Thursday, June 10, 2010

TIMEOUT: Media must know when to shut up

Some people do not like the media.

While I am by no means a major media figure, I’ve experienced the feeling firsthand myself.

As a reporter, I’ve gotten plenty of dirty looks from people who see me approaching with a pen and paper or - even scarier - a voice recorder.

I understand the skepticism. It’s all part of the job.

Lately, however, I’ve been siding with coaches and players in the NBA who look more than miffed at sideline reporters who bother them during warm-ups, before halftime, after halftime, at the game’s end and during a sprinkling of timeouts throughout the broadcast.

A bit of downtime shouldn’t be a visual cue for reporters to accost a team.

I recall briefly watching the Western Conference Finals between the Phoenix Suns and L.A. Lakers, and poor Steve Nash - who had already suffered a broken nose and a grotesquely-swollen eye - was being questioned by TNT’s Craig Sager.

Now that’s painful.

The game had yet to begin, and Nash had to gracefully remind Sager that he should be warming up, not answering inane questions about what might be in store for the night.

I don’t know why this idea gained any traction.

As I said, I feel badly for the coaches and players, who have been less and less capable of hiding their disgust and discomfort in being grilled at the most inappropriate times.

But I have to admit, I also feel badly for the reporters for being put in these situations. I’m sure it was some higher-up who never goes down to the ground level to ask these questions - and see firsthand how unhappy teams are with them - who decided to implement something like this.

The NBA, of course, isn’t the only sport guilty of this.

I remember watching a Michigan football game a few years ago when then-coach Lloyd Carr was asked a question by a sideline reporter while his team headed into the locker room for halftime.

I barely remember the question. I just remember Carr’s face. He gave the craziest look before simply walking away and leaving her question unanswered.

Honestly, it seems a bit intimidating. We’ve all seen episodes of Athletes Gone Wild when they fly off the handle at the media’s prodding.

I’m waiting for the next installation in the series, when a player is pushed a bit too far by a pained sideline reporter who’s just doing his or her job.

This isn’t the kind of situation either party deserves to be in, and the sports powers-that-be need to quickly recognize that.