You might not come face to face with Travis Bickle in a professional locker room/clubhouse but overstep your bounds and a media relations person just might pull you aside…There are “rules of engagement”, so to speak, some are written, some not, but all come with experience on the job….
Take, for example, this sign posted on the New York Yankees spring training clubhouse door….Some say it was put there for the players to read as they try to reverse their second place finish of a year ago….It might be argued it was put there for media members as well….
Let’s try and figure out what they meant…..”Motivated Professionals Only” – why are you there?….Is it to get information or is it to make a name for yourself?…Know the proper time or place…let’s go to the videotape!
“By entering here, you agree to give 100% of what you have”…hello Larry Merchant!
“There are no excuses”…not even for angry athletes right Mike?
“Do not squander your time going through the motions”…can you say Jose Mourinho?
“Train hard and get results”…get those interviews that will get the athlete to remember you…you never know, someday they might have their own T-Vshow…
“At the end of the day, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you gave it your all”…were you willing to stand up for your convictions?… Tim McCarver was…
And finally, “If you don’t have the level of commitment, don’t waster your time or ours”…Torts and Brooksie …
Who knows, maybe it was for the players but it sure looked appropriate to me…Sarah McMahon is the media relations person for the Providence Bruins and has, on more than one occasion, had to pull someone aside, “I’ve had to talk to a few people and it’s uncomfortable, she said, but it only benefits them.”
Michael Jurovaty of the New England Patriots agrees, “Be there to do your job, you’re not fan boys/girls, be respectful of people working.”
Remember, you’re the (invited) guest here…Take advantage of the resources at your disposal, including the media relations people…But keep in mind, as Jurovaty so aptly articulated, “We can’t control the questions but we can control the answers, we can control the message”…
It’s all part of the game……
19 Comments
Timmy Lagos posted on February 21, 2016 at 2:36 pm
As an avid New York Yankees fan, I had seen this sign circulating on Twitter a few hours before it was shown in class, and my immediate reaction was that it was posted for the players. The Yankees have always seemed to convey a strict, no nonsense type of atmosphere around the team, and this sign seemed to reaffirm that belief. After all, it was a disappointing end to the season in 2015 and the talk all offseason has been to come back strong this year. But now that I think about it, this could definitely pertain to the media as well. Do your job and report to the best of your ability. Don’t get down on yourself if you make a mistake or have a bad day with one of your stories. And be fully committed to the job. If you’re not committed what’s the point?
This was one of the main themes that I took out of this seminar with Sarah and Mike. You need to be fully committed to your job as a media relations person, or you are not going to succeed. It was surprising to hear how much Sarah has to take on herself as a 23 year old. She is basically an entire PR staff on her own, juggling 6 different jobs by herself as she noted. Between deciding who gets credentials to games and making different players available for different reporters, it can be a hectic life for her. But although she lives this hectic lifestyle, I was surprised to hear her say that she, and no one else for that matter, travels with the team on the road. I understand that it is an AHL team and there aren’t that many reporters at their games, but I thought they’d at least send her with the team in case any issues arose while the team was away.
Although Mike has more staff members available to assist him, his job is incredibly hectic as well. It’s nonstop throughout the season and even though he gets somewhat of a break on road games because the other team’s media staff takes care of everything, it is still almost a year round job with only a short lull after the season ends in February. It’s clear that you need to enjoy what you do and be committed to your job in media relations, otherwise the hectic lifestyle just wouldn’t be for you.
Something else I took away from this seminar wasn’t so much a theme as it was something I noticed, and that is the fact that being a media relations person sticks with you not only when you are working but also outside of work as well. What I mean by that is that you become so accustomed in media relations to always formulate the politically correct answer that doesn’t offend anyone, doesn’t start any rumors, or doesn’t shed any light on a controversial or sensitive topic that you may not want to talk about, and that extends outside the job as well. For example, I noticed that on many of the questions Mike was asked, he basically had no comment, or he circled around the question and answered in a really long-winded version of no comment. I don’t know if that’s just his personality, but I have to think that working in media relations, and media relations for the Patriots, a team known to be very close to the vest with their comments and statements to the media, has something to do with why he never seemed to give a straight answer to any of the questions. I’m not sure if my perception on this was off, but it sure seemed like he wasn’t being very open to a lot of the questions.
Sarah, on the other hand, seemed much more open and willing to talk about and answer the different questions, but even she seemed to circle around some of the questions. So it seems like the media relations job can affect the way you talk and respond to anybody, not just the media.
The last thing I took away from this was something I’ve taken away from ever seminar and guest I’ve heard speak throughout my years in college, and something that was talked about in my comment and the blog last week, and that’s about getting that starting job, and how it may not be the most glamorous, but is essential in order to work your way into the business. Sarah started out in ticket sales, something she didn’t want to do but did it anyway, and Mike took a lot of part time jobs and internships in sports information offices before getting to where he is today. You need to start out with those “ugly” jobs, in order to eventually get to the “good”, and I think this idea has been prevalent each week with the guests that we’ve had.
Be committed. That goes without saying in any profession, but if you aren’t committed and fully invested in your job as a media member, it will show in your work and demeanor. Mike and Sarah stayed committed throughout their careers, even in the beginning while working jobs they didn’t necessarily enjoy, and that’s helped them get to where they are today.
Rachel Blauner posted on February 21, 2016 at 9:31 pm
When can you tell if you’re getting an honest answer?
After listening to Sarah and Mike, I started thinking about the honesty of answers we receive when interviewing athletes or public relations personnel. As athletes, we are always taught to bring the answer back to the team, never say “I”, be modest, like R. J. Hunter said in our first seminar. From what I heard last Thursday night, it sounds like PR and media relations people abide by the same technique: follow the prompt.
