The current relationship between players and media members is complicated. Athletes are asked more questions from more outlets that sometimes carry varying agendas. We’ve seen it play out poorly in San Francisco recently when a media member got into a feud with Javon Kinlaw of the 49ers. In Arkansas, a player’s answer to a question prompted a thorny, personal tirade from a local radio host. Now CJ McCollum steps into the shoes of the media at a time that athletes have never been more wary of those covering them.
ESPN’s newest NBA analyst is in an interesting position. He is a current player (New Orleans Pelicans) and President of the National Basketball Players Association. He’s entering a world where the distrust between players and the media seems to be fraying. How will McCollum balance himself in those muddy waters?
McCollum participated in a media conference call and was asked about athletes pushing back on criticism by the media and when it goes further than an honest critique.
“… in terms of balancing, as you referenced shitting on players versus just being more quite frank in terms of evaluation, I think as a player, I understand it’s a gift and a curse to play this sport. It’s a gift because it’s our dream job, we get paid handsomely, we’re able to take care of our families, we’re able to do something a lot of us have done our entire lives. The sacrifices that come with it, the time; obviously you’ve got to be headstrong.
There’s a lot of things you have to go through that the normal world doesn’t in terms of not just scrutiny, but people can speak on your families. We’ve seen the Chris Paul situation. Fans during games. There’s a lot of things that are getting out of hand because of social media, so you have to balance that.”
McCollum understands media’s priority to generate interest and warns that the ways it is accomplished can be a treacherous path to maintaining good relationships between player/media.
“The headlines are clickbait, oftentimes not sharing the rest of the quote. Things of that nature I think can lead to trouble in paradise for us as athletes and for the networks as well. I don’t mind being critical of players at times because I think it’s necessary. I think there’s a way in which you can talk about it that’s more so you doing your job as opposed to attacking players. Like no one plays poorly on purpose. Tatum didn’t shoot 3 for 17 on purpose, right?”
McCollum speaks from some experience. He was a journalism major at Lehigh University before he mesmerized the globe in the NBA.
“I think as a player who has a background in journalism, I understand the importance of players having their own voice, but also understand the importance of being able to share someone’s message the right way, and I think sometimes messages are often misconstrued.”
CJ McCollum as an analyst will be a fascinating one to watch. He will contribute to NBA Countdown, NBA Today, SportsCenter, Get Up and First Take. He will also be a part of game analysis for ESPN’s coverage of NBA Summer League. And yes, he is developing a podcast with ESPN as well.
