Contrast between Australian and American sports, accessibility wise

[ManWithNoName]

Good article here about how accesible American athletes are compared to how incredibly closed off our sports stars are here:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...lyTelegraphSportndm+(Daily+Telegraph+|+Sport)

Have to say I agree. Compared to a lot of other sports around the world, we're a bit of a joke. F1 teams for example send out press releases daily at race events, test sessions etc, giving a summary of the day, quotes from people involved, information etc. Meanwhile in Australia our coaches do one press conference that's almost impossible to find on the AFL website, and then just as difficult to actually understand since you can never hear the questions. There's another one press conference during the week, just as hard to find/watch, and that's it. Why are we so closed off and backwards?

 

[Furn2]

How many cliches do you want to hear a week ?

 

[LB#16]

How many people can sit through an entire press conference?

 

[kranky al]

How many cliches do you want to hear a week ?

Dunno - id prolly take it a game at a time

 

[clogged]

I thought Don Mattingly was told to shave those sideburns.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Different culture
Not to mention the leagues actively protect the players, and journos have been banned
Here the leagues would fine the players and give the journo a prize

 

[Andrew Mc]

Quite frankly I couldn't give a toss - I watch them on the field, that's where they earn their money in my opinion.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

How many people can sit through an entire press conference?

You've sat though one press conference, you've heard them all. Same questions, same stock answers. If only the football media could write their own articles without relying on a handful of quotes, the after match press conference would become redundant.

 

[Partridge]

You've sat though one press conference, you've heard them all. Same questions, same stock answers. If only the football media could write their own articles without relying on a handful of quotes, the after match press conference would become redundant.

They're almost at that point. They now go straight to the stats sheet for the winning team - top 3 possession gatherers = top 3 on the ground.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

They're almost at that point. They now go straight to the stats sheet for the winning team - top 3 possession gatherers = top 3 on the ground.

Ah yes, the stats sheets. Remember the days we could watch a game of footy and know who played well without needing to refer to stats?

 

[Dont be a lemon]

How many cliches do you want to hear a week ?

Noticed a fair ******* few in the opinion piece

 

[Partridge]

Ah yes, the stats sheets. Remember the days we could watch a game of footy and know who played well without needing to refer to stats?

Yep. Not only that, sometimes players from the losing side could play well too!

 

[Tas]

The less media the better, not sure how many 'taking it one game at a time', 'structure', 'ticking the boxes' interviews I can sit through.

 

[caterina]

Meh, this article sums up my feelings more accurately

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-must-listen-to-the-games-supporters-20140319-hvkdz.html

 

[TradeDraft]

Yeah and Players have shots at other Teams and Players that we don't have

 

[Handsuper47]

Why on earth would you want daily accessibility? One press conference is good enough, leave the blokes alone to do their job and live out their personal lives.

 

[estibador]

F1 teams for example send out press releases daily at race events, test sessions etc, giving a summary of the day, quotes from people involved, information etc. Meanwhile in Australia our coaches do one press conference that's almost impossible to find on the AFL website, and then just as difficult to actually understand since you can never hear the questions. There's another one press conference during the week, just as hard to find/watch, and that's it. Why are we so closed off and backwards?

Freo have put up 7 new videos on their website in the last 2 days. 18 videos since our R1 match concluded.

That's more than enough content for me. Article sounds like a whinge from a typical journo who thinks the media is bigger than the game.

Maybe if our journos weren't so obsessed with blowing every tiny detail into some sort of controversy, clubs would be willing to grant them more access.

 

[the_interloper]

There's a lot to be said for not being like the Seppos.

 

[Air_Chester]

Brands are big enough yet and clubs are too scared of stereotype.

I don't need to hear the same soundbites over and over. Any character in the AFL is immediately shat on by the media and then overwritten by a club press release.

 

[Keys]

The $222million LA Dodgers
Players on 7 or 8 figure salaries
Flew over on a chartered 747
Promotional game in a new market
...........

One team has an annual salary payment that exceeds the salary cap of an 18 team league
Individual players have an annual salary that exceeds the salary cap of a 44 man AFL list
Our highest paid player in the league would be amongst the lowest on the dodgers roster
Teams travel on regular commercial flights
Wonder how many MLB teams have a family day BBQ or an open training session in some outback town of 15000 people where kids can play and talk to their heroes

But yeah this reporter has a bitch about access and makes a comparison as relevant as a grape to a watermelon

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Press releases and conferences don't give access - they limit access while feeding the public/media's appetite for content.

If I want to, I can go to any training session and meet the guys who play for my club. I can easily get my kids meeting their idols and getting autographs, and reasonably easily organise through contacts for them to have a kick or other more personal engagement with players. If you're talking about accessibility, that means a lot more than how many press releases I can read regurgitated in the media.

 

[TBoyleSuperstar]

Press releases and conferences don't give access - they limit access while feeding the public/media's appetite for content.

If I want to, I can go to any training session and meet the guys who play for my club. I can easily get my kids meeting their idols and getting autographs, and reasonably easily organise through contacts for them to have a kick or other more personal engagement with players. If you're talking about accessibility, that means a lot more than how many press releases I can read regurgitated in the media.

Exactly, and press releases allow the club/team to control the content, whilst most media conferences are boring and cliché driven, then of course a coach does say something ala Hardwick with Conca and Ellis, and it becomes a big story in the media, not analysing if he's right but whether he should have said it.

The only thing I'd like from my club in regards to media is a little more honesty re: injuries, other than that I'm pretty happy.

 

[THRILLHO]

This is only slightly related, but American athletes are much more open and much less prone to revert to standard cliche simply because the media respects the honesty and doesn't bite the hand that feeds them. Australian journalists bemoan the standard cliches given by footballers, but as soon as anything other than a cliche is provided, they jump on the soundbite and tear it to shreds. Steve Nash on The Finish Line is some of the most candid and refreshing honesty I have ever heard from a professional athlete.

Check it out.

 

[Pessimistic]

I thought this wea going to be ticket prices, mind you 350 bucks for a grand final has to be right up there with the most expensive sports

 

[Slax]

Accessibility to AFL players is a joke and the AFL must force the clubs to change it. Constant closed sessions, only one members day, players refusing to sign autographs for kids, the AFL players need to be told that there will be no more salary cap increases unless they make themselves more accessible to fans, just as workplaces demand better productivity, fans deserve more for their dollars.