For Mike, the Patriots’ prompt is structured, like Timmy said in his comment. Give no comment and make your answer long so it seems like you’re answering the question. Mike’s answers sounded like every Patriots interview I have logged at Channel 7 WHDH. Each player answers the questions the same way, following the Patriots style to a T. I always think to myself after listening, “Did they even answer that question or did they just reword it?” That’s what the Patriots are known for. They keep their business close and keep what goes on behind close doors away from the media.
For Sarah, the Providence Bruins’ prompt is more open because she is the only one who handles their PR. Sarah freely answered questions, which was refreshing. She was honest and gave us a great picture of what it would be like to be in her shoes.
But, when Sarah moves up in the field and starts working for a NFL team or a MLB team, etc., will her style of answering questions change? Will she start to follow other organizations prompts?
This leads me to the question: have we lost honesty in answers?
As time goes on and the field of professional sports coverage changes, I feel like honest answers are becoming a thing of the past. Answers seem to be scripted by athletes, coaches, and even other media professionals, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad or a good thing, until it gets too extreme.
Organizations want to present themselves with a certain style, a professional persona, but when answers start to become robotic or automated, the fans won’t know what is actually happening. The news will always be what organizations “want” people to know.
This is why our job is so crucial. We have to ask the tough questions in interviews that cannot be answered by an automated response. We have to dig deep into stories and try to uncover what is happening behind closed doors- not just simply relay game stats to the reader. If we are faced with a PR or media relations person who gives us roundabout answers, we have to keep trying to get a truthful answer.
We are the bridge between the game and fans. We owe them the truth: that’s our journalistic prompt.
Andrew Battifarano/Judy Cohen/Sarah Kirkpatrick posted on February 22, 2016 at 5:38 pm
Listen to the second episode of Smooth JAS! https://soundcloud.com/andrew-battifarano/smooth-jas-episode-2
Emily Tillo posted on February 22, 2016 at 10:09 pm
I introduced myself to Michael Jurovaty, Assistant Director of Media Relations for the Patriots, at the end of last week’s class and asked him, “If you could give one piece of advice to your former self upon entering the world of media relations, what would it be?” This is what he told me: “Have more informed opinions. Don’t be afraid to speak up.”
As I read Timmy’s and Rachel’s comments and re-read my notes from the seminar, I couldn’t help but laugh at the disconnect between Jurovaty’s responses in my one-on-one conversation with him and those he shared with Professor Shorr and our class. Was this the same guy who told us 20 minutes earlier, “Most of the time it is easier to say nothing”? Ironically, yes.
Like Timmy and Rachel, I was upset that Jurovaty didn’t open up more with our class about the details of his job and what it’s like to work for a premier NFL team like the Patriots. He deferred a lot of questions to Sarah McMahon, who, like the players on the team she works for, is under the age of 25 and still has so much to learn and prove before making the jump to the big league.
Jurovaty’s demeanor during the class reminded me of Bill Belichick’s press conference habits—his responses were minimalistic and broad. Jurovaty put up a shield, so to speak, in order to distance himself from the class. It wasn’t until I approached him individually that I started to see a little bit of the man underneath the media relations professional.
I get it, Jurovaty has a duty to his employer. There’s certain things he can and cannot say, all of which are dictated by franchise and league policies. Both McMahon and Jurovaty implied that they could never afford to be a source. But then this makes me wonder: when is an acceptable time for Jurovaty to ever be ‘off the record’? Who knew that a media relations professional’s job was also 24-7 like a beat reporter’s, as we learned from Doug Kyed of NESN.com?
A running theme that has been brought up by the guest speakers at each of the seminars so far this semester is that you have to pay your dues before you can call the shots. Sometimes, as Red Sox beat reporter Jen McCaffrey knows very well, you have to write what you don’t want to write. Her editors told her to write a story about Ortiz’s haircut because fans wanted to see the picture, so that’s what she did. Likewise, Jurovaty has to say what the Patriots want him to say because he’s not in a position where his coworkers defer to him for the final call, as he does with his boss, Stacey James, VP of Media Relations.
As an athlete, sports fan, journalism student, and future employee in the communications department at the PGA TOUR, I am all too familiar with the internal battle I can see Jurovaty is struggling with. I have my own personal opinions about the PGA TOUR’s golf policies and media relations procedures, but as an entry-level employee I have to remember that I must pay my dues before I can shape the TOUR’s interactions with and responses to the media.
If there’s anything Jurovaty’s incongruent comments have now made me realize, it’s that we’re always going to be straddling the fence between what we want to say and what our employer want us to say. Most often, as in Jurovaty’s case, the employer’s view wins. This is a harsh reality we have to face, but if our conversation about page views two weeks ago didn’t illustrate the power money has in the sports journalism business, I’m not sure what else can.
I think we have to take a step back and remember that it will get easier to voice our opinion and shape the opinions of others as we climb the chain of command within our respective media organizations. I’m sure Rob King will tell us about this issue and the times when, after having risen through the ranks at ESPN, he is now expected by his coworkers to have the last word on important issues and controversies. Our time will come, but until then we, like Jurovaty demonstrated, will have to keep our personal opinions to a minimum and “follow the prompt,” as Rachel put it. That’s just the way it goes.
Jake De Vries posted on February 23, 2016 at 11:01 am
I think we all saw the same thing last Thursday night. We met a guy in Michael Jurovaty who is a Patriot through and through. If Bill Belichick and Stacey James could have seen Mike’s Q&A with us, they would have given him an A+. Even for questions as simple as “what is a typical day for you like?” Mike couldn’t even give us a straight answer. He would say along the lines of “It’s different from day-to-day, week-to-week.” For harder questions about what to do in certain media crisis situations, he answered with something like “it varies from situation to situation, but my boss gets the final say.”
