Do Athletes and Coaches Have the Right to Go-Off on the Media?

I'm a man! I'm forty! Those are the words of Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy. Gundy blew up at the media because of an article in the local Oklahoma newspaper. Gundy challenged the media to come after him and not his kids. There is also the famous explosion by NFL head coach Denny Green. Green blew up at the media when his Arizona Cardinals blew a lead to the Chicago Bears last year on a Monday night game. Green is famous for the quote "They are, who we thought they were." With coaches and some players going off on the media like this, it brings up an interesting question. Do coaches and players have the right to act this way in front of the media? Here are some thoughts for this discussion.

Coaches and professional athletes get paid lots of money. Head coaches at major college universities often get paid over six figures if not more to coach collegiate athletes. The average salary for NFL players is about 1.2 million dollars. Compare this with an average NBA salary of about 3.7 million a year. And finally major league baseball has an average of about 2.9 million. So one has to ask, with so much money being made don't athletes and coaches have an obligation to be questioned by the media? Since most fans want to hear coaches and players respond after games, don't players and coaches have an obligation to be respectful and orderly in post game interviews?

One must also consider the timing of most interviews. Players are usually interviewed soon after the game. Often they only have had time to shower and change before answering questions by the media. After an emotional, tough loss this can be difficult to do. Often a person has not had enough time to cool off before they are asked questions by the media.

Does the media provoke athletes and coaches? Sometimes it appears this way. Not only do reporters often ask questions that are silly and obvious, but they are often repetitive. How many times are you going to ask a guy how he felt about losing in the playoffs? Do you not expect a coach to get upset if you simply reword a question he just answered. Sometimes reporters simply need to use common sense. If you see an athlete is upset about a loss don't keep trying to get an answer for a question he obviously is finished discussing.

Post game interviews are a here to stay. Fans want to hear the players speak and the papers want something to write about. There needs to be a balance so that all sides are happy. Athletes need adequate time to cool off and mentally get ready for an interview. Reporters need to be fair and reasonable in their questioning of coaches and athletes. But in the end these high paid people have an obligation to be respectful and show dignity as they are interviewed after a game.