, with athletes stressed when they see a microphone. And even with a gold medal around the neck, when someone is a jerk, he stays a jerk, I can testify to that.
I feel that the relationship between the athletes and the media is hard, and will always be complicated. I have seen that with the soccer French team these last few years. There is an awful lot of tension, because the team does not perform, and blames the media for the bad image they have within the French population. But as even Kelly Olynyk testified during the seminar, the big problem is that they never hear anything first hand. It is always from a family member, a friend, always second handed, therefore the message is often blurred and wrongly perceived. It leads to many scandals. Samir Nasri, from Manchester City, scored at the 2012 Euro Cup and put his finger on his mouth to ‘silence’ the journalists that wrote that he could not score anymore, and then had an altercation with one. Patrice Evra, from Manchester United and key starter French player, went on national television last month and threatened and insulted journalists (I wrote about it on my blog, http://raphaellesteg.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/the-endless-chances-of-patrice-evra/).
I also saw the difficult situation of the press this last week, with the double playoff game played by France to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. We lost on Friday 2-0, and the game they played was depressing. Nearly no occasion, it was closer to a 3 or 4-0 than to a French goal. So, of course, let’s just say that the French media was not very nice with the team. Many observer talked about the fact that we lack a team spirit, and the problem had been recurrent since 2006 when we reached the World Cup Finals. Harsh words were said on many players that delivered a poor performance on Friday. And then on Tuesday, the miracle happened. And one, and two, and three zeros. Like in the 1998 World Cup final when we won against… Brazil, in the same stadium. And many journalists were left looking ridiculous because they stammered all weekend long that they did not believe for one second that this team could reverse the score and so on.
There is a balance to be found, between trying to find a story for the ratings and the sales, and respecting the athletes. The relationship between the athletes and the media is always going to be complicated, because one cannot exist without the other, even if some do not want to admit it. Having this seminar was essential to us, as aspiring journalists, to see the other side of this association.
Nick Koop posted on November 21, 2013 at 10:09 pm
One of the most difficult thing for any sports journalist is going into the locker room and interviewing athletes for the first time. Nothing can prepare you for that first entrance into the players’ world. Most sports journalists grow up idolizing these players. They’ve never had a hint of what it’s like on the big stage. It’s a dream come true the first time walking into a professional locker room. You’re inevitably star struck. Sooner or later, you realize the feeling isn’t mutual and do your job.
Interacting between athletes and media is an interesting dynamic because it’s often times a forced relationship. I’m struggling to think of another set of professions that have a forced relationship. The athletes don’t want to talk to you, for the most part. They’d rather get home and see their families. But talking to the media has become part of the job description for them.
The key for the journalist is to find out what makes them tick and what will get the most out of them. This is sort of never-ending battle between athletes and the media. Ian Browne and Kelly Olynyk demonstrated how the relationship between the two can become beneficial for both parties.
I think the ultimate takeaway is that the journalist needs to be a human being. It’s easy to treat professional athletes like machines. They’re in a position that many of us dreamed of as kids. It’s easy to forget that they sleep and eat like the rest of us. Once you can establish a more personal relationship with an athlete, that’s when you can begin to extract more valuable information from them.