Well…thanks for the insight. No knock on Mike. I thank him for spending his time talking to our class, but I think we all just confirmed what we already suspected about the Patriots: they’re not willing to share any information about anything with anybody on the outside. As Rachel said, he’s just following the Patriots’ prompt. And he’s doing a damn good job of it.
Sarah McMahon from the Providence Bruins spoke much more freely with us. With her experience being limited to a bit over a year, she struggled to find the words to answer some questions.
I think we were all surprised to hear that no one from the media team travels with their AHL team. It was even more surprising to learn of this once we found out all the roles that Sarah is responsible for. As she put it, the only time she has to rest is when the guys are out on the ice playing a game. She mentioned that social media is being transitioned into her workload, so hopefully for her that won’t include live tweets during games.
Sarah told us two things that I thought were important. The first is that her first job after college was in ticket sales. Her sports professors in college told her that the best way to break into the industry was through a job like this. That advice reiterated for me what I have heard in the past. At an NCAA conference I attended last summer for student-athletes that want to pursue a career in sports, just about every professional at the conference advised us to get a job in ticket sales or fundraising. I believe this is just to show that you can market a product or generate revenue for a university athletic department, because at the end of the day, sports is entertainment and business.
Sarah also told us that when she goes home for the night, she’s done with hockey; she watches some reality TV and unwinds. I think this is an important part of her day to take note of, especially for our class, considering most of us live and breathe sports.
As we’ve learned from many of our guests this semester, working in sports becomes your life and often a 24 hour job. Take advantage of any time you have away from the job. For most of us, we go home excited to watch a Wednesday night basketball game, but once we’re working full-time in the industry, we may not feel that way every Wednesday night. And that’s perfectly ok.
Natalie Robson posted on February 23, 2016 at 1:46 pm
I don’t think it is a huge secret that people were a little taken aback by the response we received from Mike Jurovaty at last Thursday’s seminar. Not only did I see it in a good portion of the comments to this blog post, but by the demeanor of the class in general. It was not uncommon to hear a little chuckle or see heads shake whenever Jurovaty gave a stock answer even about little things like day to day activities. It begs the question as to why was he so tight to the vest with any kind of information about his job? What kind of operation are they running over there in Foxborough? One thing Jake pointed out is that Jurovaty’s higher ups would have been impressed with his performance Thursday night.
As an optimist (who’s to say I will be five years from now) I tried to find the positives from our seminar–I will get to Sarah later, I thought she gave some really good insight about her job. The first take away from Jurovaty is that loyalty to your company and brand takes precedent over everything. No matter what the proverbial juice is that the Patriots’ are making over there, everyone is drinking it—from the front office, to the players to the media relations staff. You are not going to be able to break the exterior of these guys. All jokes aside, and despite how frustrating it was to hear those stock answers, I will give him and the Patriots a tremendous amount of credit for the iron clad operation they are running.
I also think by being tight lipped about something as basic as day to day operations, Jurovaty was also trying to prove a point. At one point he was talking about the importance of controlling the message—much like my fellow classmates mentioned in their posts. He was able to take every question that Professor Shorr had and spin it in some direction that never accurately answered a lot of questions. He was able to give answers and provide as little information as humanly possible. This was the best possible way to control the message about the Patriots, his job and the company brand.
On the opposite of the spectrum was Sarah McMahon, her conversation was refreshing in the sense that she was completely, albeit brutally, honest about her umbrella job of PR at the Providence Bruins. I found myself really impressed with her—she was able to take on and juggle so many aspects of a job, some I am sure she didn’t even know she signed up for. I think this definitely shed light on the fact that you are going to have to do a lot going into your first job—sometimes stuff you probably didn’t even know you signed on the dotted line to do. This goes to show that there is an important aspect of your job where you must be willing to adapt to situations for the sake of the well being of the company. This was important to see, especially from someone like her who appears to have this really amazing job with the Providence Bruins. Although her job does sounds great, it requires a lot from her—so much that she no longer gets to truly enjoy hockey like she did before she took her job.
All in all, from the aspect of McMahon, it is important to note that everything that glitters isn’t always gold. These jobs are going to be tough and oftentimes will extend beyond what we signed up for or what we will be paid to do.
Taylor DiChello posted on February 23, 2016 at 5:12 pm
I was worried about missing last week’s class because I had always wondered about what causes media relations people to think so differently than journalists, especially since, like here at BU, many journalism and PR majors are initially trained side-by-side.
I wanted to look into the mind of a media relations personnel and see why they want to put a stop to their athlete’s stories being told.
But, apparently my worries were for nothing because the comments from my classmates reveal one important thing: journalists are sent to ask the hard questions and media relations personnel are sent to shut them down, even when talking to a classroom full of students.
Had I been in class that night, I wouldn’t have been able to see what questions were answered in full and what ones were beating around the bush. It’s surprising that even to a classroom full of students, these PR professionals didn’t seem to provide the dirty details of what the job is really about.
Yet, as Timmy noted, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised because since media relations is a 24/7 job, it is bound to affect their personalities as well. If they always have to watch what they say on the job, it must come naturally to them after doing it for a while. Many people compared Mike Jurovaty to Bill Belichick in their responses and it would have been interesting to see that comparison play out in person. After all, a staple part of being on the Patriots is to give a non-answer to a question even as simple as “what is a typical day for you like?”.
So, it only seems naturally for me to ask next, why are the New York Yankees asking for “Motivated Professionals Only” that “agree to give 100% of what [they] have”, when the media relations employees don’t give 100% of the answers that they have?
