when did this change..

When did the sports world change to the players vs. the media? Neither entity can exist without each other but somehow both entities seem to always be at odds about something. Ever since we have gone to these 24hr news services, a rivalry has started over privacy and what is news. Everyday is the same tale. An athlete is accused of something, they hide behind the story, the media draws its own conclusion, and then we have a problem.
In the 40's, 50's, and 60's the press never violated the players privacy in any capacity. They new that without the players they couldn't sell newspapers. Many people in other states who could not see Joe DiMaggio play or listen on the radio would buy the newspapers to see if he got a hit to keep the streak alive. Even in the 20's and 30's how many stories did you read negatively about Babe Ruth or Bobby Jones. Joe Louis was the man in the 30's and 40's and the press absolutely loved him. Can you imagine all of the dish that the press has on the Yankees and the packers in the 50's and 60's. The press absolutely worshipped the Yankees. They knew that if the sold out any of the players they would not be allowed to be at the nice clubs that the players attended. The players also respected the press. They loved the limelight. They loved taking photos with Sinatra and the boys and of course the many starlets that graced the movie screen. I crack up every time i see old movies that show how exaggerated the admiration of the press to the stars of the day. Paul Hornung, Frank Gifford, Mickey Mantle not only graced us with their on field performance but their Madison Avenue smile made them idols for an entire generation. Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Henry Aaron and Jim Brown were icons in every community.But one celebrity out shone them all and we know him as "the Greatest". So how did we go from the "the Greatest" to Barry Bonds?
This is what happened. The greatest sports celebrity to the media in my lifetime after Ali is Reggie Jackson. Reggie couldn't find enough microphones to talk to. He said what he felt and he meant what he said. The press loved him and hated him at the same time but they never trashed Reggie. The athletes that followed Reggie probably needed a class from him on how to handle the media. All hell has broken loose. The questions have changed, the respect is gone, privacy is a joke. The athletes of the 80's did some reprehensible things. They openly did drugs, the admitted to things about their pasts at colleges and universities that offended people. They showed off their excessive wealth and literally made a mockery of the working man. Athletes devalued the the dollars. We will blog another day about how the black athlete has changed sports forever, but in this context, the white faces of the 50's and 60's and 70's were gone and replaced by "air Jordan" and "showtime". The media loved Magic Johnson. He was a bigger than life personality who ruled the west coast. He was different from Reggie because he had respect for his opponents outwardly and inwardly. Micheal Jordan was treated like god until he alleged had gambling problems.
The press will go through your garbage today. They will hide in the bushes, your carports, the local market, even your favorite Starbucks. When the 1996 Yankees decided not to answer questions asked by Jim gray because he chose to ask Pete Rose questions about gambling, NBC nearly crapped its pants. Chad Curtis hit a game-winning home run and with the whole world watching basically told Jim gray to kiss his ass. ESPN sometimes makes it seem like it is company policy to hate Barry Bonds or Terrell Owens. Even new reporters would come on and bash Bonds or embellish stories painting him in negative light. I remember being at Dodger stadium watching him hit two home runs in the year he hit 73 and that night on sports center they reported that the crowd booed when he hit home runs. When he hit 714 against the Phillies and Jon Leiber, Pedro Gomez said that the crowd booed. I watched the game like millions of people and you don't hear a boo in any audio feed. Is it jealousy? The hate fest between both sides rears it ugly head when a player commits a crime. whether a misdemeanor or serious.. Nothing is private anymore. Who you are dating, what you are eating is a matter of public record. In the 50's and 60's that was okay because the press would never cross the line. If you had girlfriends and cheated on your spouse, the press kept it quiet and to themselves. They would never want to cross any of the teams. Today, the press would probably hire the girls to entice you to cheat. The players today don't make easy to like them because of their inflated egos. The media will turn on you faster than a speeding bullet.. Ask O.j.