Bears new restrictions on the media covering practices

[WindyCity]

I hope Pace runs this like the Patriots compete with,

The secrecy
The media distain
The cheating
And the Championships.

 

[1ke]

Hopefully reporters get creative:

"it always feels like my CUTe girlfriend LERonda is PICKing between SIXteen different outfits. Her closet couldn't be FULLER."

Well done new guy. Well done.

 

[TL1961]

I see absolutely no reason that practices should not be entirely open to the fans and the media. There's absolutely no secrets that can be gained by completely opening practice for all to see. Plus the amount of money it takes to attend a game it should be mandated that there as much free and open access as possible for the fans when it's not during the season. Every mini-camp practice should be open (there's only six mini-camp practices on average anyway barring a coaching change). And all of those practices plus OTAs should be open access.

The fans provide the revenue for everything they should be rewarded with as much free access as possible during times like this. The regular season, fine no access I understand but these team building activities should be open access FULLY.

How does paying for a ticket to the game grant one the right to see practices?

If you buy a ticket to a Broadway show, you don't get to sit in on rehearsals or visit the actors in their dressing rooms.

Why should a team be required to allow video of its practices and allow media to report what they are doing? How would they ever throw a new look at an opponent without the opponent knowing about it ahead of time?

I think it makes sense that they close the practices. And I certainly will trust them. Hell, maybe it's just a pride thing, and they don't want people to see how bad some of their personnel is at this point.

 

[Bearly]

If ESPN were to boycott covering the NFL from Tuesday to Saturday the teams would never lose any money. Maybe it's time the media starts reflecting on how much coverage of the NFL is actually important?

As if they'd have the balls to boycott weekdays in season. NFL network would bury their asses.

 

[engbear]

Surely they can take notes during practice and report later on who looks good and who looks like they are just here for the weekend. They don't have to get into too much detail for that.

 

[TL1961]

As if they'd have the balls to boycott weekdays in season. NFL network would bury their asses.

ESPN boycott during the week?

The network that broadcast daily from Jets training camp to tell us "Tim Tebow was one of the first players out here." ??

 

[BearsFan51]

How does paying for a ticket to the game grant one the right to see practices?

If you buy a ticket to a Broadway show, you don't get to sit in on rehearsals or visit the actors in their dressing rooms.

Why should a team be required to allow video of its practices and allow media to report what they are doing? How would they ever throw a new look at an opponent without the opponent knowing about it ahead of time?

I think it makes sense that they close the practices. And I certainly will trust them. Hell, maybe it's just a pride thing, and they don't want people to see how bad some of their personnel is at this point.

You are dense.

 

[botfly10]

I see absolutely no reason that practices should not be entirely open to the fans and the media. There's absolutely no secrets that can be gained by completely opening practice for all to see. Plus the amount of money it takes to attend a game it should be mandated that there as much free and open access as possible for the fans when it's not during the season. Every mini-camp practice should be open (there's only six mini-camp practices on average anyway barring a coaching change). And all of those practices plus OTAs should be open access.

The fans provide the revenue for everything they should be rewarded with as much free access as possible during times like this. The regular season, fine no access I understand but these team building activities should be open access FULLY.

Except there is the whole thing where they are trying to get shit done. Maybe its not the best thing to have a huge crowd when guys are playing like shit trying to learn a new position or whatever. Its kind of unprecedented that an industry would force open practice or rehearsal time.

 

[Wintermute]

Personally, I care more about seeing the product that results from practice. But that's just my opinion.

I side with Jim Mora:

[video=youtube;rTrmvF2TLgw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTrmvF2TLgw[/video]

 

[BearsFan51]

Except there is the whole thing where they are trying to get shit done. Maybe its not the best thing to have a huge crowd when guys are playing like shit trying to learn a new position or whatever. Its kind of unprecedented that an industry would force open practice or rehearsal time.

Really? What kind of major shit are they trying to get done during a three day involuntary mini-camp when they are in their underwear compared to the 10,000 fans per day that show up during training camp.

And this idea that they're going to implement some super secret play that won't show up on All-22 tape after they run it anyway is silly. There's no good reason to shut the media and fans out of practices. Jacksonville had their fans at practice the media was watching when a Fowler went down. It's just silly.

 

[theOHIOSTATE!]

I see absolutely no reason that practices should not be entirely open to the fans and the media. There's absolutely no secrets that can be gained by completely opening practice for all to see. Plus the amount of money it takes to attend a game it should be mandated that there as much free and open access as possible for the fans when it's not during the season. Every mini-camp practice should be open (there's only six mini-camp practices on average anyway barring a coaching change). And all of those practices plus OTAs should be open access.

The fans provide the revenue for everything they should be rewarded with as much free access as possible during times like this. The regular season, fine no access I understand but these team building activities should be open access FULLY.

That's nice, now how much equity did you say you held in the franchise again?


If the NFL or the Bears in particular feel that they are losing market share within sports entertainment, margin space in pricing X ancillary product lines or even just attention by disallowing coverage of these mini-camps, they will act accordingly to remedy the situation. Since when did anyone "deserve" anything in free market capitalism? If you buy it, you're tacitly giving it a thumbs up; if you don't consume it (mostly TV viewership at this point for the NFL), you are sending the message that you are dissatisfied. If you don't like the way the NFL is doing things, there are plenty of other content providers in sports entertainment. Hell, I watch significantly more College football than NFL football right now. A lot of the reason why is probably bc i've soured a bit on the pro game bc of the way I perceive officiating and rule changes have skewed the balance between offense and defense/passing versus running. That's wholly my opinion, and I would never yell to the heavens about how I am entitled as a paying/viewing NFL fan to X style of game.

