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Athletes Beware: It's Generation You Tube

Published: Aug 16, 2007

By TODD JOHNSON The Tampa Tribune Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was caught in a media firestorm earlier this summer when his comments about general manager Mitch Kupchak and teammate Andrew Bynum were recorded via cell phone.
The three amateur videographers, the “Kobe Video Guys,” or “KVG,” were talking with Bryant in the parking lot of a shopping center in Newport Coast, Calif.
The moment, just 25 seconds, was as short as the interest in today’s news. The story came and like a You Tube video, abruptly ended before Bryant finished his sentence.
But, as the prevalence and importance of internet media continues to blur the relationship between fans and athletes, some pro players are taking notice.
Former Buccaneers and current Bengals safety Dexter Jackson said such great access to fans has its negatives.
“It doesn’t balance out,” Jackson said of the coverage of athletes online. “But that’s America, your privacy doesn’t matter. But I have a family so that’s something I always keep in mind.”
A casual night out for professional athletes can get them posted on sites such as the aforementioned You Tube or drunkathlete.com, where online surfers are encouraged to send their “drunk athlete pictures.” Whether the athletes are actually intoxicated or not is irrelevant, because the amateur photos allow web surfers to make their own conclusions.
“We spent the whole twentieth century trying to make journalism more professional,” said Dr. Roy Peter Clark, Vice President and Senior Scholar at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. “Now, in the twenty-first century, journalism is being influenced by amateurs. I think it’s important to invite new energy into the building but you need to do that without violating some enduring values [as journalists.]”
“As a professional, I try to put myself in good situations,” said Buccaneers tackle Anthony Davis. “It’s hard because sometimes you really want to let your hair down after a big win or a long day, and you can’t. You could be at a nightclub or even out to dinner with your family and someone can turn that into something major.”
A spokesman for the “Kobe Video Guys,” who refers to himself as ‘Ron,’ said the amateur video started out as an innocent conversation between adoring fans and a much-revered athlete. Once those involved realized the ‘newsworthiness’ of what Bryant said, however, the video was then put up online.
“People want to see it, there’s a huge demand for it,” said Ron, who is a student. “It’s not fair to the athletes but …I can’t imagine that athletes will be so candid with fans now. That’s unfortunate but that’s just where we are today.”
Unlike movie stars, professional athletes don’t portray anyone—they come as advertised. Their exploits off the field weren’t always news, but the advent of the 24-hour news cycle and fan interest in their personal lives has changed that.
Not all professional athletes are concerned.
Outspoken Bengals wide-receiver Chad Johnson, who recently outran a racehorse for charity at River Downs in Cincinnati, said he could care less about ‘Generation You Tube.’ Asked what his concerns would be if he appeared in an online video without his knowledge, he said:
“Whatever it is, it’s going to be funny.”
But Chad Johnson is tailor-made for You Tube - his touchdown celebrations and outlandish words attracting hundreds of thousands of online viewers alone. But Chad Johnson is Chad Johnson.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made mandatory that teams conduct media training for their players and separate sessions for their rookies. Jeff Kamis, Director of Public Relations for the Bucs, said his staff already had these sessions in place.
“I think the message we have for [our] athletes is: You’re always on,” Kamis said. “It’s part of the world we live in today with You Tube. Our guys understand that [they] are expected to be role models … and model citizens in the community.”
Kenny Irby founded the photojournalism program at the Poynter Institute in 1995 and has worked previously as an NBA sports photographer. He has seen the impact of visual media through the rookies power of photographs and video for more than 20 years. He said the advances in technology have had a wide range of impact on the industry - not always beneficial to athletes.
“There are people out there who don’t have the athletes’ best interest in mind,” said Irby, who recently chaired the jury that selected the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winners in photography. “In some cases now, casually asking for an autograph has turned into documenting [athletes’] every move and action. This brave new world we’re living in … and we wonder why these athletes build these fortresses and have the entertainment centers and big kitchens right in their homes.”
With professional athletes’ lives becoming more and more public, it is no coincidence that athletes today are leading more private lives. Devil Rays left-fielder and all-star Carl Crawford said the craze over You Tube and postings online have forced him to evaluate the way he interacts with fans.
“I don’t really go out that much because of that but … I’ll pose with a fan if I think they genuinely want a photo, and a lot of people do,” Crawford said. “But it really makes it hard, though … you have to be careful wherever you go.”
Crawford, 25, said he understands that going out is completely different in his case because he doesn’t have kids or a significant other.
“My thing is I’m single so … when I do go out, I don’t really have too many problems with that kind of stuff. If I was married or, like some of these guys have families, it’d be a different story.”
Reporter Todd Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7617 or rtjohnson@tampatrib.com.