This column is usually designed to focus on the SEC, however there is a polarizing issue resonating in the Big 12 and expanding into pop culture. Last weekend, Oklahoma St. gave up a school record 718 yards of total offense but defeated Texas Tech in a shootout 49-45. That, however, is neither where the story begins nor where it ends.
The fireworks extended into the post-game press conference as Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy went off script. Gundy took exception to a column that had been written by Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman about Oklahoma St. QB Bobby Reid which can be read here: LINK
This story has surfaced everywhere from Sportscenter on ESPN to the View. It seems as if everyone has an opinion about this issue. Should the media show restraint when offering opinion about amateur athletes?
Mike Gundy’s post game tirade was designed to defend his player from public ridicule, yet the message did nothing less than fan the flame. Gundy turned a local story into a national one and directed attention onto him. If Gundy’s goal was to defend his player in an attempt to bring his team closer to him, then job well done. If Gundy was attempting to send a message to the media and to society urging people to shelter young minds, then job left incomplete. The emotion this coach showed for his player was inspiring to some and without tact to others. The way Gundy tried to convey his point could have caused the message to be lost in delivery.
Like it or not, these athletes are public figures. They are blessed to be able to play a game in front of a large audience in some cases with many kids becoming household names for carrying a football into an end-zone or putting a ball in a basket for example. We celebrate these kids, building them often into more than what they truly are. There are consequences.
The media has the right to express opinion, but with that right comes responsibility. That is where the line is drawn and the line is drawn differently by each individual. But there is more to this story.
This story illustrates the lack of access reporters have at Oklahoma St. It is a growing trend in college football unfortunately. Fans crave information about their favorite teams, its players and coaches. However, with limited access journalists are left to talk about what they think instead of what they know in some cases. Columns are opinion pieces based on fact. But that fact may come from inside sources that may never come out from behind the trees. With more access, this column based on hearsay likely would not have been written.
In an e-mail conversation with Jenni Carlson, she wrote that reporters in Stillwater are given access to players one day per week and that first year guys are off limits. That’s not enough. The Tennessee Titans, for example, are open to reporters almost at all times. This, in turn, gives fans many options to look within that franchise. Writers have a job to do and columns to churn out with or without quotes.
Coaches limit access of the media in an attempt to protect competitive advantage. Sometimes coaches view the media as antagonists to the program. If a coach views the media as the enemy why not give them more access. There’s a line in the book Art of War that reads, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.†So, if a coach does view the media as an enemy why not allow them more access? That coach likely could control the flow of information better if that is his goal.
Coaches, in some cases, misjudge the role of the media. When reporters mention an injury to a player during the week before a big game a coach may get upset and publicly say how they would prefer the media to show more responsibility in reporting news about the team. A coach may say that information becoming public does not help the program. Well just to clarify, a reporter’s job is to report news about what they cover, not to serve as a mouthpiece for the program. A reporter is giving information and opinion to fans.
Jenni Carlson’s column was questionable in its content; however, the writer has the right to write what she did. With that right comes responsibility. Should she have questioned this kid’s toughness? Coach Gundy said that a mother brought the column to his attention. Evidently the kid was tough enough to take it. Maybe he is the one individual in this situation that handled things appropriately.
– As always, thanks for reading. Please send comments to brentd@wlac.com. Brent Dougherty News Radio 1510 WLAC.