Vote with your feet.

 

[DMelt36]

Well, the answer is, as much as the consumer by and large wants.

I don't think the problem is that the media is covering too much football. It's the way in which they cover football that's problematic. I mean, these players and coaches are required to make themselves available to the media, and for their troubles, 90 percent of questions are some inane variation of, "So, how great did that touchdown feel?" or some such bullshit.

Sports journalists, for the most part, have lost any semblance of real insight or analysis, probably partly because the sports media machine is full of fans now instead of journalists. As a non-sports journalist, I fucking wish my subjects were required to talk to me. They're not. So I find other creative and meaningful ways to tell the news (records, secondary sources, etc.). I certainly don't stomp my feet and pout when a city councilman or mayor won't talk to me.

Part of me wishes sports leagues tomorrow would lift their requirements of players and coaches to talk to the media. That might filter out all the bullshitters who don't belong there and leave the real professionals who know what the **** they're doing.

The most popular league in the world doesn't require its players to talk to the media: that's the Premier League in England. Why we assume that dealing with the media is all part of the job is still strange to me. So many of those NFL athletes have no business speaking about anything, and some of the jackasses asking them questions shouldn't be asking questions to anyone

Overall, though, I think the sports media is still attempting to figure out how its role in covering sports will play out in the Internet age.

Always thought the role of sports media was to use their access to tell stories that the general public didn't know. But there are a lot more people able to tell these stories in the Internet age. For example, all that background detail on how Tayo Fabuluje's college years went would've been an excellent piece heading into training camp. But, with a non traditional media outlet like SB Nation having a big platform and knowledge of that story, they had a piece up and out to the masses before Tayo had even arrived in Chicago. It's a wildly different scene these days.

That said, there are still good stories to be told, they just require a bit more digging than in the past. Rich Campbell had an excellent piece on Ryan Pace a few weeks ago.

And sports media, in general, started going downhill the second these guys began appearing on TV screens. As soon as you could become TV famous by being a "journalist," we started on the path that's led to Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith being on-screen yelling at each other every day.

 

[didshereallysaythat]

The team has every right to have its privacy.

 

[BearsFan51]

I hope Pace runs this like the Patriots compete with,

The secrecy
The media distain
The cheating
And the Championships.

You forgot Tom Brady in that equation.

 

[BearsFan51]

That's nice, now how much equity did you say you held in the franchise again?


If the NFL or the Bears in particular feel that they are losing market share within sports entertainment, margin space in pricing X ancillary product lines or even just attention by disallowing coverage of these mini-camps, they will act accordingly to remedy the situation. Since when did anyone "deserve" anything in free market capitalism? If you buy it, you're tacitly giving it a thumbs up; if you don't consume it (mostly TV viewership at this point for the NFL), you are sending the message that you are dissatisfied. If you don't like the way the NFL is doing things, there are plenty of other content providers in sports entertainment. Hell, I watch significantly more College football than NFL football right now. A lot of the reason why is probably bc i've soured a bit on the pro game bc of the way I perceive officiating and rule changes have skewed the balance between offense and defense/passing versus running. That's wholly my opinion, and I would never yell to the heavens about how I am entitled as a paying/viewing NFL fan to X style of game.

Vote with your feet.

Your idea of free market capitalism relies on slave ownership to turn a profit.

 

[MakeMyDay]

Your idea of free market capitalism relies on slave ownership to turn a profit.

Since your ignorance is on display here again....Ummmm which party exactly is the slave in all of this?

 

[iueyedoc]

Really? What kind of major shit are they trying to get done during a three day involuntary mini-camp when they are in their underwear compared to the 10,000 fans per day that show up during training camp.

And this idea that they're going to implement some super secret play that won't show up on All-22 tape after they run it anyway is silly. There's no good reason to shut the media and fans out of practices. Jacksonville had their fans at practice the media was watching when a Fowler went down. It's just silly.

Usually I say things on here tongue in cheek, but in all seriousness, I imagine one of the major reasons to close practices to fans is to avoid crazy obnoxious fucks like you disrupting the learning process. I imagine having some pasty white, basement dwelling blogger criticizing them from the sidelines, or making suggestions to the coaching staff is anti-productive. The fact that you think you have a right to enter a privately owned companies facilities at your convenience is laughable.

 

[Wintermute]

Since your ignorance is on display here again....Ummmm which party exactly is the slave in all of this?

Ask Adrian Peterson. He'll tell you allllll about how the making millions is slavery. Derp.

 

[ZenBear34]

Your idea of free market capitalism relies on slave ownership to turn a profit.

well and also the most glowing success of a regulatory socialist system the world has ever seen.

 

[BearsFan51]

Ask Adrian Peterson. He'll tell you allllll about how the making millions is slavery. Derp.

I'm sure the other 200 players from this year's draft who don't wind up making millions for being a first round draft pick think the NFL is great.