NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the worst fears of credentialed media as COVID-19 restrictions and regulations begin to relax throughout the country.
Speaking to reporters during NBA All-Star Weekend (via Larry Brown Sports), Silver was asked if the league might begin to lift COVID restrictions on media access to locker rooms and in-person interviews during team practices and shootarounds. Reporters haven’t been allowed into locker rooms during the pandemic and Silver said that’s likely to continue.
“I think creating a bit of distance may make more sense for the foreseeable future,” said Silver. “… I also think it’s a bit of an anachronism to have reporters in the actual room where players are dressing.”
“I’m not sure if we were designing a system from scratch today,” he added, “we would say come stand next to the players at their lockers as they’re dressing, and that’s the appropriate forum to interview them.”
As you might expect, Silver’s answer didn’t go over well with veteran reporters who have covered the league for years and value the types of one-on-one conversations, the observations of team culture that locker room access allows.
Others pointed out the hypocrisy of citing health and safety concerns in restricting media access when the NBA has relaxed its testing requirements and COVID protocols.
Players have now become accustomed to reporters not being in the locker room, and it’s understandable that they don’t want that access restored. Many athletes feel they can get their message out and tell their stories through their own social media accounts or athlete-friendly platforms like The Players’ Tribune and UNINTERRUPTED. Silver is surely speaking on behalf of those who have expressed those exact sentiments.
Some fans might agree that reporters don’t need to interview players in locker rooms, that they can ask questions during Zoom or group press conferences. But the dynamic is different. And thorough reporting suffers because of it. Players may not be willing to answer questions the same way and there’s no opportunity for reporters to build trust, something that can be crucial for in-depth coverage and substantive stories.
When COVID restrictions were put in place, the fear among media was that teams, leagues, and conferences would continue barring reporters from locker rooms and practices even after reporters were vaccinated, outbreaks were minimized, and many businesses began opening up again. Silver’s statements show that reporters were correct in their skepticism.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
