How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

[jnixon]

As a player, I used to get a little depressed and down on myself when there was something negative written about me in the Buffalo News. It didn't happen too often, but fortunately for me there were no Bills Chat Rooms and Bills Discussion Forums and other Internet sites that could blast me 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but as my Coach Chuck Knox used to say "You're never as bad as they make you out to be ..........and you're never as good as they make you out to be. Good advice for anyone.

Learning how to deal with the media is an important part being a professional athlete. It is not always easy to deal with negative criticism, especially if you don't believe it is justified. Most of the time a player knows when they've screwed up and when they deserve harsh criticism. But then there are times when it's not so black-and-white and opinions are all over the place bombarding you from every media outlet and communication portal.

There are not to many professions outside of sports, music and theater that have immediate customer feedback like cheering and booing at a game and then non-stop media coverage that critiques and second guesses and questions your abilities, your desire, your intelligence, your strength, etc?

I think I was a pretty decent player and had some good games before I got injured, so I was probably spared the emotional discomfort of being crucified in the media. It has to be a lot harder for someone that was a number 1 pick in the draft and had very high expectations put on them. But that's the way it is and that's why they get the big bucks and there is one thing that every player must always remember and keep as a filter between their brain and their mouth......it is this:

The people that are talking about me.... PAY MY SALARY.......and they are all entitled to their opinions about my actions both on and off the field. With that in mind, a player should never, ever, ever, ever complain about criticism and being treated unfairly by fans or the media.

Do most fans really understand that they pay the professional athlete's salary?

When a fan watches a game, they are also watching advertisements. Fans buy the products that are advertised and that money goes into the pockets of companies. The companies then pay the TV Networks Billions of dollars to run their ads. The money that TV Networks get from companies are then used to pay the NFL Owners for the right to air football games on their network. The NFL Owners then must give 60% of total gross revenues to active players for salaries and benefits. Fans are at the top of this food chain and they should have the right to say any damn thing they want about a player. You are our Boss! And even though a player might not like what their boss says, you sure as hell don't tell him that. That's how you get fired.

Obviously, it would be rather chaotic if fans had that kind of immediate power. Because fans have so many differing opinions about players they would be firing players left and right. But beleive me when I say this. Players do listen to the fans and the media no matter what any of them might tell you. If a player is smart they will use criticism consructivel to improve their game. If they are immature they will let it effect them negatively both on and off the field.

One last thing....if you see a player face-to-face, I would not suggest using nasty language to describe how you feel about their performance, especially if you are in an area where there are no witnesses.

Enjoy the Game!

Jeff Nixon
Buffalo Bills Alumnus
Free Safety 1979-1984

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

With that in mind, a player should never, ever, ever, ever complain about criticism and being treated unfairly by fans or the media.

Thanks for the perspective Jeff. It is interesting to see a former player's take on this.

One question I have - and perhaps a bit of disagreement - is that I think it is perfectly acceptable for a player to complain if/when the media and fans have the facts wrong. Perhaps a false rumor that was started. Perhaps a misconception on a player's role or assignment. I can see how that would get a player upset, especially if it involves a member of the media that goes out of his/her way to create controversy.

[billsfanone]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Wow. Thanks for that perspective.

[casdhf]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Hey, Jeff ... you suck!

[billsfanone]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Hey, Jeff ... you suck!

How rude! I'm sick of fans like you.

[casdhf]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

He would have to have read the Dorenbos thread to get the joke though.

[billsfanone]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

What Dorenbos thread?

[The last buffalo fan]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Gracias, Sir!

[casdhf]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Never mind, it was the thread about the long snapper with the story.

[casdhf]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

My favorite moment of my season tickets and sitting right on the tunnell was one game Dorenbos was walking by head down and I screamed DORENBOS!!!!!

He looked up so happy that anyone even knew who he was and looked right at me. I promptly yelled YOU SUCK and he frowned......

[billsfanone]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Never mind, it was the thread about the long snapper with the story.

OH! That thread! lol

[trapezeus]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Thanks Jeff. It's always nice to get a players perspective.

