From Television and Newspapers to Youtube and Facebook: Part 2

Dave Lax: Tip of the Week

Last blog I talked about a few ways a player should act with the media. I wanted to conclude my topic on “How to Interact with the Media” with a few more important issues that should be considered. The first two points I want to bring up are regarding the way the media views you externally.

1. Always speak to and look directly at the interviewer when answering questions. Resist the temptation to look at the ground or the sky.

You may think that the media would understand your jetting eyes or poor posture because you are excited after a win or down after a loss, but it is very important to push aside all of that and conduct an appropriate interview. If you are being interviewed after or even before an event it is important to look at the reporter and stand or sit up straight. All of these fundamental interview techniques give off the air of confidence and maturity. This is also true for interviews outside of the athletic world. Anytime you are being interviewed, you are representing your school, your team and yourself. You want to make sure that all three groups are looked at in a good light.

2. Understand the importance of personal appearance and dress appropriately for all situations. Make sure team sponsors’ logos and products are visible.

If you are speaking with the media and are part of a team, whether it is a professional team or your local travel team, you need to keep in mind that you are playing for the greater good. You are part of a unit and I hate to bring out the cliché, “There is no I in team,” but it seems to best describe my point. You need to think for the whole, not just yourself. You were not the only one on the field and you are not the only one working hard for your team. Thus, when you are doing an interview the Team should come first. This usually starts with your appearance. If you have a uniform, team polo or other team apparel you should wear this. You are not posing for GQ so whatever new style is out there can be worn after the interview. When you are playing for a sponsored team or even sponsored yourself, your sponsors expect and probably demand in your contract that their logo shows when you give interviews. Make sure to avoid wearing any competing brands!

The next two topics are more about the question and answering done in an interview.

3. Make the effort to reveal a good personality during an interview. Be enthusiastic and animated in interviews after a win or loss. Understand that it is acceptable to talk about issues other than sports (i.e. music, politics, world events, etc.).

When you speak to the media they may often try to elicit responses from you that show a negative personality. You must try to avoid overreacting or showing a negative side even if it’s how you feel. Whether it was because of a loss, a bad call by an umpire/referee or a bad play in the game. One of the worst ways to do this is by blaming another teammate for a loss or a bad play. More times than not someone on a team feels that a bad call or play cost them the game; however, as a teammate you cannot throw another player under the bus whether you believe it’s true or not. You need to keep things positive or at the very least, neutral.

Also if a question elicits talking about topics outside of the sports field feel free to speak about this; however, I would recommend that in order to talk about this in the public eye make sure you have a good understanding of anything that you are speaking about. Also, even if you have a strong feeling or know a lot about the topic it may not be an appropriate question to answer, and there is nothing wrong with politely declining to answer a question.

That brings me to my final point.

4. Recognize that questions of a personal nature do not have to be answered. Be aware that nothing is “off-the-record.” Anything said to a reporter may be printed in the newspaper that day or be on television that night.

Finally, you never have to answer a question. Feel free to say politely that you have no comment on something that you feel is too personal or that would make you respond negatively. However, if you avoid every question they ask you most likely will not be asked to do an interview again.

Just remember, be aware of what you say and do. Someone is always listening, recording or filming and whatever you say and do can be potentially published in a newspaper/online or put on YouTube/Facebook for everyone to see.



Dave Lax is the Assistant Director of Marketing at Baseball Factory. Dave started with Baseball Factory in June of 2006 having earned his degree in Business from the University of Maryland, College Park. He majored in Marketing and minored in Communication. At Maryland, he played on the Scout Basketball Team for three years, where he was part of the National Championship team in 2006. In addition to his marketing responsibilities Dave serves as the administrator for Baseball University and helps design and maintain the website.

From Television and Newspapers to Youtube and Facebook

Dave Lax: Tip of the Week

Back when I was in high school, you would rarely see a local newspaper reporter or photographer at your game. Talking to the media wasn’t a lesson that most coaches would address. Back then if I was approached by a reporter I would answer their questions and try not to stutter too much. I mean how many people were actually going to read the Columbia Flier’s local high school sports section (circulation 37,000)?

