Over a week has passed since the explosive Richard Sherman post-game interview with Erin Andrews of Fox Sports immediately following the Seahawks-49ers NFC championship game. I cannot recall another post-game interview with an athlete that has evoked anywhere near the public reaction that has resulted from the Sherman remarks.
The NFL has fined Sherman for his rant, and I think it was important for the league to note formally that Sherman was out of line. On the other hand, many analysts have predicted that Sherman in fact will profit considerably in the long run from his remarks in terms of endorsements from companies that will seek his edgy reputation and persona, assuming of course that he continues to deliver on the field. Many commentators also have noted that Sherman is setting himself up nicely for a career on television once his playing days are over.
In that regard, do you think the NFL is really all that unhappy about Sherman’s remarks? Every great drama needs a villain, and who better to serve as a counterpoint to the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning than the bombastic Sherman? Members of the media have long complained about the endless non-news stories leading up to the Super Bowl, and Sherman provides a great lighting rod for controversy. Sherman no doubt has made Broncos fans out of a lot of folks who otherwise would feel no connection to the upcoming Super Bowl. Who other than Peyton Manning do you think will be the most-approached player in Super Bowl media sessions?
So what did we learn from all this? As a starting point, it’s clear that there is a certain risk inherent in conducting an interview moments after the completion of a championship contest (or any athletic contest, for that matter), just as there is a risk in those awful in-game interviews with football and basketball coaches at the professional and college level. Am I the only one who actually looks forward to the cringe-element of a half-time interview with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich? Popovich can barely hide his disdain for the questions (“What do you have to do to win this game, coach?” is a favorite of his, to which he typically replies that it would be good to score more points than the other team) and most coaches and players recite what seem to be prepared, bland remarks to the interviewer.
Does Sherman’s conduct make Fox or other networks more or less inclined to continue asking competitors to comment moments after the contest has ended? My guess is that Fox, which directed Andrews to break away from the interview with Sherman because they felt it was going in a “dangerous” direction, will not be so quick to end a similar controversial interview next time. The public reaction to Sherman’s remarks has kept Fox Sports in the spotlight, and Fox executives have had to explain their decision to end the Sherman interview.
Of course, from a sportsmanship perspective, Sherman did not deliver the goods. Perhaps most unfortunate was his use of the interview to call attention to himself as if he were the only reason the Seahawks won the game. That cannot sit well with the other players. Further, Sherman’s mean-spirited personal attack toward a competitor, a fellow competitor in the brutal world of professional football, probably will not soon be forgotten by future opponents and teammates alike. Of course, Sherman certainly did nothing to help the cause of youth coaches who try to teach their young players the importance of winning and losing with class and dignity, and it will be interesting to learn just how much of an impact Sherman’s lack of civility will have on young athletes.
Sherman by all accounts is an intelligent and engaging young man, his recent rant on Fox notwithstanding. One wonders whether his extreme display of “look at me!” was in fact genuine, or was instead, as has been suggested, a case of Sherman playing a role that he believes will serve him well economically. Of course, if you call yourself the best, you need to be able to back it up, and it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Richard Sherman in that regard.
Thoughts? Please contact me at mgilleran@scu.edu. Thanks.