Ask Doug: How to Handle the Press
Baseball Factory
April 24, 2008
By Doug Glanville
Doug Glanville is working with the Baseball Factory and Team One Baseball as a Special Consultant. He will be writing articles and looking for your questions and feedback. If you have a question for Doug, please email him at askdoug@baseballfactory.com
Q: As a pro player, what approach did you take with the media? Did you receive any guidance as a rookie from some of the older players in regards to dealing with the media? Looking back, now that you are on the other side of the table, are there things you would change? How would you suggest high school players deal with local media?
A: At the time when I was drafted by the Cubs, the organization made a commitment to helping players learn how to deal with the press. I found that it helped out a lot. No matter who you are, it is a shock to go through the experience of dealing with interviews and people making comments about you. I remember at first I was offended by how someone who had never met me could write an opinion about me as a person. It takes some time to get used to it, but it is important to be patient.
Since my Mom saved everything, once in a while I go back and read some old articles from some of the minor league cities I played in. It is like night and day to see how I responded back then to how I did after years in the Major Leagues. I became more and more polished and you can tell that I began to understand that the media can be a powerful friend.
Keep in mind, the media is a group of people. Yes, they are powerful as a group, but if you take the time out to deal with everyone in a one-on-one way, they will remember that and they will appreciate it. They have a job to do and the business of sports depends on the next sound bite. After all, when you look at where a lot of the money comes from, much of it is from big TV deals. So, to some degree, they help keep the business going.
That is not to say, you won’t come across a few ambitious reporters who will not be so nice, but most reporters or writers know that to get the most complete story, it is better if the player is able to be open. It is also understood that it is hard for a player to be open when the player doesn’t like the reporter or writer.
If you are in a high school environment where you have to do interviews and deal with writers, understand that the press can be a great tool. You have the chance to get your message out there. You also can find out how others see you and may be able to make adjustments if your image isn’t what you would like it to be. They say “perception is reality” so take the press seriously. When they like you and you have a bad game, they can spin it to talk about the things you did right that game. When they don’t like you and you have a great game, they can spin it to talk about the one mistake you did make. Which do you want?
One year I won the “Media Good Guy” Award from a New Jersey sportswriters association and that was a great honor. Today, all this has helped me find ways to write and reach large audiences of people. I have a lot of friends in the media today and despite the horror stories, I have found it to be a positive experience overall. Look at every interview as practice and as a conversation in your living room. Relax, take your time and try to keep your answers short and sweet, especially if it is just a quick question on your opinion. If it is a feature story focusing on you, then you can say it in bigger groups of words. Keep practicing!
Doug
Republished from The Baseball Factory
