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It was compelling television and an important debate: the footy coach against the ultimate media man.
Up one end of Channel Nine’s Footy Classified desk sat Collingwood coach and former champion player, Nathan Buckley.
Buckley reckons the media generally can’t be trusted, they make players and coaches feel uncomfortable, and sensationalise comments in search of a story. He’d rather use his club’s digital and social channels to communicate rather than accommodate the mainstream media.
Towards the other end of the desk was presenter, media businessman and entrepreneur, Craig Hutchison. He wants a more open and accessible industry to develop a trust between the players and the media.
Put simply, Hutchison doesn’t think the players and coaches do enough to grow the game.
While coming from completely different angles, both made good points. But, for mine, Hutchison was on the money.
That’s not to say I don’t sympathise with Buckley – his distrust of the media didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. But in reality, I’m not sure Buckley, or other coaches and players, realise how lucky the AFL is.
There seems to be the perception the game is infallible, that it’s an unstoppable juggernaut that will keep on building to keep in front of all other sporting competitors forever and a day. And so they see the media as a nuisance that should be kept at bay – a hindrance, rather than a help.
This just isn’t true.
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In a simpler time, the media covered sport because people were interested. But things have changed and the sport-media dynamic is more complex. The reality is that some sports are now popular because of media coverage. In fact, most sports are falling over themselves to get somewhere close to the coverage the AFL receives in Melbourne.
But the AFL is delicately positioned. The game is bankrolled by a broadcasting deal of $2.508 billion, which it received because of its popularity, but the AFL is popular because the media promotes it more than any other game.
Without this media attention, the money would dry up and some clubs, particularly in Victoria, would collapse.
On the flip side, the media cover the game with such obsessive fervour because they know the game sells.
Their relationship is mutually beneficial and while some sporting competitions around the world, particularly in America, have recognised that, some within the AFL seem a little slow off the mark.
It is everyone’s responsibility to grow the game – from the AFL, to the coaches, players and the media. Some, like Buckley and other coaches, might find that a thorn in their side, but if they took their blinkers off they’d see that competition from other sports is coming from everywhere – both locally and abroad.
AAP Image/David Crosling
It’s time the AFL clubs embraced the media’s love for the game and threw open their doors. They need to make their players more available to the mainstream media – not just to their own members via their own channels. By doing so, both parties will develop a healthier relationship, based on trust and respect, and importantly, the fans will have more access to those they love to follow.
The end result should be that the quality of coverage improves, with players and coaches being more open and honest.
There will always be some conflict – after all, what the media wants and what the clubs want are often at loggerheads. But it will go a long way to stop all the things Buckley hates – the cloak and dagger secrecy, the paranoia, the distrust and door-stop interviews.
The biggest mistake for players and coaches to make would be to take the media coverage of the game for granted, because at the end of the day, the biggest difference between a big sport and a small sport in Australia is now intrinsically linked to the media.
A big sport gets a lot of media coverage. A small one doesn’t. Simple as that.
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