Over the past two days I have come to the realization that no matter what you say or how you say it, somebody will take it the wrong way. After the Red Sox lost a tough game four in the ALCS on Tuesday, Manny Ramirez spoke to the media for the first time all year. This alone is a big story because the relationship between Manny and the Boston reports (some of the toughest in the nation) is not a good one and anytime he talks it turns into a huge story. Even though Manny is regarded by most experts as one of the best pure hitters of his era let alone one of the best right handed hitter of all-time he is still scrutinized for every little thing he does.
On to the real news though. In his post-game interview when Manny is asked about the Red Sox current attitude being down three games to One in a best of seven series he said, "It doesn't happen, so who cares?" Ramirez said then. "There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=3069942
Everyone in the baseball world know that for many die-hard Sox fans it is the end of the world. When you first read this you many think that the guy is just counting down the seconds until he gets to go sit on a beach with a margarita but after seeing the video of the interview and hearing commentary from baseball experts it is clear that the real point that Manny is trying to convey is that the team is still confident and loose rather then playing uptight. Some of this gets lost in the language barrier and in ability to hear his tone on paper.
This isn't the first time that a situation like this has happened to the Red Sox. You see this situation all the time in the sports industry and and I makes me wonder why teams don't hire larger Public Relations staffs. After working for a minor league baseball team over the summer and seeing first hand the amount of work that these PR professionals go through I truly believe that it would be in the best interest of the teams to upgrade this department. These situations can lead to image problems that can effect the teams ticket sales (Jail-Blazers) or even on field distractions that affect the quality of play.
From my personal experience sports teams are generally understaffed in order to save money and 3-5 guys are doing the work of ten. The PR people generally handle the media relations of the team; sending out and writing all the press releases and media info while coordinating all the press conferences and prepping the speakers. Plus, these officials act as the team publicist so they have two or three people overseeing atleast 25 players. This is arguably the most important area because it is extremely important that teams monitor the comments of their players as the comments above show.
Most sports teams including the Red Sox have a extremely large fan base and make a significant profit throughout their season. As the media gets better and better at scooping up any and all dirt that they can find, no matter how large or small, it because increasingly more important that these teams manage their image as well as their players since they have so much money invested in them.
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Hey Sean,
I don’t think the language barrier or an athlete’s tone would be an issue if PR professionals for sports organizations actively managed their players’ interactions with the media. No matter who does the talking, what they are saying or the context in which they say it, reporters know they can pick out the handful of words that draws national attention.
Sure, fans should understand that the words out of foreign-born players’ mouths cannot be taken concretely, and even better, the media should not represent their sentiments as such. But the fact of the matter is that reporters get to ask nearly whatever questions they choose, players are essentially required to respond and at any moment they can make negative headlines ranging from a single word to a paragraph-long tirade. As you mentioned in the latter paragraphs, informing players about what NOT to say can prevent the hassle of damage control required even after honest, insignificant responses, especially in sports meccas like Boston.
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