The Media: Is it Truly Objective and Legitimate in its Coverage of Sports?

In light of recent technological advancements in mass communications, media rights and credentials have undergone a facelift in the sports industry. What I mean is the image, integrity and objectivity of the press is long gone. Although there are traditional journalists and media professionals out there, they are no longer the rule but perhaps the exception. In an era where sports bloggers are allowed clearance into locker rooms, and team meetings, it is not uncommon for integrity and the facts to be dismissed on behalf of more hits on a web page or more twitter followers. Today, many reporters and journalists do not perform the task of confirming the accuracy of their sources. In fact, many of them even make up false rumors about a team or player just to get attention from fans, and colleagues. For example, the Mike Wise twitter rumor that took place in 2010. Ken Fang writes, “

[Mike Wise of the Washington Post thought it would be a good idea to put some fake news on Twitter just to see the reaction. The idea according to Wise would be that other reporters would fail to vet his Tweet and he would be able to say, “I told you so.” The only problem that while other reporters did quote his Tweet, Wise eventually revealed on Twitter and his DC radio show that he made the whole thing up] (2010).

Although, Wise winded up with egg on his face in the end, this speaks volumes as to how easy it is to manipulate the press and discredit its integrity. With the use of twitter, facebook and other social media outlets the media has ran into a situation where teams are beginning to question how viable of a commodity they are to them. Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, illustrates this view of the press in a recent blog post,

[I’m going to make this short and sweet. In the year 2011, I’m not sure I have a need for beat writers from ESPN.com, Yahoo, or any website for that matter to ever be in our locker room before or after a game.  I think we have finally reached a point where not only can we communicate any and all factual information from our players and team directly to our fans and customers as effectively as any big sports website, but I think we have also reached a point where our interests are no longer aligned. I think those websites have become the equivalent of paparazzi rather than reporters] (2011).

With many new stadiums and arenas built with luxury press boxes, teams are always interested in justifying their expense by allowing more credentials for the media. In my opinion if teams have a negative outlook on bloggers and reporters than they should not go out of their way to legitimize them. Many credentials are given to reporters and bloggers alike without any distinction or separation of the two professions.

[Credentialed bloggers usually enjoy the same access as a newspaper or radio reporter on a game night: a seat in the press box, fresh popcorn and access to the teams' dressing rooms for postgame interviews. They cover the game, pass information to their audience, and have done so for the last several years without many incidents of unprofessional behavior, despite approaching the coverage from a fan's perspective] (Wyshynski, 2011).

In the end credentials in the media are not what they used to be. My opinion is that teams and organizations should thoroughly choose and legitimize which reporters and journalists give them the most objective analysis. Regardless, whether they write for a blog, TV network, radio station or newspaper. 

It's Bigger Than Football...It's Bigger than Legacy.

Recently, Penn State University found itself on the other side of "honor with success". It has been reported that over 12 years ago sexual acts with a minor by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, were conducted and witnessed.  Which resulted in the abuse of eight boys over a 15-year period starting in 1994.

This is a major issue in sports and by far one of the biggest tort violations in history. Formally, torts are civil wrongs other than breaches of contracts for which the remedies are typically, but not always, monetary compensation. When someone commits a "tort," they have violated a non-negotiated, societal rule (http://www.lawpreview.com/index.php/Torts/). It is perceived that the humane thing for anyone to do in a situation of sexual abuse or misconduct is to call the police and relieve the employee of their duties.

Under the Clery Act, colleges and universities must disclose criminal offenses on campus each year. Instead Penn State went up the chain of command in which coach Joe Paterno was notified and then he told his Athletic Director and the School President. As a result, instead of notifying the authorities, the school remained tight-lipped about the incident and years later Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, the school’s vice president for business and finance, were charged with perjury and failure to report the allegations. Curley and Schultz each face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

I remember when I was growing up my mother would always say “what happens in the dark will eventually come towards the light.” Meaning you can’t rely on keeping something a secret or hidden for too long without it exposing itself as the cause or definitive action which defines your moral character. After over 50 years of coaching at Penn State, it is sad that Joe Paterno’s legacy will potentially be defined by his unwillingness to protect the victims in this case. Parents around the world put their trust in that man and that institution and Instead he protected what he thought was the best interest in the university. Look what happened as a result of that. Players are already de-committing to the school and many parents are in a collective uproar. I am sure civil liabilities cases may soon follow this disappointing and shameful event. As far as Paterno, he has acquired legal defense, but the shame of his reputation may prove far more damning in the end. In my opinion, this is the biggest legal issue in sports to date. Along with the loss of scholarships and revenue a reputation of honor with success has been stripped from the university. This story is bigger than football and it should touch the souls of each human being. We have a responsibility to ourselves to not condone these acts and to prevent them from presenting themselves again in the future.