However, today everyone has a video camera, phone that records audio/video and digital cameras. Every action you take off the field is just as noticed and talked about as the ones you take on the field.

I cannot tell you how many times I am at one of our Baseball Factory Player Development events and I see or hear a player act or speak inappropriately to a reporter or even a coach. Now “reporters” can come from anywhere. It doesn’t have to be the beat writer for the Washington Post, it can be a local publication, a blog, coach or even a parent for the team’s newsletter. How you carry yourself and understanding how to speak to the media is very important. With access to videos, pictures and newspaper articles, college coaches, recruiters and the general public can learn more about you then you may even be aware of.

I wanted to talk about the importance of speaking to the media (including television, newspaper, parents, bloggers and anyone documenting the event). When addressing an audience, television camera or even conducting a phone interview try and think about the following:

1. Be able to control your emotions after a game whether you win or lose.

2. Thank the sponsors, tournament director, staff, umpires and fans.

Usually the people putting on the event or game put a lot of effort making the event run smoothly. It shows maturity to recognize all the people involved in the process of this event.

3. Speak positively about opponents, being respectful of their playing ability and personal attributes.

If you watch most pro athletes give a post-game interview, you will hear them speak about the quality team they just played. You will never hear Derek Jeter say “Can you believe how bad that second baseman was tonight?” Whether it was a blowout or a hard fought battle, both sides deserve to be there and the credit that goes along with getting to that stage. So win or lose, being respectful is a must.

4. Be aware of posture and make eye contact with fans and on-field personnel.

5. Answer questions with a clear and concise answer.

Try not to ramble, as this may cause you to go off topic.

6. Always appear to be friendly, considerate and easygoing with reporters. Try to remember names and always be polite and patient with reporters who may not have an understanding of sports terminology.

You always want to be courteous to whomever you speak with after a game. I know how hard it is sometimes to speak about a game after a tough loss, but sometimes as a leader you will need to talk about the game and represent yourself and your team. It is important to approach the media with respect because they will publish how they view you and if you are hostile it may affect the way others see you. A good tactic is to always repeat the reporters name and publication back to them to help you remember who they are.

Not everyone grows up playing sports; even if they follow it on a regular basis there are certain terms and language that the general “fan” may not understand. When explaining something to a reporter, keep your explanations simple so that both advanced and beginner fans can understand your description.

Check back next week for more philosophies you should be aware of when speaking to the media.


Dave Lax is the Assistant Director of Marketing at Baseball Factory. Dave started with Baseball Factory in June of 2006 having earned his degree in Business from the University of Maryland, College Park. He majored in Marketing and minored in Communication. At Maryland, he played on the Scout Basketball Team for three years, where he was part of the National Championship team in 2006. In addition to his marketing responsibilities Dave serves as the administrator for Baseball University and helps design and maintain the website.

The Incredible (and Potentially Scary) World of Social Networks

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

After much prodding from my brother and friends, I decided to get with the times and join a social network. For me, the network of choice was Facebook. Instantly upon joining, I was connected to hundreds of people from my past. My old next door neighbor, middle school classmates that I have not seen or heard from in 25 years, friends from high school, teammates and fraternity brothers from college, and tons of family. It is an incredibly powerful tool and one that allows me to communicate in a centralized location with many people that I have wondered and thought about for years.

For parents, your children are probably social network obsessed. Whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, or TAKKLE (Baseball Factory’s social network partner for High School athletes) chances are that your son has a page created with at least one social network. It probably is one of their main sources of communication with their friends.

It is important for parents to know that college coaches have started to use these social networks as a way to check in on their current players and their targeted high school recruits. College coaches are really big on “make-up” and character. How a player spends his time off the field is a very good indicator for what type of person he will be on the field. As such, many college recruiters are combing these social networks to see what kids are like. What are they posting? Who are their friends? What are they talking or bragging about on their pages? How do they spend their time? What are their interests? Coaches can learn a lot from what they can find on-line. Employers are also frequently using these web sites to do reference checks on aspiring high school summer job candidates as well.

As a parent, make sure you are familiar with these social networks and speak to your children about how college coaches are “checking up” on players. Social networks are here to stay and they are quite powerful tools, but just make sure your son is using them responsibly!

Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.