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MEDIA ANNOYANCE
With audio recorders in hand, media members relentlessly hassle players for comments and quotes.
This daily occurance results in varied responses from the Bulldog players.
Ah, sports Journalists.
We’re an odd bunch.
We’re first In line
at the food buffet at news
conferences and last to
leave the stadiums after
games.
We’re the first to break
the news of latest the inju
ry on Twitter and last to
turn in our stories at dead
line.
We’re glued to our lap
tops and our phones are
permanently attached to
our palms, sending texts
messages and e-mails to
our editors throughout the
day.
Sports information
directors who coordi
nate interviews and photos
between the media, play
ers and coaches herd us
like cattle up and down
the stairs, to and from the
practice fields and locker
rooms.
We rush around as if the
sports world is going to
suddenly stop spinning
and we won’t be able to
scoop our competition or
get the quote we need for
our next story.
We swarm coaches and
players like bees to
honey as soon as
they enter the room
and force-feed them
our audio recorders.
We run around
like chickens with
their heads cut off,
trying to ensure we
talk to the biggest
playmaker of the
game to deliver the
best, most reliable
news to readers.
We chew on the ends of
our pens after games and
talk about how we would
have called the game dif
ferently had we been on
the sidelines since we’re
all experts. And when
we're making our way into
the locker room for post
game interviews, it’s like
the running of the bulls.
“It is kinda crazy and
hectic, but I guess being a
football player or an ath
lete growing up and stuff
you learn to deal with it,”
quarterback-tumed-wide
receiver Logan Gray said.
’’Especially pretty much
everybody here at Georgia
came from big-time high
school programs or had a
lot of success in high
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school... it's not like
you’re dealing with it for
the first time so I think
that’s one of the main
things that makes it a lot
easier when you got 20
cameras in your face and
people asking you ques
tions.”
We flock to 19-year-old
Aaron Murray after a game
and shove a bazillion
microphones, audio
recorders and cameras in
his face.
We ask him about the
production of his team
mates, why he threw that
interception when he did,
if he tliinks a freshman
running back will get car
ries in practice that week
and how he is handling the
pressure of being the start
ing quarterback.
“Obviously when you
play quarterback, you get
a lot more credit than you
deserve when
things go right and
you get a lot more
blame whenever
things go bad so
there’s always
gonna be questions
and stuff because
you’re the quarter
back." Gray said.
“You’re looked at as
the leader of the
offense and a lot of
WHITE
time the leader of the
team. You’re gonna be
fielding a lot of questions.”
We repeat, rephrase and
re-ask the same question
17 different ways, hoping a
player or coach at the
receiving end trips up and
spits out an answer he
probably shouldn’t.
“I think that some of
the ‘annoying’ parts about
dealing with the media is
not just having to meet
with them, but some of the
questions that you actually
receive and just sometimes
you don’t even really
wanna respond,” Gray
said. “Just kind of shake
your head or something
like that.”
Among all the craziness
of weekly news conferenc
FIRST & GOtAL
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▲ Redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray (center) is hounded by the media more than any
other member of the football team, though he deals with the frenzy in a good-natured manner.
es, daily practices and
post-game interviews, we
get to capture the
moments in which players
and coaches show their
personalities ip their pur
est forms. Tight end Aaron
White is infamous for his
silly antics with the media.
The Columbia. Mo., native
will stick his phone in with
the rest of the media’s
audio recorders, pretend
ing he is recording the
interview, and ask his
teammate questions
before sitting down for an
interview of his own. Wide
receiver Tavarres King is
known for the same kind of
shenanigans.
"Some of the questions
we get, I know guys get
caught off guard, so I like
to go in and make them
laugh and make sure that
the relations are good with
the media,” White said.
Though safety Bacarri
Ram bo said he crosses his
fingers hoping his name
doesn’t get called to talk
to the media after practic
es and games he has
gotten used to coming up
the elevator of the Butts-
Mehre building to meet
with the media in the hall
way on a regular basis.
"I like coming up here. I
just like opening up and
Just talking,” Ram bo said.
“At first when I first got
here I just didn’t like to
talk. I was shy. I didn’t
know what to say. But now
since I done got older and
mature, I just say what’s
on my mind and just speak
good about everyone. I
don’t say nothing bad. I try
to keep things funny. I like
to make people laugh and
smile, too.”
Running back Washaun
Ealey said after he
emerged as an offensive
playmaker and got over
the initial shock of having
to deal with the media's
hounding that dealing
with the media tomfoolery
has gotten easier.
“Before I came up here,
I didn’t really know what it
was like, but then I had
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The Rkd a Black | Friday, November 5, aoio [
started coming up here
constantly and it kinda got
overwhelming, kinda got a
little aggravating. I didn't
really wanna walk all the
way up here,” Ealey said.
“But I guess just letting
Bulldog Nation know
what’s going on at practice
and what’s going on with
the guys, I guess it’s good.”
Linebacker Christian
Robinson said taking time
out to do interviews can be
"a little bit stressful” just
because of the rigors of a
football player’s schedule,
but the redshirt sopho
more said he likes being a
voice for his team.
“A lot of times during
the week, it’s just work
and for [White and King]
to joke around and mess
around and people to see
our personalities we’re
not just dumb football
players,” Robinson said.
“There’s a lot of very smart
people on this team and a
lot of funny people and
being able to get outside
Just putting a helmet on
and throwing a ball around
I wish people would see
that a little bit more.”
When personalities
shine through and when
we get to know the player
underneath the uniform
those are the story lines
that make all of this hoop
la worth it.
“As good of people we
can be, all the good we can
do, it doesn’t matter what
people think at the end of
the day because every
body’s not gonna be
around to see that in
Athens, Ga.,” White said.
“It’s how you guys portray
us, so I think it’s good to
have a healthy relationship
with the media and always
be presentable and always
come across as a good pro
gram and a good person.”
Rachel G. Bowers is
the First & Goal editor for
The Red & Black
5B