Yes, the only answer to this question may be one that we’ve used many times in this seminar before to explain why journalists do our job and that is that they’re only doing just that- their job. It’s not necessarily their fault that they can’t answer the question as fully as we want them to because they’re only doing what their employer wants them to do. For the Patriots, Mike isn’t allowed to say whatever he wants because he has an obligation to protect the team he works for.
But, as journalists, we have obligations to our readers, viewers, and listeners to get the full answer, the full truth and report on it. It only makes me reflect back on our very first seminar where Sean McAdam said we have to form our questions properly in order to be able to dig deeper into an athlete’s mind past the media relations and past their media training. We need to be able to elicit responses by asking the most specific and detailed questions that people can’t just vaguely answer.
It seems as though this same learning progression is seen between Mike Jurovaty and Sarah McMahon. Mike, a much more experienced media relations person, was able to dodge questions and vaguely answer them whereas Sarah, a young 23-year-old just starting with an AHL team was more open in her answers.
Professor Shorr reminds us that we are the guests in the locker room or clubhouse and that we need to keep in mind that “[media relations] can’t control the questions but [they] can control the answers, [they] can control the message” as Jurovaty says. But, I think that we CAN pry the full answers out of our interviewees if we ask the hard-hitting, in-depth questions that they just can’t dodge.
Gabbie Chartier and Ashley Boitz posted on February 23, 2016 at 10:06 pm
Check out the first episode of Sports Chat with Gabbie and Ashley!
https://soundcloud.com/gabbie-chartier/sports-chat-with-gabbie-and-ashley-episode-1
Vanessa de Beaumont posted on February 24, 2016 at 12:38 am
A week ago, I feared the eventual loss of my enthusiasm for the games I love if put in a beat reporting role. After this past week, however, I am convinced that any such zeal would be checked not at the door but in the parking lot should I find myself working in media relations.
This, of course, comes with no disrespect to Michael Jurovaty or Sarah McMahon on their career choices. In fact, as many of my classmates pointed out, their formulaic responses (McMahon to a less monotonous extent) revealed the extent of their belongingness in the field. Even the 23-year-old, however, so new to the job, admitted to already finding hockey at the bottom of her list of recreation, reality TV being at the top.
But I have no criticisms for their use of personal time (even if I continue to be sadden by the beaten-down and trodden-up inner fans). Instead, as a journalist, I, naturally, have objections to their vice grip on team-related content, information and messages.
Ironically, I can’t help, however, but think that, in the pursuit of shaping messages, media relations may in fact be perpetuating the spread of false information.
“I’m not in the business of confirming or denying rumors,” Jurovaty said. On the one hand, it’s a noble and legitimate pursuit. Stay above the fray and negative outcomes rarely occur. But would not ending the fray before it even began be best? Speculation exists only when there is a lack of definitive information, and sometimes, even if it’s false, that speculation can be damaging, particularly to a team’s image.
In the case of the New England Patriots in particular, their tight-lipped M.O. has allowed many possibly misconceived notions to be made by the general public. Sure, they may seem cool and collected in the face of a cheating allegation and investigation, but by sending out purely canned, reactionary content, the evidence suddenly becomes more implicating. While there is definitely something to be said about taking the high ground, a lack of denial can easily be spun into a confession. In other words, why not simply nip things in the bud? “No, we’re not at all interested in trading for Johnny Manziel.” There you have it. The end. The rumor mill, at least the reputable one, ceases churning.
McMahon echoed a similar sentiment by saying that she is “not usually the one to give out scoops,” attributing the information leaks to the Providence Bruins’ head coach instead. This I find much more understandable Jurovaty’s statement. There’s no place in professional journalism for gossip, especially not the kind which begins from within the team itself, but, in “certain circumstances” (as the pair preferred to say), I could almost see how leaking information could best serve the goal of controlling the message.
They, obviously, aren’t the only ones attempting to mediate and mold what exists their facilities. The
Yankees, in addition to posting that intriguing sign, have required players to view examples of Cam Newton and Russell Wilson’s post-Super Bowl loss press conferences, drawing from the former how not to act while instilling within them the positive qualities of the latter (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2618727-yankees-emphasize-russell-wilson-over-cam-newton-qualities-in-media-training). As classmate Rachel Blauner delves into, this could soon be an issue of non-information, a barrage of monotony as it were. With journalists attempting to break through the repetitious responses and media relations professionals reinforcing their resolve, a stalemate is inevitable, and, in the end, although journalism careers will rarely be taking off after a breaking news incident, fans will be the ones to suffer the most. Something will have to give, and, unfortunately for those finding employment in brand management, the ones to take the lead on ending that stall of vibrant, meaningful conversation will likely be the athletes themselves (the truth, as they say, does always find a way to come out).
For as much as there is friction between media relations and journalists, however, there is, interestingly, a common enemy: The Player’s Tribune and outlets like it (albeit for different reasons). Despite linebacker Jerod Mayo’s own declaration of retirement on social media, Jurovaty didn’t seem keen on confirming the news (which interestingly refers back to my frustration with the lack of confirmation and/or dispelling of rumors). Even McMahon admitted to some more-than-mild Twitter monitoring for messages ill-conceived by the young Bruins.
Journalists, including my classmates and past seminar guests, have expressed a distaste for all of these platforms because of their attempts to extract them from the equation. It seems, however, that athletes are also trying to give their media relations pals the boot as well, perhaps tired of the confines with which they are allowed to express themselves (if it can be even referred to as such). Is it possible that the players in question are ick of the short leash they’re being kept on? If so, this could prove to be advantageous for any reporter who has the trust of an annoyed athlete keen on bypassing the stuffy protocols set forth. Simply food for thought.
Mutual nemeses, however, weren’t the only common ground I discovered. I was heartened by the relative accessibility someone such as myself could have with requesting interviews. It isn’t as if I ever imagined myself sauntering in for a feature, human-interest piece on a player anytime soon, but, after speaking to both professionals, it seems that, with the proper reasoning and demeanor, there may be greater availability than I had anticipated.
