The Media is the Enemy! By Rachael Carter North Campus

Have you ever seen the front of the newspaper and what you see is athletes getting backlash? Whether it’s a footballer having a night out drinking and having pictures taken or an Olympian having a photo taken which makes them not look as good as they should be. All this comes from one thing and one thing only, the media! 

We’ve probably all seen at least one player from the football team we follow get into the media, right? There are times when people make stupid mistakes. But apparently if you’re a footballer you’re not allowed to make mistakes or have a private life -  like partying a little too hard, or doing something they now probably regret. But how are footballers so different from us? We’re all human and we all make mistakes. Footballers get special attention just because they wear a coloured jersey on the weekends. I believe there are a lot of things about footballers that have been blown out of proportion because the media got involved in their private life. Even if they play a high-grade of football they still deserve to have a private life. 

When it comes time for the Olympics all the media seems to focus on is the bad things and mistakes our Olympians have done and made. For example last year in London, Libby Trickett got a lot of  backlash because a photo was taken of her that made her look a little out of shape but she wasn’t because she still did well winning at the Olympics. Another incident this year was the one with two male swimmers who had a photo taken holding guns and then were nearly kicked off the Olympic Swimming Team. In my opinion the media needs to stop focusing on the negatives and focus more on the positives when it comes to our athletes. And if they are caught it doesn’t need to be plastered all over newspapers, magazines and TV. It should be dealt with privately. 

I myself, a swimmer, know how enjoyable it is not just with the swimming but also the social side to it - meeting new people and making new friends. I know as a swimmer you often have wide shoulders and bigger legs because as a swimmer they are the muscles you use. The worst thing as a swimmer is to be told that you look out of shape. Trust me I know how it feels because its been said to me and is still being said but I don’t let it get to me. I just listen and then move on. 

I believe the media is the source of a lot of our sports people getting a bad reputation. We’ve all just got to remember that we are all human and we make mistakes. Nobody is perfect.