Bryant Gumbel did not mince words when asked about the state of sports journalism in 2023. He told Dan Patrick that it is “hard to come by.”
Appearing on Patrick’s FOX Sports Radio show on Friday, the HBO Real Sports host said there are too many options for players, coaches, and others in the sports world to tell their version of a story. They can avoid hard questions entirely if they want to.
“Every team now has a television arm,” Gumbel said. “You have the NBA network. You have the MLB network. So, as a result, I think any time anybody gets in trouble, they can go to that network and expect a softer landing than they would if they had to face either you or me on a neutral site.”
Bryant Gumbel is set to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Sports Emmys next month. He told Patrick that between his work in sports and on The Today Show, he has lost count of how many Sports Emmys he’s won.
But Gumbel’s job is getting harder. It isn’t just league networks. He said that social media and outlets like The Players Tribune have made it easy for players to communicate directly with fans.
“It makes it more difficult for those of us who who work in this business to try to elicit honest answers in an honest forum,” he said.
