The Daily Philadelphian

By FRANK WARD

The soundbite. It’s the thing that drives all broadcast media journalism.

With limited time, television and radio newscasts rely on brief, 10-second soundbites to tell stories. That is really nothing new. However, in this day of the race to be first with news, and not necessarily accurate, news outlets will take a statement and run with it. The fallout for those speaking to the media can be devastating.

Pro athletes must now be as careful as a political candidate or a company CEO. Say the wrong thing, and your reputation or approval rating will drop quicker than a Brad Lidge sinker (when he’s Lights Out).

Cole Hamel's postgame comments on Saturday demonstrate that pro athletes must receive more media training.

Cole Hamels proved this point with his postgame comments after Saturday’s loss in Game 3 of the World Series. The Phillies 2009 postseason LVP was quoted as saying, “I can’t wait for it (the season) to end. It’s been mentally draining. It’s one of those things, a year in, you just can’t wait for a fresh start.”

These quotes set off a firestorm in Philly among fans, traditional media, social media and talk radio.  Many, including your Daily Philadelphian, called for the end of Hamels’ season even if the team went on to force a Game 7. How do you wish for the season to end when your team is in the thick of World Series battle?

Hamels is lucky he’s not an NFL quarterback or he’d have had the Ray Lewis and Brian Dawkins of the world battling him in practice the next day.

However, it now appears his comments were taken out of context. According to media members such as Comcast SportsNet’s Leslie Gudel, Hamels was first asked about the game and answered those questions. He then was asked if he couldn’t wait for the season to end so he could reflect on it. That is when he made the absurd statement heard around South Philly.

Hamels is honest and always has been, sometimes to the detriment of his reputation. Of course, win, and his reputation will regain its all-time high status.

All the 2008 World Series MVP did was answer a question honestly in an era when athletes don’t talk frankly. However, Hamels and other athletes need to learn when to, and when not to, answer questions. They need to learn how to answer certain questions.

Hamels simply should have said something such as, “You know, we’re still in a battle to defend our world title, and I’m going to prepare to pitch a Game 7, if I’m called upon to do so. I’ll have plenty of time to reflect on the season when this series is over. Until then, we have nothing to think about except how to win the next ballgame.”

Deflect the question on reflection until after the season is completely over.

Chad Ochocinco is an athlete who may benefit from additional media training.

To avoid these situations, Hamels and pro athletes need media training. They need the same workshops and lessons that CEOs and politicians learn from their public relations professionals.

Many athletes are paid higher than the leadership of Fortune 500 corporations, and they need to be trained as such. They are the ambassadors for professional sports franchises. A frontline pitcher, hitter, quarterback, defensive back, or point guard is the spokesperson for the organization.

That’s not to say that pro teams’ public relations staffs haven’t worked with the athletes. The NFL and MBA conduct rookie symposiums, and media relations is likely part of those programs.

However, more must be done as young players enter franchises. Unless the players studied communications and public relations in college, this is a topic and a skill they know very little about.

Athletes must learn how to avoid making inflammatory statements. They must learn how to work with the media.

Pro teams should not be as overzealous as the New York Knicks who insisted that Larry Brown only talk to the media when a member of the PR staff was present.

However, they do need to teach athletes basic PR rules such as:

• Always talk in good times and bad (Mitch Williams himself will tell you this);
• Never say “no comment;”
• Don’t lie;
• Never say something you do not want to see in print;
• Remember to speak in 10-second soundbites, which means simply to keep in mind a long answer (or the preceding question) may be left on the cutting-room floor. Had Hamels known or thought of this point, he may never have made the statement he did.

There are many more points to media training, but these basics would help deflect any potential controversies in a number of situations.

With ESPN, Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports, Sirius Radio, and countless Internet sites and blogs, athletes will continue to be under scrutiny unlike any faced by athletes throughout time. The microscope they are under will only get bigger with time.

Media training should become a necessity with periodic workshops throughout the season and offseason. Then, you won’t risk the chemistry of a team based on what is said and reported in the media.

Frank Ward is a public relations consultant and freelance writer. To contact him, please send an e-mail to dailyphiladelphian@gmail.com.