Which, at the end of the day, was the greatest takeaway. While I had been dead set on enthusiasm holding the title of “Universal Key,” it seems that a composed, dutiful disposition is the way to go. So long as the more refined approach doesn’t lead to the austere, I’m more than willing to button up to get the job done.
Haley K. King posted on February 24, 2016 at 12:48 am
As one of the few—if not only—public relations professionals in our sports journalism seminar, I was even a tad discouraged with the outcome of last week’s seminar. Not because not all of the questions asked were answered, not because it wasn’t educational, but because the seminar became so “stereotypical PR,” so quickly.
It’s obviously no secret that the New England Patriots aren’t very keen on sharing information with anyone. The trend seems to start with Bill Belichick, trickles down through his 53 players, and even makes its way into the Patriots front office to Michael Jurovaty.
Although it wasn’t surprising that Jurovaty dodged a number of questions and spun his answers to be generically applicable to any media relations professional working in sports—it was apparent that someone in the organization, whether that be Bill Belichick or Stacey James, doesn’t want people talking too much—no matter who you are, or where you are. Caution is hardwired in everyone in the New England Patriots’ system—which isn’t too surprising considering the PR team has a playbook of almost any crisis that could arise for the team. I guess you could say they’re a tad uptight.
I wasn’t necessarily upset or put off by the roundabout Q&A we experienced last week, rather just disheartened that the class’ perception of media relations professionals was based off of the New England Patriots, which is obviously one of the more extreme cases.
I think the job of a media relations professional—especially in the realm of sports, and in a town like Boston—is difficult. The main reason being, a media relations or PR person is inherently destined to be the middle man. They get paid, essentially, to keep a wall up between journalists and athletes, control the message, and coach the players on how to filter their own speech when talking to media members. They’re expected to ensure interviews and press conferences run smoothly, expected to adequately prepare everyone for any question reporters might have for them, and expected to cut reporters off when it’s time.
But at the same time, PR people are expected to cater to the media as well, issue them press and parking passes, secure interviews, and serve as a follow up resource if they need any additional information on a player or the organization. When any of these expectations aren’t met on either side, someone is unhappy and the PR person gets to deal with it and endure the wrath. The job of a media relations professional seems especially tough in an organization like the New England Patriots, for they attract more than 30 reporters to every game, a huge fan base, and tough personalities to work with on the team side of things—and not to mention a rather demanding fan base.
My main takeaway being, I feel for media relations people. They undoubtedly have to deal with a lot of crap from both players and journalists alike, need to become accustomed to all of their personalities, and above all else remain cool and collected throughout, well, their entire career.
But as Jurovaty says, “it still beats working for a living.”
Anna Padilla posted on February 24, 2016 at 9:02 am
As many of my classmates have noted, the experience with our media relations guests was underwhelming. They spoke little and engaged even less. They were not shy but rather stoic.
Compared to our recent journalist guests, Michael Jurovaty and Sarah McMahon were guests of very few words. But I think it is easy to get caught up in their tightly sealed personas and miss insights about what it is like to be a media relations professional.
Throughout their panel and afterwards I couldn’t help but think about the nature of their job and how it plays into the love triangle dynamic of professional sports: PR, media, athlete.
As Professor Shorr once noted we are all here because we love sports. In some way or another our liking for sports has sparked an interest in investing time and money to make it part of our profession. Sarah McMahon indicated she has always been a hockey fan and Micahael Jurovaty a football fan. And professional athletes, well, if they don’t love the sport they are playing they probably will not last very long in their game.
So we all, at one point in time, loved sports. But our jobs in this professional family of sports have different purposes.
Media relations are the parents. They protect their children (the athletes) and their own family (the team) from as much harm as they can. The athlete is the child. The child that has grown up and is out in the the big bad world of professional sports. Journalists are the potential in-law who is courting on of the kids in a potential union.
The athlete is being tugged in two different directions and most of the time it just wants to stay still, focused on the court, the ball and the score. PR has chosen its banner flag as the protector of the children and the family. In sports, media relations existed before it ever was a profiting industry. Mothers, fathers, grand parents, uncles and probably friends, protected their rising stars in a professional sports world that was not as organized as the one we report on today.
So for Michael Jurovaty and Sarah McMahon, it was not surprising nor should it be off putting that they were the way they were when they spoke to our class. They were being prodded for answers about their “little girl” or “little boy” by a handful of eager, eligible journalist. All who are ready and willing to become part of this love triangle for better or for worse.
Let’s remember the obvious that has been pointed out by my classmates: they are just doing their job. Let us also not begrudge them too much for their silence. No one said that reporting on professional sports was supposed to be easy or that the stories would be given on a silver platter. Like politics, sport has its surprises. That’s why we all love it.
julie aiello posted on February 24, 2016 at 10:16 am
Media Relations professionals Sarah McMahon and Michael Jurovaty answered many of the questions I had about PR, but each in their own way. It was no surprise that Jurovaty was as tight-lipped as he was, considering the team he represents, and it was refreshing to hear Sarah’s honest opinion of her job(s).
Michael said that he prefers to “work on media relationships rather than be a source so [the media] can write in an informed way.” I understand his reasoning for not wanting to be a source, and I respect that. The rest of what he said, though, was frustrating to hear as a journalist. Based on the vagueness of Michael’s responses throughout the class, this comment made me wonder what he actually does give up to the media. How can he build relationships with media members if he’s constantly maintaining his reserved demeanor? What kind of relationship is based on a reliance to one person’s word choice? There are times when we, journalists and the sports community as a whole, can be heavily dependent on media relations professionals for information. It seems that no matter what type of relationship journalists have built with a media relations person, we may not get any specific information about a team, a player, or an incident.
