It makes no sense to fabricate what a coach says, even if we know it’s all cliches anyway. That reporter could have easily said “I asked the coach for a comment, he said he was too busy (or pissed off) to answer”, then still rattle off the same cliches as the reporter’s own observations.
In fact, I’ve noticed those types of reports far more this year. Maybe it’s because I’m a Bills fan, and McDermott has not exactly been in the best spirits come halftime in the last few games. Yes, we all know the Bills need to stop giving the ball to the opposition on a silver platter, we dont need Sean to say it to know he’s thinking it.
Or, maybe it’s because this type of talk has been going around the Reporter’s Club, and we are now seeing which reporter’s will stuff cliches into a coaches mouth, and which won’t.
Yup, Sports reporting is low stakes, but I have always liked that the tradition in the states is that it’s held to a similar sort of journalistic standard, if rather squishier. Just don’t cross that line, and say all the dumb shit you would have expected the coach to say as the impression you got, or the gist of what you overheard. In the college game at least, there are a few coaches who would be livid if a reporter put cliches into their mouths.
Fabricated stories from a Fox reporter?
I love how indignant the other tweets are about this harmless bit of faff. Article states that Erin Andrews admits having done this too. I betcha every sideline reporter has had to do this at some point (with the various coach’s blessing in some cases, no doubt). There’s no ethics to break here, this is sports journalism! We pay attention to sports precisely because they don’t matter! Gimme a break with this shit
I feel like she just said the quiet part out loud, and is probably getting some extra flac for sexist reasons.
I’ve said this before, so I haven’t been fired for saying it
There’s still time to fix that little problem
People at Fox Corporation just can’t help themselves I guess.
Cringey, contractually obligated interviews are to blame in my opinion. Coach / player is legally required to give 30 seconds to the halftime reporter/tv audience. They literally count down the seconds and spout whatever nonsense to fill the time. 99% of the time they don’t say what they are really thinking or feeling at all. Benefits no one. The reporter has to do whatever they can to sell it…or they risk getting fired. I’m positive the producers tell them something like you come back with a sound bite from the coach, I don’t care what you have to do. But no one knows the producer’s name. And we would never fucking know what they made up if they didn’t say so.
I think the NFL is getting smarter about bringing coaches’ and players’ actual, authentic personalities into it. The player intros where they say something funny (ball so hard university). Mic’d up. Coaches who are combative, funny, weird in press conferences. It is infinitely more entertaining and watchable.
People want to see what these folks are actually thinking and feeling. It’s intriguing as a human being to understand. No one wants to hear platitudes. I wish they would try to strike a balance between expecting or requiring coaches to play nice and being more like documentarians.
If I was in charge I would coach all of them on giving authentic interviews that bring the audience into the game…encourage it sternly…emphasize being themselves over all. Honest. Authentic. If they can’t…fucking don’t then. Let the audience judge them. Fake interviews are worst.
If a reporter came on at halftime and said well the coach actually growled at me and said he didn’t want to talk about it when I asked a question… I would fucking love it.
I would love to hear the reporter come back and tell us the coach sounded like he was going to eat me if I stood there any longer lmao.
I’m shocked. Shocked!
Well, not that shocked.
