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 Intrusive questions Nothing's sacred at press conferences
Posted: Friday June 18, 1999 04:48 PM
The media is a strange bunch, as anyone attending a major press conference would find out. Friday's meeting between journalists and the skippers of Cricket World Cup finalists, Pakistan and Australia, was a case in point. There we all were ready with our earnest inquiries into the bowling of Shane Warne and Shoaib Akhtar, the inspirational qualities of Australian skipper, Steve Waugh, and the supreme self belief of his Pakistani counterpart, Wasim Akram, and what was on the question list? Akram's diabetes. Akhtar's prayer habits and Waugh's opinion on an ongoing, but relatively ancient, bribery scandal. The media feels it's got carte blanche to ask anyone about anything once its got players, coaches and officials on the spot. Normal rules of social engagement don't apply. Whatever's on the press' minds, it asks away, however intrusive, irrelevant and personal that question may be. So it was that Wasim Akram was required to give chapter and verse on his insulin dependency, when he receives his injections and how quickly his energy levels deplete. The questioner I believe was not a doctor, so what possible relevance could it have for the final? It was the same with Akhtar, who was asked to discuss his prayer routine after the game. While Waugh was forced to deflect questions about an alleged Pakistan/Australian bribery scandal. Like a Shoaib Akhtar bouncer however he forcefully deflected the question with a dismissive "That's not what we're here to talk about." It's not just at the cricket World Cup that such impertinence is regarded as normal of course. During my stay in England, I've also been able to read quotes from the much lusted after Russian tennis star, Anna Kournikova, on why she doesn't have sex during a big tournament. There've been references to Andre Agassi's break-up with Brooke Shields, and how he's done better since his divorce. Plus some spiteful criticism of Britain's Wimbledon hope, Tim Henman's looks, with an article claiming he's got a face like a 13-year-old, a bad haircut, and a penchant for tennis clothes that would embarrass a man twice his age. In short, Tim you're a nerd, was the tenet of the piece. In what other field could you let rip like that, other than the media? Strangely however, the players seem to accept the intrusion and criticism as par for the course. Naturally it creates an us and them divide between those who play and those who record their achievements. It also makes it harder to get genuine information, as the players are so wary. But by and large you get very few explosions. Whether that's a good or bad thing is hard to say. It's just a fact of life in this game called sport.
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