Perhaps because the Providence Bruin are in the AHL and get a significantly smaller amount of press attention, but I felt that Sarah allowed our class to get a more candid look at some of the demands of the job. Her responses to questions, at first, were very brief. When she got more comfortable, though, her answers became more honest and telling. The hardest part of her job, she said, is that she is still learning how to do certain aspects of it. I think the big take away from this is that there will be things, in media relations but also in any job, that we will need to learn as we go. There is no guidebook for how every small detail of a job must be done, and Sarah was honest about how overwhelming it can be. Getting to see this side of the PR profession helped me view media relations people in a different light. Sure, they can be less than forthcoming with valuable information, but they also have a job to do and it’s not their responsibility to give you detailed updates on injured players, team activities, etc.
Seeing how the organization one works for and 5 or 6 more years of experience in PR can transform the way a media relations professional speaks on and off the job (as I felt were the differences between the two panelists) also made me a little uneasy. Michael, the veteran media relations professional, seemed to have stock answers ingrained in him and kept his responses about the organization indefinite. When I’m not working, I want to be able to speak the way I choose, within reason, and I need to now that I will be able to shut my brain off for a while and not think of how my words will be construed in relation to the team I represent. Even Michael said he has a computer in his lap almost every waking hour. I feel like I would always be “on the clock” as a media relations professional.
But is that really so much different than being a journalist? Aren’t we both somewhat always on the job, just in different ways?
If you can respect that your own profession places demands on you, you can begin to understand that other professionals’ responsibilities are just as demanding to them. Each job has rules to live by, and although it may not be convenient for one side of the relationship, each professional has to respect the demands each other is faced with. Ultimately, a relationship must be built on mutual respect for one another’s professional responsibilities in order to work cooperatively and accomplish individual goals.
Stephanie Tran posted on February 24, 2016 at 10:46 am
Let’s be real here. Media relations personnel have it tough too. Essentially they are the middle man or woman between the media and the players. That can be a tough job, especially during high profile situations or just dealing with persistent and pestering media members. There’s this feeling of “damned if they do damned if they don’t.” It’s the balance that you need to find in this business to keep afloat. We all have a job to do and for them it’s their duty to protect the players, coaches, and image of the team.
Based on the demeanor and body language of our two guests this week, it seems as if Michael Jurovaty and Sarah McMahon had difficulty finding the “right” words to answer questions or tried to circumvent the question entirely. I mean I should cut them a little bit of slack here because it must have been an odd experience being on the other side of the interview for once, but would it have hurt to give a little more insight into what they exactly do?
I think Sarah who works for the Providence Bruins had an easier time opening up about the realities of the business than Michael who works for the New England Patriots, but it felt like pulling teeth to get the answers, or shall I say no answers. I give them credit though; these people are well-trained at what they do. I liked how Emily put it, “Jurovaty’s demeanor during the class reminded me of Bill Belichick’s press conference habits – his responses were minimalistic and broad.” This is so accurate.
Being careful about what you say and how you say it has been engrained into their personalities. It makes me wonder if Michael or Sarah ever has a moment to turn off and be themselves by not worrying about what to say. Based on their answers, there’s little to none of that. Sarah mentions that sometimes the only time to herself is when the players are playing or during her 30 minute lunch at the mall. For Michael, if the Patriots don’t make it to the Superbowl, it can get quiet but work ramps back up again during the NFL Combine and NFL Draft. Like a beat reporting position, this is also a job that consumes your life. Again, if that’s something I really wanted it takes some personal sacrifice along the way. Like the sign outside the Yankees locker room says, “At the end of the day, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you gave your all. If you don’t have that level of commitment, don’t waste our time or ours.”
There’s so much focus on the team in order to maintain a sense of control of the players and media.
“We can’t control the questions, but we can control the answers, we control the message,” said Jurovaty.
This statement was striking, but it’s also the reality reporters’ face during a day-to-day basis. I think it’s important to understand that sometimes you’re not going to get the answers you want, but you can always find a story within the information you do gather or answers you do get. If you’re sneaky, you can ask a question in many different forms to try and get the answer out.
Franchises like the New England Patriots are so tight-lipped about everything imaginable compared to the baby Bruins and we shouldn’t fault the lack of answers from our guests. I think what needs to be understood here is that in any capacity, building and compiling good sources and working colleagues can get you places. That also includes all the other elements on how to be a solid reporter. Don’t be that person Sarah has had to pull aside to have a conversation about being professional. It’s expected.
With that said, this is a business and we all have a job to do. There’s always going to be factors in life that may hinder you. I think to overcome that is to have a good working relationship with everyone because you never know how that can help you out in the long run.
Justin Akiva posted on February 24, 2016 at 11:03 am
“I hate to keep saying it, but its case by case,” said Michael Jurovaty, assistant media director for the New England Patriots. As my fellow classmates have already commented, this seminar was not very clear. However, that does not mean it was a bad seminar. Jurovaty actually taught us a lot more than we may realize. He got us so fed up with his unclear answers, but that did not stop the class from asking him questions. Whether he liked it or not, his quietness was the reason we kept asking questions, but it also made us furious, which is why some of my classmates are criticizing him in their comments.
The athletes give these one word or case by case answers, and then the media just gets fed up with them. Jurovaty taught us that anyone in the organization is just as important and responsible as the players on the team. They may not make the same money and have have the same media training as the players, but they are just as responsible as the players. Jurovaty showed us this by the way he spoke throughout the seminar. When he answered questions about the media relations department, he was pretty clear about what he did and how everything worked. But when it came to more specific questions, it was as if we were in a real interview situation. He had to watch every word that came out of his mouth because one slip up could cause a huge problem. For example, when asked about Jerod Mayo, Jurovaty said, “We have not responded yet.” He said that because he knows it’s not his place to comment on the matter and the Patriots have not commented on the situation.
