“That’s just the way it is,” is no longer acceptable. Things from yesteryear, that have been staples because they had to be, can be changed when the circumstances do. Back in the day, the NFL wasn’t a multi-billion dollar business. There was a time when they struggled to capture the nation’s attention, falling far behind college football, baseball and even boxing on the sports landscape.
There was a need to do any and everything to allow newspaper reporters access to players to help socialize the game and get more people involved. Letting reporters interview players in the lockerroom directly after a game was a necessity. The advent of television, recording, the internet and eventually social media has changed all of that. And now, the NFLPA is saying enough with the lack of privacy, there are other ways for the media to get player quotes to the public.
On Friday, the league’s players association went public with their plea for the NFL to agree to changes to the policy.
“Over the past three years, the NFLPA has tried to work with the NFL and Pro Football Writers of America to move media interviews out of locker rooms. However, there has been little willingness to collaborate on a new solution. Players feel that locker room interviews invade their privacy and are uncomfortable. This isn’t about limiting media access but avout respecting players’ privacy and dignity.
The NFL’s current media policy is outdated. We, the NFLPA Executive Committee, urge the NFL to make immediate changes to foster a more respectful and safer workplace for all players. In the meantime, we encourage each player to ask for interviews outside the locker room during the week.” – NFLP via Twitter
The reality is, through social media accounts, podcasts and dozens of outlets, there’s numerous opportunities for fans to get insight from players. Will there be something lost in the raw post-game emotion that’s captured in locker room interviews? Most definitely. Is it a fair tradeoff? Probably.
Pretty soon, there will be no more of these incidents…