Let's cover quickly the basics of a reporter's job, shall we? I'm supposed to inform. One of the most valuable sources of information for a sports reporter is talking directly to a player. Access is important if you're to get a crucial question answered.
In the U.S., locker room access is granted to all credentialed media, usually ten to fifteen minutes after a game concludes. Frankly, I wouldn't mind a mixed zone, which is how international matches function, but that's not the way it works in American sports.
A press credential specifies basic rules (no autograph requests in the locker room), but there are powerful unspoken ones as well. Generally, the media will approach players who are covered up somewhat. Usually this means they have their pants on, or a towel draped and tucked in around their waist.
Sometimes, players will refuse to speak to the press. That's understandable, and it's not hard to move on to another player for quotes. Other times, a player will ask for a minute to get ready, especially when a TV crew is hovering nearby.
Without going into a blow-by-blow of the incident, Marcos Gonzalez yelled at me to get out of the Columbus Crew locker room last night. I didn't leave when he asked, but it made for an extremely tense outing. I've only had that happen once before, when Dema Kovalenko ordered me out. I didn't go, and Dema only had that one comment, but nothing else comes close.
8 comments:
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully someone told him you have a right to be in there and make your living. Its great that you stood your gound.
Oops. So he just yelled at you at random to get out? Maybe he's unfamiliar with American media?
What a jerk, he needs to grow up. By the way, serious question here. What are the rules for male reporters in women's locker rooms? I don't think I've ever seen a tv crew or anything like that after a women's sporting event.
I believe MG is a hard core God Squadder, so it's no wonder that he probably doesn't like female reporters.
For a women's national team event, there's a mixed zone for all reporters, regardless of gender. There's no locker room access at all - so it is equal access for everybody.
If players feel uncomfortable getting dressed in front of women, then that's an issue they have to deal with on their own. Andrea has just as much of a right to be inside the locker room than I do.
I can understand, especially for foreign players, how strange it might seem to have people in the locker room while they get dressed. Typically, there is zero locker room access abroad. So to suddenly have a swarm of reporters around you while you're trying to put some clothes on might be a bit of a change from the norm for players.
But that's something the club and/or league needs to address with players long before they ever see reporters waling into the locker room. And they also need to address somewhere that female reporters go get the same treatment as male reporters.
Since when do reporters have RIGHT to be anywhere???
Frankly, it doesn't particularly matter what made him feel uncomfortable, or whether that feeling was right or wrong. If he didn't feel comfortable with you being there, I'd suggest that he had every "right" to ask you to leave, and that you in fact were the first class a-hole for not respecting that. It's his team's locker room, after all. Not yours.
This sentiment that reporters have a "right" to the story is complete nonsense. They have rights to free speech, but they certainly do not have "rights" to be in the locker room -- Credentials? Yes. Rights? No. It might be customary to allow access, but don't mistake custom for some sort of right. If being asked to leave offends you, that's your problem, not his. How would you feel if I showed up at your house for an interview, you asked me to leave, and I refused to do so? I bet you'd be pissed. Again, it's his team's locker room and not yours, and he had every "right" to expect you to leave when he asked. Why don't you grow up and stop crying when you don't get your way.
And people wonder why celebrities hate reporters...
Wow. Anonymous, you're just way off on this. Unbelievable.
It is our right to be there because we have a right to do our job. If the league allows one reporter access, they need to allow all reporters access.
We have an obligation to our employers and our readers to get the story, plain and simple. The league, in this case, has the obligation to provide access for us. If a player feels uncomfortable about any reporter being in the locker room, female or otherwise, it's a personal issue and they need to deal with it as such.
We're in there doing our job, not asking for interviews or trying to peek at players as they dress. We're professionals, treat the players as such and expect the same courtesy in return.
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