Jurovaty might have been vague, but he definitely taught us that the media game is not only the players battle, but it’s the whole organizations. When working for an organization, especially one as prestigious as the Patriots, everyone needs to watch every word they say. There was an underlying message to the way Jurovaty answered his questions and I do not feel like we all understood that. We are all trying to learn about these different departments so we can get an understanding, but there’s more to these seminars besides what we hear. I think we all want to do our jobs and succeed in life that we forget the organization has a job as well, and keeping things quiet is part of it sometimes. Even though Jurovaty was not technically working when he was talking to us, he still was in a way because he needs to protect the team’s brand all the time. As an employee or organization member, you are always wearing the brand’s name on your chest. So in regards to Rachel’s comments, I don’t believe it’s a question of honesty. Rather it’s all part of the job and the Patriots organization does not lie; they just stray away from the questions asked.
The way Jurovaty spoke to us shows a lot about the Patriots organization and illustrates that there is a type of person that gets to work with the illustrious team. With the exception of Gronk’s Boat Cruise extravaganza, the Patriots are a very quiet team when it comes to speaking with the media, which could explain why Jurovaty was so quiet with us. The team has been this way since the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady tandem and it seems that it is present all around their organization. They have had their fair share of issues in the media, but the personnel has been the same way for years. They keep this quiet composure when addressing the media and it could be one of the reasons their organization is as successful as it is. It may be odd to relate quietness to a championship, but I think it’s possible because they are not the only team who employs this manner. In the NBA, there’s a team just like the Patriots: the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have had the same success as the Patriots and the organization has the same demeanor. Gregg Popovich, the head coach of the team, acts the same was as Belichick and so do his players. Kawhi Leonard, the team’s starting small forward, will not even let the media crack a single smile out of him. These players and coaches may just be humble, but it shows a lot about their respective organizations. They continue to keep their thoughts to themselves which seems to bring continued success each season.
Many of my classmates wrote disappointing comments when it came to the Jurovaty portion of the seminar, but I think they are being a little too tough on him. When asked about his job, Jurovaty did explain what he does and the situations he is put in. He may have been quiet when it came to other questions, but he showed us that the Patriots brand is consistent with the way the team acts. We need to think of the position Jurovaty, or any of our guests, are in before we can get upset with their answers.
Sara McMahon took a different approach to this seminar. She explained herself for most of the questions. The way she answered questions by relating them to her life experiences was definitely eye opening, especially when she talked about the sacrifices she had to make. We have talked about that first job since day one and Professor Shorr has always explained that this class is for us to network. However, just because we are making these connections, it does not mean we will be doing what we want right off the bat, and that is what McMahon taught us. She never wanted to do ticket sales, but she did it because her professors told her this was the way to start if you wanted to get anywhere in the business. She showed me that I have to be willing to make sacrifices if I am going to want to eventually reach that dream job. This could happen to all of us and we need to be ready to make these sacrifices if they are presented to us. Making the connection and getting the job is the first half of the battle while working hard and reaching the dream is the second half.
McMahon and Jurovaty might have answered our questions differently, but they taught us lessons that we need to know when we enter this business. Things aren’t always going to be easy and you will not always get what you want, but that’s part of the job and you have to keep at it in order to win the tough battle.
Alex/Alex/Zach posted on February 24, 2016 at 11:44 am
Here’s episode 4 of the Shorr Report!
https://soundcloud.com/user-872962998/shorr-report-episode-4
It’s the Shorr Report (silent T) as an homage to Stephen Colbert, whose name is pronounced with a silent T as sort of an inside joke about him being French. He’s really not French at all and his name is pronounced “Colbert” in real life, but it fit in with his adopted character on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central.
<3
Doyle Somerby posted on February 24, 2016 at 11:53 am
I could not agree more with how some of classmates have started their comments. Michael Jurovaty gave a classic New England Patriots and it was quite obvious he works in Foxboro. The difference between his interview and Sarah McMahon from the Providence Bruins was astounding. Jake De Vries hit the nail on the head, when he said that Bill Belichick would have giving Michael and A+ for his interview. Not divulging and allowing himself to become venerable in situations. Opposed to Sarah who spewed information and personal situations at will.
With saying that, the limited responses that people are starting to have throughout interviews is frustrating. Everyone has brought up the Patriot way the past few weeks which is the perfect example. However, other athletes and organizations are quickly beginning to take notice and portray themselves in the same manner. Sarah McMahon perfect depicted the underlying theme in locker rooms and media rooms today. No one (Athletes, coaches, or media personal) want to be “the source” or the “bulletin board material” placed in another teams locker room. Both Sarah and Michael talked about how whenever they find themselves in a tricky situation they always refer the interviewer to the position above them. It is simple, keep it short and sweet, and if your unsure of an answer then tell the person to go elsewhere for a response.
Michael’s situation in Foxboro is far superior to Sarah’s because the New England Patriots are the top dogs in the food chain. With stars such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Chandler Jones, ect.. their every moves are often monitored. Unfortunately for the NFL, the media following is extreme. Also, NFL players find themselves tip toeing the line with the law quite often. This leads to unwanted media pressure that Michael finds himself very involved with. Off the field incidents, or on the field play calls or losses are always subject to interviews. As Timmy referenced in his post, the New York Yankees currently were a hot topic when they posted on the locker room door about no non sense type of professionalism. While players, coaches and media personal are becoming trained with the media it is taking away from our jobs as reporters.
