As sports media continues to try to appeal to a younger generation of sports fans that follow teams, games, and players differently than their parents did, a premium has been placed on where and when cameras and microphones get access. Nick Saban isn’t sure that is a good thing for the players and coaches.
The seven-time national championship winning coach made his regular visit to The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday. He was asked what he thought about Dan Lanning’s pre-game speech to his Oregon players ahead of their victory over Colorado.
Lanning told his team that Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes were “playing for clicks” while his team was “playing for wins.” Whether or not the line was disrespectful has been the subject of debate all week.
“I understand what Dan Lanning was trying to say and it’s probably good for his team to hear in some ways, but it probably wasn’t good for everybody else to hear,” Saban said. “And, you know, that’s always the argument. Where do you draw the line and say, ‘okay, there’s got to be some time when you can talk to your team and say what you have to say, and it’s really not for everybody else to hear’?”
Saban said that he understands that college football, like all sports, is a television product. The people on the field and in the locker room deserve some consideration though.
“I know the media wants to have access to all these things because it makes it interesting for the fans,” he told McAfee. “And I appreciate that and I understand that, but there’s still this sacred time where you should be able to talk to your team and say things to your team to motivate your team that maybe they’re not disrespectful about the other, but it’s not for somebody else to know.”
