http://youtube.com/watch?v=
Imo8n85rqg0[/youtube]
News reports are often pretty stale and bland. Sports reports are usually worse, using the same cliches and optimistic attitude even in the most dismal of situations. If your team is bad, or even extremely bad, you’ll rarely hear a news report even hint at that fact, instead saying such seasons are unfortunate and not for a lack of effort.
CTV took things a bit differently and it couldn’t be more refreshing. They asked the tough questions to Toronto players and coaches that most reporters wouldn’t dare ask for fear that team management and players within the organization might take offense. CTV pressured the Toronto Maple Leafs and asked questions that all Maple Leafs fans have been asking for quite some time – why are you guys so terrible?
In a perfect world, all sports reports would sound like the one above. The news should ask for accountability from the teams they cover instead of continuously letting them off the hook or giving them the benefit of the doubt. Fans pay a lot of money to watch their club and they deserve answers when it becomes apparent that winning is no longer the dominant attitude in the dressing room.
As you can see in the report above, players and coaches on the Maple Leafs seemed a bit put off by the blunt questioning. In some cases they completely avoided the topic, stating they had no comment to questions that have been plaguing Maple Leafs fans not only in 2011-12 but for the past several years. Where CTV broke ground in placing pressure on the team, the players and coaches resorted to tired cliches to explain their poor results. These athletes, who are really just employees, were not used to having to be accountable for their actions in player interviews. It’s time to end those days and usher in a new era of transparency and accountability in the sports universe.
It’s pretty amazing to see a news organization hunt for accountability in the world of sports. As a whole, sports reporting often regards the athlete as mostly untouchable. They ask delicate, soft questions that won’t get a rise or step on any feelings. They ask questions that are worded carefully and delicately as to not place blame on any one skater or coach. CTV blew that idea out the window. They placed blame and pointed fingers and it was a tremendous sight to see. Leafs fans that tuned in or viewed the video above can finally feel that the media is on their side instead of acting as the mouth piece of the organization. They can feel that someone is actively trying to get to the bottom of what is causing their frustration, anger and misery.
We tip our hat to you, CTV, and root that other news organizations around the country follow suit.
