The Cincinnati Reds are off to a slow start to the
2015 MLB season. This past Monday, their
frustration reached its height. Their
manager, Brian Price, went off on an expletive-filled rant at the media during
his pre-game press conference. Below is
the video of Price’s tirade:
According to C. Trent Rosecrans, whom the manager’s
tirade was aimed at, the manager used 77 f-bombs throughout his 5-minute, 34-second rant
(Rosecrans, 2015). Price was not happy
about what the media was reporting throughout the season; issues about catcher
Devin Mesoraco’s injury, usage of speedy-outfielder Billy Hamilton, and the
demotion and promotion of two players. Price
argued that the information that the media shares is an advantage to the Reds’
opponents. Price waited until television
cameras were removed from the room before he went on his tirade.
I don’t see an issue with most of the things that
the media was reporting. The only issue
I have is when the media shared that catcher Kyle Shipworth was being demoted
before the club had the chance to speak with Shipworth. I believe that every player deserves the
chance to find out about demotions, promotions, and trades by the club and not
by the media. I believe that Price
should not be punished for his tirade. Although, he
could have handled this situation better than he did. What Rosecran’s tweeted out is not anything
different than what media members for other clubs around the MLB do. Price apologized for the language that he used but he did not apologize for the message that he delivered. There has been no punishment for Price for this tirade.
What do you believe the punishment should
be? Do you believe that the media was in
the wrong for sharing the club’s information? Or do you believe that Price
was in the wrong?
References
Rosecrans, C. (2015, April 21). A profane Brian Price vents frustration. Cincinnati.com.
Retrieved from http://www.cincinnati.com/story/redsblog/2015/04/20/
bryan-price-reds/26101107.
Retrieved from http://www.cincinnati.com/story/redsblog/2015/04/20/
bryan-price-reds/26101107.
I honestly cannot blame Price for being frustrated. Not only is he losing players, but the media is also reporting about each and every incident on his team. As a coach with a struggling team record, it has to be discouraging when the media is constantly talking about the Reds’ losses as well as every little issue that comes up with the team that may put opponents at an advantage.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side, sports journalists are simply doing their job: reporting about sports. It is their job to keep fans up to date on the standings of each team, as well as the status of each player. While Price may feel that opponents are at an advantage when they know that a certain player is injured, it is the job of the sports journalists to keep fans informed on the roster and why players may not be playing.
While I can sympathize with Price’s frustration, the emergence of social media in today’s society has transformed everything to be immediate and constant. This is an issue for all areas of sport. Privacy is no longer a luxury that sports teams can easily rely on. This is not the first time a coach/player has spoken out of line, and it definitely will not be the last. I do not think that Price should be punished, as he spoke thinking the cameras left the room. The embarrassment and negative publicity is punishment enough. Although, I believe he should be fined if this happens again. While the language he chose to express himself was tasteless, his message was harmless.
Kali Morgenstern
This is a really good followup to our discussion about sports journalism.One of the areas we discussed was investigative reporting and the biggest point my group came up with was the loyalty of the team reporters to wait the proper amount of time before jumping the gun on a story.
ReplyDeleteI really don't have a problem with Price's reaction because he is trying to run a ball club the proper way and having a reporter break a story before he can let the team know makes him look like he's not forthcoming.
As far as blame, I think Rosecrans could have waited for the Reds to make a statement but i understand it's his job.
Price should have been able to limit his number of f-bombs in half, but at the same time, i respect his honesty in saying exactly what is on his mind. As a reporter, you want the truth and he gave him what he wanted.
As a former sports journalist, and one who is still fully involved with the profession, this story was something that caught my eye immediately. Reporters that have a good relationship with their sources (that may be a team doctor, a parent of a player or even the manager) often find a way to compromise. We spoke in class about how the reporter warned Arthur Ashe the story was running the next day. While it was the reporters job to publish the article, he gave Ashe the decency of a warning so he could properly tell his friends and family. In the Reds situation, perhaps if Price had a good relationship with his beat reporters, they would have waited until Shipworth was told he was being sent down. I believe Price's frustration with the team's beat reporters came off as extreme aggression. The only punishment I could rationalize would be a small fine from the MLB. However, as was pointed out in a comment above, the embarrassment of what happened is also punishment. Price will forever be associated with the number 77.
ReplyDelete