or Ray Lewis or Ed Reed or even Steve Bisciotti in those minutes following a win or a loss. Press conferences are held for the coach to tell the fans what’s happening with the team. At least this is the way it used to be before local franchises starting banning media members who dare utter a word of “insubordination” or challenge their many lies and before coaches started handing out scripts with the “appropriate” questions and topics.
And as much as none of the other media folks around The Castle will want to say it publicly, we really DO want to like you and most of us really want you to succeed and win this weekend against Pittsburgh.
There’s no one in your press conferences each day – well, there is that one guy who knows nothing but division but he doesn’t work very hard or show up very often for being the self-imposed principal of the school – who really wants to see you fail or the team lose.
Ask anyone in the media corps: “You can cover a Super Bowl parade or a 2-14 team? Pick one!”
Think about it…
You can’t recruit the fans by being a jerk to the media. It just doesn’t work that way.
Coach Wooden wouldn’t challenge to fight his players in the middle of the clubhouse. Coach Wooden wouldn’t berate media members for asking simple questions about football strategy or injuries. Coach Wooden wouldn’t intimidate, frighten and demean people on his own support staff just because he had the badge.
And I would hope that your father or brother wouldn’t behave the same way. By the way, I like your brother too, but I’ve heard whispers that he shares some of your views on the media, fans and subordinates.
I’ve grown up in this circus for 27 years. I know as much about how the local media works – from the inside out – as you do about what gunners do on special teams. And why coverage breaks down in the secondary. And why Joe Flacco makes a better quarterback than Troy Smith.
Here are some guidelines:
Berating qualified, credible staff = not cool.
Berating and cursing my employee (or anyone else) in front of your football team and your owner for asking a legitimate question = not cool.
Attempting to intimidate and belittle the other members of the media (and as much as no one in that room would EVER take up for me, I’ll take up for them) = not cool.
And, oh, apologize to people when you’re wrong.
We’re with you, Coach Harbaugh. I’ll be sitting in Sect. 513 with my purple underwear, sweatshirt, gloves and various other adornments on Sunday night giving Steelers fans the finger. Trust me, you can’t possibly hate the Steelers