Truth. That is what the people care about and want to hear. However, that is also something that is extremely difficult to hear in locker rooms. Players do not give out information at will and are usually heard saying, “We are on to the next one” or “Tonight wasn’t our night, we have to be better”. Vague answers are common now, or athletes reword the reporters questions to dodge answering it. It is most apparent after games, when athletes do on the field, court or ice interviews and emotions are boiling high. It is apparent that some athletes don’t want to participate in them but they have to. This causes them to give basic answers and provide nothing new to the audience. Unless of course it is Richard Sherman or other athletes that enjoy the attention. As much as that is no longer the popular or correct thing to do, it is the most interesting aspect for the people at home.
In closing, the people that are interviewed and have a connection to a team, are held to the same standards. No one wants to cause unnecessary drama or attention. Basic answers is what reporters will hear form now on out and they should get used to it now. If an athlete ever speaks out he is the topic of sportscenter and sports articles for weeks. No athlete wants the brand of, cry baby, immature, or selfish. The history of reporting has cause Michael and Sarah’s jobs to become limiting availability and information that gets out to reporters and general population.
Dakota Woodworth posted on February 24, 2016 at 12:02 pm
“We can’t control the question, but we can control the answer and control the message.” Last weeks panel was pretty different than the ones we’ve had so far – I found that at times it sounded a little similar to post-game interviews with athletes… did they actually just answer the question? Or did they talk about something else in a roundabout way without ever really answering?
Sometimes this happens by accident, I suppose. I’ve found myself in interviews trying to remember what the question really was, even after I’ve been ‘answering it’ for a minute already.
Michael, media relations for the Patriots, gave these answers much more than Sarah did. Sarah is younger and seemed fresher, more honest and less guarded. Maybe it has to do with running her PR department entirely by herself, and I’m sure it certainly has to do with running an AHL team compared to the extreme contrast of the esteemed (and historically private) Patriots.
Who knows, maybe Michael felt stressed about the recent end of the season, the combine this week and the draft coming up, but it was clear that the Pats have some serious rules about what to divulge to people – even a college classroom.
Perhaps Michael internalized his experiences of coaching up athletes to answer questions in a certain way. Both he and Sarah talked about how they have to talk to players about how to answer questions in order to portray themselves, the team and the coaches in a positive light. As someone who is interested in both PR and journalism, my journalistic half was disheartened by that topic of conversation. Similar to what Rachel wrote, I thought, so what percentage of the time are reporters getting truly honest and genuine answers?
If athletes are constantly getting coached about what to say, does their originality and authenticity with journalists go away? I’m sure Tim and Adam and Doug from two weeks ago would say no – they still get those moments with athletes that make the job worth it, when their guard is down and their answers are truly how they feel. But how often does that happen?
Gabbie Chartier and Ashley Boitz posted on February 24, 2016 at 1:41 pm
Here’s the first episode of Sports Chat with Gabbie and Ashley!
https://soundcloud.com/gabbie-chartier/sports-chat-with-gabbie-and-ashley-episode-1
Dakota Randall posted on February 25, 2016 at 11:01 am
This seminar, and the videos frank posted, made me feel that being a journalist / reporter is many ways can be like being a part of a really dysfunctional love triangle.
The reporter has manage his relationship with the athlete, but also with the involved PR person. The same is true for all three parties. Like Michael Jurovaty mentioned, the media relations people believe they have a responsibility to maintain a good and professional relationship with the media, and that they expect the media to do the same.
As for public relations, I found myself wondering many of the same things that Timmy mentioned. Does being a part of such a routinely politically-correct lifestyle start to bleed into your every day life outside of the job? While certainly some of Mike’s answers were straight from the Patriots handbook, even his most casual answers had traces of regimented responses. Just last night, after doing a live report from “Crunch Time Radio,” I called my mother, and found myself talking to her as if I was still reading from a script. I had to take the phone off my ear and kind of shake my head for a second and remember who I was talking to.
As for athletes, it’s important to remember that while they are often in a highly emotional state that may lead to sudden outbursts, that can’t prevent a journalist from asking GOOD questions. there is no place for baseless questions that clearly had no research behind them, but it’s our job to ask questions that will elicit an interesting response. It’s also important to remember the ramifications of such responses.
Though on a much smaller scale, I was once in involved in a situation where I got a little to emotional in an interview, and it cost my team the following game. I was a member of team that was participating in a regional AAU Basketball tournament, and we had just finished a game against a team from Methuen; a game we lost on a last-second shot in double overtime. We actually four players foul out, including myself, and one leave with injury. We started and finished the second overtime with only three players on the court. It was insane.
After the game, all a reporter asked me was “what was that game like?” I sounded off on the officiating, and the next game we were stuck with the very same officiating crew. Clearly those officials read what I said, because they fouled me out in the first half. As i walked off the court, I looked at one of them and laughed, and he just winked back at me.
The irony for me is that these types of interactions we saw in the videos can, regardless of how stupid the questions are, lead to more views, clicks, fame, and readership. In today’s day and age, that may unfortunately be even more important than asking good questions. I believe it’s the responsibility of the reporter to find that happy medium between asking a fair, honest question, and one that may elicit an entertaining and emotional response. Especially when, like Rachel pointed out, it’s hard to tell whether or not we’re getting honest answers.
While producing generic quotes and information is certainly a part of today’s beat reporting, those types of stories and interviews will only keep readers engaged for so long.
I also believe that, no matter what, if you truly believe you are in the right and that your character is being attacked, you have to defend yourself. While Larry Marchand and Tim McCarver handled their situations a little differently, especially considering one was live at the time, they stood their ground as men and wouldn’t let the athlete bully them around.
That type of response and conviction can lead to an increased respect among your peers, as well as the athletes and PR people, which is the most important foundation for any relationship.