Rarely, if ever, does a true state of zero conflict exist between athletes and the sports media.
To paraphrase the saying; if you’re not p*ssing someone off, you’re not doing your job properly.
In a lot of ways, I agree with this.
It’s fair to say not all athletes do, though.
At the Australian Open earlier this week, American tennis player, Ben Shelton, took aim at the media.
Specifically, broadcasters whom, he said, were being disrespectful to the players.
The most glaring example he cited was when Channel Nine journalist, Toby Jones, made “offensive” comments abut Novak Djokovic, calling him “overrated” and a “has-been”, as well as mocking the Serbian fans.
In response, Djokovic declined to do the customary on-court interview at the conclusion of his next match until Jones issued a public apology, and normal service resumed.
But it wasn’t only the Djokovic situation that Shelton referenced.
He mentioned his own experience, which saw his interviewer comment that his beaten opponent Gael Monfils, was so old, he “could be his dad” and asked Shelton how he felt about the fact he would have not a soul cheering for him in the next round.
Shelton commented, not unreasonably, that it’s a pretty rude thing for a complete stranger to say this to his face.
It’s interesting that this has come up in the same week that former England cricketer turned broadcaster, Alex Hartley, has been given what she calls the “cold-shoulder” by some of her ex-teammates after comments the former spinner made about the current team’s fitness.
“I've been hung out to dry," Hartley, who retired as a player in 2023, told the BBC Test Match Special podcast.
“I've been given the cold shoulder ever since (making the comments) - not by everyone, but a few individuals, coaches and players. They haven't looked at me.”
Both of these examples shine an interesting spotlight onto the sporting media, what it’s role is and what’s okay, or not, to say.
Clearly, the media isn’t here, whether that be in sport or any other area of life, to act as an advertisement.
It’s not the job of journalists to paint a rosy picture at all costs.
Indeed, this couldn’t be further from the truth and it’s the media which has, in particular cases, exposed the most horrific of wrong-doing and astonishing scandals within sport.
There is, though, different strands of journalism.
Investigative journalism should have, within the law, no boundaries. However many people investigative journalists upset, the figure is inconsequential.
But then there’s the day-to-day media, to which Shelton was referring and in which Hartley works.
Let’s begin with Hartley. She was doing absolutely nothing wrong. For the Englishwoman to even consider watering-down her opinions because she’s commenting on former teammates would be an absolute dereliction of duty.
Were she to consider censoring her, fairly tame as they turned out, views on what the current squad need to improve upon just because she used to share a dressing room with some of them would, frankly, make her a prime candidate to lose her job.
She’s being paid to give her honest views, and any attempt to go easy on anyone just because she has, or had, a personal relationship with them would make her entirely unworthy of holding a microphone.
Shelton, on the other hand, does have a valid point, at least in part.
Journalists are free to say what they desire, but there is a line. There has to be.
There’s holding people to account, asking for answers in an attempt to extract important or interesting information and asking the questions the fans or the public want to hear. That’s all entirely legitimate. Indeed, it’s a necessary part of the job.
And then there’s just being plain rude.
What Shelton’s describing in the examples he gave is exactly this; rudeness.
Calling someone a “has-been”, making fun of their age or pointing out the crowd will be supporting one’s opponent has no journalistic value in it whatsoever.
Indeed, it’s not even funny.
It’s in these scenarios in which some elements of the media have lost sight entirely of what they’re here for. Rather than try to manufacture a funny moment that might go viral on social media, they’d be far better asking thought-out questions which might give the fans and watching public an insight into the player and the match they’ve just watched.
Making rude, unfunny comments does no one any good at all. And frankly, it’s not journalism.
Where I do disagree somewhat with Shelton, however, was his comment that the media is there to “grow the sport”.
“I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments," said Shelton.
"I feel like there's just been a lot of negativity. I think that's something that needs to change.”
The media’s job isn’t to “grow the sport”.
The media’s job is to cover the sport, be it for good or for bad.
The case of Lance Armstrong springs to mind, but this applies in countless cases, that some journalists can be discouraged from asking too probing a question for fear of losing all access to the athlete or team in question.
And how can you be a sports journalist if you have no access to your sport’s most successful athletes?
Athletes can’t assume that the media will be exclusively sunshine and smiles towards them.
The media absolutely shouldn’t be.
But neither should journalists think there’s anything clever, interesting or valuable in making rude, inappropriate remarks to athletes when there’s no value at all in any reply the athlete will give.
Sport can’t survive without media coverage. But that shouldn’t give journalists a free pass to say what they want.
