Situation Definition
Two main issues that brought intense ethical messages from Jay Crawford’s speech were the issues of social media awareness and women in sports media. Crawford spoke at length about both topics as he gave students advice on how to make a career in sports media.
With both messages, Crawford cited individuals that he has worked with in his career who brought up these points to him during his time at ESPN.
Analysis
On the issue of social media awareness, specifically among young people, Crawford mentioned a conversation he had with Herm Edwards, former NFL head coach and ESPN on-air personality, who recently became the head coach at Arizona State. Edwards frequently mentioned to “not press send” when it comes a message that may be seen as controversial.
Edwards has continued to preach this message as different social media outlets have become prevalent in today’s society among athletes, TV personalities, and coaches. And to his credit, Edwards continues to be correct on the matter.
Countless members of society who have found fame through sports, social media, or other methods have stirred up controversy based on old tweets, Facebook posts, and other forms of social media that have featured racist or expletive-laced tirades.
As Williams details in her study cited below, the perils of these sites are numerous. Professionals in sports journalism have lost friends, jobs, and most importantly credibility, due to controversial social media posts. It’s an easy way in 2018 to polarize friends and co-workers for unnecessary reasons.
Crawford also mentioned how there has never been a better time in history to be a woman seeking a job in sports media. Part of his message was used to emphasize how companies are hiring more women than ever.
Specifically, he referenced a conversation held with Jessica Mendoza, who now serves as one of the lead analysts for ESPN’s baseball coverage. Mendoza confided to Crawford how nervous she was in terms of gaining respect for being a woman who wanted to be on-air during games.
She represents one of the first women to have a primary broadcast role with one of the major networks. A softball pitcher in her own right, Mendoza was concerned that she would sound out of her element discussing different pitches used during a broadcast.
As Hardin and Shain discussed, the cultural change will really only develop when women are able to advocate for themselves in the field of sports media, which rings especially true for broadcasters like Mendoza.
Conclusion
While it is good advice for aspiring journalists, Crawford made great recommendations that were tailored to be applicable to college-aged students who might make mistakes similar to the ones he described.
His advice was well-recieved and he elaborated on each topic discussed with students afterwards. Both issues are of importance as they both weigh heavily on the future of sports media, and will continue to influence the direction of the industry as students graduate and enter the field themselves.
References:
Hardin, M., & Shain, S. (2005). Strength in Numbers? the Experiences and Attitudes of Women in Sports Media Careers. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly,82(4), 804-819. doi:10.1177/107769900508200404
Williams, A. E., & Woodacre, M. A. (2016). The possibilities and perils of academic social networking sites. Online Information Review,40(2), 282-294. doi:10.1108/oir-10-2015-0327