On Oct. 26, baseball fans were treated to a wonderful four-hour, well-played, suspense-filled seventh game of the World Series. Immediately after the game we witnessed a joyful Jim Leyland circling the stadium to demonstrate his elation and show his appreciation to the ecstatic fans.
Then, not more than 15 minutes after the last out, he was ushered up to the celebration podium where NBC’s on-field reporter asked him if he would exercise his contract right to quit as manager of the team if the owner sold the Marlins!
Ten minutes later, another NBC reporter grabbed the champagne-soaked owner, reveling in this ultimate joyous moment, and asked him if he wwould in fact sell the team!
If you’d have chosen 1,000 fans at random and given them a microphone to interview these two men, do you think any one of them would have asked those questions in that situation? Is there any wonder why baseball fans, and all sports fans for that matter, are getting disgusted with sports?
The same thing happened last year immediately after the Bulls won their title. To Michael Jordan: “Will you be back next year if Phil (Jackson) isn’t asked to return as coach?” To Jackson: “Will you be back next year?” To general manager Jerry Krause: “Do you want Phil Jackson to coach the Bulls next year?” To owner Jerry Reinsdorf: “Will you keep Scottie (Pippen) and the team together?” What kind of questions are those in the midst of a world championship victory celebration?
It’s bad enough fans must put up with chest-thumping boorish athletes, contract disputes over money, arrest records, blustering owners and egomaniacal officials, but must the media suck out all the joy of the season-ending celebrations too?