I just saw a thing on the 1999 Rams superbowl team. IT was so interesting to hear that the team was growing sick of Vermeil's hard training camps, that no one really thought that Warner was going to do anything and that they were going to go through another bad season. And what makes it crazy to me is that during 1999, none of the players would say anything like that outloud.

I wish we had that kind of perspective of what bills players really thought of JP over the last 4 years. I always got the sense they didn't believe in him at all.

[mchurchfie]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Thanks Jeff! It is a privilege to have a former Buffalo Bill as a member on this board and who is willing to share their insight with us.

[Luisito23]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Great post!!...Sorry I rated it only 1 star, I meant to hit 5!

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: How do NFL Players feel about negative press and media coverage?

Thanks for giving us your perspective and insight, Jeff.

While I agree, for the most part, with everything that you said, there are a couple of things that I would like to add with regard to the fans:

1.) While the fans pay the players and, therefore, are, in effect, the players' bosses, there is an appropriate way and place to express your displeasure with a players' performance and an inappropriate way and place to do it. Your right to express your displeasure is NOT unlimited.

Yelling, "YOU SUCK!" or calling a player a "POS" or cursing at him at a game or should you encounter him elsewhere is inappropriate.

First of all, certainly at a game and in many other situations, there may be children present. Whether you feel it is OK to curse in front of your children or not, it is not appropriate to subject other people's children to that kind of language. There are words that you can use to express your displeasure with a player without cursing. The fan who has brought his kid to a game or the persons who may be present when you encounter a player elsewhere are just as much the player's boss as you and have a right to be respected. You can get your point across without having to infringe on their rights.

Secondly, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" if you were in their shoes. I don't think that there are a lot of fans who would like it if their boss stood over their shoulder and yelled, "YOU SUCK!", etc. every time they made a mistake at work. Indeed, I doubt that there are many fans who would tolerate having their boss say half of the things that fans yell at players, even if the boss said it as he was firing them.

And, finally, it is NEVER appropriate to berate a player in front of his family when he is away from the field. It doesn't matter what you think of a player or his performances, show the same kind of respect for his family as you would want anyone else to show towards your family. His loved ones are as dear to him as your loved ones are to you.

Again, there are ways and times to express your feelings that are appropriate and others that are not appropriate.

2.) Jeff should know this: At times there are things that impact a player's performance that the fans simply don't know, especially in today's NFL.

Fans have expectations, especially based on a player's salary, position and where he was selected in the draft. That's all well and good. But, depending on a number of things, those expectations may not be realistic.

NFL teams are notorious for hiding injuries: if Bill Belichick had his way, he would list his entire roster in the NFL's weekly injury report, while other teams will only list an injury if it forces a player to miss practice time. So, it is often hard to know if a player is playing with an injury that actually is limiting what he is capable of doing on the field or not.

A player who is playing with an injury for the sake of the team--because he and the coaches feel that he can play better with his injury than his uninjured backup--may not be able to perform up to his uninjured capabilities or what fans expect of him. If the fans don't know that he is injured, they may boo him for not performing up to his ability or their expectations when, in fact, he deserves their respect for being willing to sacrifice his health and play through the pain of his injury for the sake of the team.

In another instance, what the fans expect from a player may well be at odds with what the coaching staff wants and has assigned him to do. The player may be performing the tasks assigned to him by the coaches creditably, but the fans, not knowing what those tasks were, may see the player as not performing the tasks that they want him to be performing. For example, a linebacker may be doing a good job of dropping into the coverages assigned to him, but draw the ire of fans who are judging his performance based on the fact that he is not getting sacks and forcing fumbles. A player might be quite capable of even surpassing the fans expectations if he were allowed to do what the fans want him to do by the coaching staff, but he may be sacrificing his own stats in order to perform the tasks assigned to him. The fans should take that into consideration and, if anything, direct their ire at the coaching staff and not necessarily at the player.

I don't object to fans showing their displeasure with a player or the whole team--I do it myself! I agree that the players should not automatically get upset when fans do express their displeasure at their performance and should use it as motivation to work harder to improve and play better in the future.

But, there are things that fans should take into consideration before automatically berating a player for his performance. And, most importantly, there are appropriate and inappropriate ways for a fan to express his displeasure with a player as well.