Why are so many post-sport interviews so bad?
Imagine you have just completed a difficult exam or given an important presentation that required a lot of preparation. The minute you walk out of the room, a press gallery is eagerly waiting for a live interview to be broadcast globally – an interview focused on the intricacies of your performance, your feelings, and your reflections on what could be an incredibly challenging or ecstatic time of your life.
Welcome to the world of high-performance sports. Athletes and coaches are required to give post-match media interviews, often immediately after the event, preferably with sweat still dripping. The demand for these real-time clips is insatiable, with high ratings and sharing of highlights. Athletes, sports and sponsors all extract brand value in terms of image, engagement and trust through these post-match interactions.
Memorable examples of athlete or coach interviews can be classified into the ‘good’, the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’. But think back to the post-exam scenario and it’s understandable that sporting celebrities sometimes act like rabbits in the headlights, with interview gaffes including awkward and inappropriate jokes, unchecked tempers and unsuitable language. Many don’t present as their usual, controlled and focused selves, letting out expletives, crying, ripping shirts off, walking out of the interview, high-jumping into grandstands, crowd-surfing, hugging strangers and assigning blame.
Then there are those who are thoroughly prepared for a media appearance post-performance, win or loss. Class in defeat can often usurp arrogance in victory, particularly in terms of brand impact.
Pressure to perform
The pressure to perform post-event is so great that some athletes have called for an end to the post-performance media conference, especially following a loss, citing a need to protect mental health of athletes. Many athletes believe the interviews lack real value, in addition to the stress imposed, and are dominated more by interest in their character and personal lives than their performances. High-profile examples of athletes boycotting interviews include tennis player Naomi Osaka and gymnast Simone Biles.
However, sports, events, broadcasters and sponsors often require athletes to give an interview after performing. The content and tone of these interviews can vary according to whether the athlete has performed well, the line of questioning and their personality. Increasingly audiences are demanding deeper insight into mindset, adversity and relationships with the competition. Some athletes use the occasion – sometimes their best public opportunity to do so – to thank family, coaches, friends or opponents. Others, whether by virtue of sponsorship obligations or by keeping an eye on their commercialisation potential, thank sponsors or seek support for a cause for which they are activists.
Elite Performance includes media training
Elite sport requires extreme preparation. Leading up to a major competition, everything from the race or game plan, the contingencies, the stride, the tackle, the decision making under pressure, the equipment (shoes, swimming cap, lucky underwear), diet, even crossing the final finish line or the final siren are planned with granular vision. It is therefore surprising when, immediately following the main event, a microphone appears in front of athletes and it becomes apparent that no preparation has been done for the post- performance interview.
While there are exceptions, many of these interviews are delivered with almost as much drama as the event – unstructured to the extent that parents, partners, coaches and teammates can be overlooked . Some are authentic and raw, capturing our hearts, while others completely falter. For the best it can be a single moment to shine and step into the limelight like a pro.
Most are somewhere in between and usually a waste of time for their banality, as cliches are cited such as, “You couldn’t write a better script”, “I just went out there and did what had to be done,” “It’s a game of two halves”, and “We brought our A game today”.
Self-control can’t endure
So why is it that athletes can prepare for their sporting performances with a level of focus to the total exclusion of all other activities, but somehow forget to rehearse for the inevitable post-performance media interview? One possible explanation is ego depletion theory.
This theory refers to a state of diminished resources after exerting self-control. Primary self-control efforts reduce motivation to engage in subsequent self-control acts. That is, self-regulation depends upon a limited resource that becomes depleted by repeated acts of self-control. Researchers have also found that the effects of prior mental exertion may depend on the type of subsequent physical task or on whether the participant sees the task as being boring and therefore demanding more self-control.
Athletes requested to do a task they are proficient in (such as their sport), as opposed to a task with which they don’t regularly engage, experience fewer detrimental effects of mental exertion. So, there may be risk of loss of self-control associated with a relatively unfamiliar and non-rehearsed task like a media interview that immediately follows their sporting performance. Negative emotions that some athletes might experience in the wake of a loss or poor performance may exacerbate dwindling self-control.
Some athletes presumably recognise the diminishing self-control by refusing an interview, despite the pressure for ratings and brand image demanded by sponsors, the sport and media ratings. But many endorsed athletes don’t have this choice and are legally obligated to face the media post-performance. Some are obligated by a captaincy position, or as part of their increasingly activist identity.
Counteracting Ego Depletion
Actions that can counteract the effects of ego depletion include positive emotion or thinking about hypothetical situations – rehearsal, in other words. Many professional sports ensure their athletes undertake media training, whether for above-the-line broadcasts or social media, but with the audience and sponsors increasingly demanding raw and authentic celebrity athletes and behind-the-scenes media access, relevant media training must tread a fine line between rehearsal and believability. The UFC famously encourages athletes to speak with media uncensored, as they see the commercial value in the authenticity.
The post-performance interview is here to stay, and athletes and sports need to work with media to generate interesting content, while ensuring athlete interests are protected and adequately trained to tackle these moments as part of their performances. It’ll be better for athletes, audiences and the media “at the end of the day”.
About the Author
Professor Sarah Kelly, renowned for her global academic, leadership and governance expertise across education and sports management, drives forward-thinking initiatives to the world stage. A distinguished ‘prac-academic’, commercial lawyer and champion for inclusivity, Sarah leads with innovation and insight. For exclusive updates on the latest in sport, management, leadership, education, innovation, and research, subscribe at DrSarahKelly.com.au