In the two-plus weeks since a spat between veteran play-by-play man Ron Franklin and sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards cost Franklin his job and again thrust all sideline reporters into the spotlight, the accompanying scrutiny of those who handle the most difficult and job in sports television has not been pleasant.
Proven and talented sideline reporter Andrea Kramer, who has a high-profile assignment with NBC Sports, complained about the vitriol to USA Today, and several of her colleagues agreed that they have been unfairly criticized, with their abundance of preparation and work regularly overlooked.
Perhaps, they’re right. They have the most unappreciated assignments in sports, doing a job anyone at home believes they can do just as well because those viewers do not see the hours of preparation, and because those viewers believe the amount of time a person appears on air constitutes their value to the broadcast.
For sideline reporters, who might appear on TV just a handful of minutes during a three-hour broadcast, that makes justifying their existence difficult -- although every major sports broadcast (except the top NFL team on CBS Sports) includes a sideline reporter.
Many negative generalities exist about those who handle the toughest job in sports television. They do prepare, though. They do work hard. And, as this solid (if one-sided) story presents, sideline reporters have many tricks to the trade.
In general, they deserve respect and usually merit a place on the broadcast.
BUT, sideline reporters sometimes hurt themselves with stereotypical silliness.
While the Edwards-Franklin incident was unrelated to their game duties, the fact that the play-by-play veteran got a lot of public support and the sideline reporter became a face for complaints simply reflects the dissatisfaction of fans (and bloggers) with sideline reporters.
This past weekend, Alex Flanagan on NBC Sports did a disservice to the profession with some of her work on the NFL wild-card game between the Saints and Seahawks. And it was just one moment – the always dangerous post-game interview.
While the Seahawks basked in the glow of the victory and coach Pete Carroll told Flanagan the team expected to win, she asked “Relly?” Yes, really. Of course the coach expects his team to win. To ask otherwise was either disrespectful or silly.
Minutes later, she asked Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselback: “Quickly Matt, can you rank how big of an upset this is?” C’mon, he doesn’t think it’s an upset. And it’s not his job to rank them either. How about asking him about his effort on a downfield block during Marshawn Lynch’s 67-yard touchdown run? Or, ask him about anything else really. But please do not disrespect him moments after a victory with a question like that.
While it’s NOT disrespectful for reporters to ask Jim Harbaugh about his future moments after a bowl game, when he’s clearly headed for another job (and Harbaugh was wrong to play the respect card against the media in that instance), it is disrespectful to belittle a team’s belief that it could win a game. And that’s the kind of thing that leads to disrespect for sideline reporters.
Some final thoughts on the Franklin-Edwards incidents: There was not enough context, before or after the case, for those not very close to the situation to pass judgment. Specifically, what was the topic that initially prompted Franklin to jump into the conversation with Edwards? Had there been problems, with either one of them with colleagues, in the past? … It just seems that it would’ve been better for all involved if ESPN had been handled it in house and a bit less publicly. … Smart move by Franklin early this week to decline comment on the aftermath when asked by The New York Times.
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