Post-match interviews are necessary to obtain information, but often lack transparency.
Imagine a particularly difficult day at work for yourself, and then imagine discussing that day with members of the media after you leave. Then the next morning you wake up to a newspaper or blog article discussing your pitfalls. This is essentially the nature of the post-match press conference and subsequent analysis in sports.
While other forms of entertainment draw criticism and criticism, rarely does it happen in real time. The situation should be challenging for a player or coach to immediately judge, analyze and then express your feelings about a particular play or play. I can’t imagine they like it very much and I often wonder how much the fans make from these interviews. There are certainly positives and negatives to media obligations.
Let’s start with the positives because getting inside information about the team is essential for any fan or media member who follows the team. Fans deserve to know about injuries, roster decisions and the overall state of the organization. Although sometimes a little formal, this obligation at least forces the organization to be forward-looking, regardless of what it ends up saying to the media. If we stick with just press releases, I think there will be an even wider personalization gap between team members and fans.
Fans also expect players and coaches to be held accountable for the play on the field, and the post-match press conference is a good way to at least question decisions or actions. It also gives coaches and players a chance to tell their side of the story. On paper, a simple question and answer seems like a sensible way to get information, but it rarely has the desired effect of a post-match interview.
Accountability is one thing, but these players and coaches are so well media-trained that it’s hard to decipher what’s the truth and what’s generic answers posing as accountability. How often do we hear a player say, “We’ve got to be better, I’ve got to be better,” or a coach say, “We just have to keep working and eventually the results will come?” These quotes rarely have some weight and I think the fans deserve some content.
Then there’s Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who I think does a good job of breaking up games, but is extremely protective of his players. Last year, for example, fans were constantly talking about Isaiah Kiner-Falefa’s manhood when it was obvious he wasn’t playing well. Situations like this can muddy the waters when it comes to believing the narratives an organization is pushing. I know fans and members of the media don’t know everything, but we can read through false transparency.
I don’t blame the players and coaches for being reserved and guarded. It’s a fine line to navigate, and this article is not intended to push the fault on one side or the other. With social media, players now have the opportunity to build their brand and control the narrative. The days of relying and trusting solely on reporters to tell your story are over. On the contrary, having reporters at the club allows members of the media to build relationships with players and members of the organization, which can often lead to more in-depth and personal articles, which I enjoy.
Maybe this is all a result of me wanting to know more as a fan. You find yourself so invested in a product that you want to be able to know all the inside information. I know this is not possible and I would never recommend getting rid of the press after a game as they are a major part of getting information from your team. However, every impassioned post-game interview or introspective quote leaves me wanting more and wishing they happened more often.
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