Amelia Parreria
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Oracle Arena filled with cheerful smiles and tears of joy as the Western Conference series came to a close on May 27, with the Golden State Warriors exiting Game 5 with a 104-90 win over the Houston Rockets. This victory puts the Warriors’ in their first NBA Finals in 40 years.
#WarriorsGround is already electric. Can’t even imagine the scene for #NBAFinals.
BE THERE » http://t.co/7hgqE42jbO pic.twitter.com/9GaNPQ8ut7
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 3, 2015
Despite the team’s success, the game itself isn’t what kept the public buzzing for the past week; it’s what happened after the game.
It has always been part of professional sports culture for a press conference to take place directly after every game. However, star point guard and NBA MVP Stephen Curry decided to mix it up a bit by bringing his 2-year-old daughter Riley along with him to the interviews, as he did after Game 1 of the series as well.
As a spectator, I honestly couldn’t care less if an athlete wants to have his child next to him at a press conference. Go ahead, bring your entire family or even your dog.
On the other hand, I can’t help but put myself in the place of each of the numerous reporters in that conference room as I aspire to become one of them soon. And as one of those reporters, I feel nothing but irritation.
Before I continue, I’d like to make a side note in order to make two things clear.
First, I think Curry is the most talented player in the NBA, with the best personality and the most adorable family.
VIDEO: The best of 'Cookin' with the Currys' http://t.co/PpVqPFkmUk #NBA #Warriors #WarriorsTalk pic.twitter.com/Vr0cq4jNFn
— NBCSAuthentic (@NBCSAuthentic) June 2, 2015
Second, I love children and am not against them in any way. Ask any of my friends or family members.
But when it comes to professional sports, young children have their time and place. It’s understandable for them to watch and cheer from the sidelines and so on. But when it comes to a more serious atmosphere such as a press conference, the child should wait out that 10 or so minutes.
A press conference is anything but fun and games, especially to those asking the questions.
Let’s think of sports reporting as a serious race — be the first one done and do it with the best style and fewest mistakes as possible. You go in with the most creative questions (hopefully), ask them, record the responses, hurry back to wherever your computer is located, crank out the best quotes and be the first to get the story online. Then catch your breath for just enough time before you do it all again.
For those of you who have worked on deadline, you are familiar with the stress involved and the focus needed. Anything that distracts or interrupts the working process is an obstacle that becomes almost intolerable if it persists, whether it is a neighbor’s pounding music, the rhythmic clicking of a pen or, in this case, a squirmy, attention-thirsty child.
From grabbing at the microphone to pulling at the backdrop curtain, Curry’s daughter became the focus of the conference, far more than the game discussion. It was cute and funny at first, but by the third or fourth time Curry stopped the questions to quiet Riley, it was getting to be too much.
What some may not understand is that, while the presence of a child can make a press conference more fun and entertaining, as well as give an extra twist to a story, all interruptions take precious time and patience away from the story’s creator. The reporter is not there to watch a kiddy show but to get business done.
Professional sports reporters put as much work and energy into their jobs as those they are reporting on, if not more. They are at the stadium hours before games begin, watching practice, analyzing every move, interviewing key individuals on a variety of subjects. They are there during the games not to sit back and relax but to take note of each element of the game while keeping up with past and current statistics.
Finally, there’s the press conference.
Following a press conference, coaches and team members are free to get some rest before the next game, but reporters still have work to do. Some may only have an hour or less before an article or video footage absolutely has to appear on the organization’s website. If it’s not done and edited in time, a job is at stake.
I know there is no such thing as a perfectly smooth day, but things would move along much more efficiently in the world of sports media if reporters could just do their job without the distraction of an overly energetic child in the workspace.
OK, enough of this now. It’s time to prepare for some high-quality basketball.
Coach @SteveKerr, @fezzyfel, @Money23Green & @KlayThompson discuss Thursday's Game 1 of the #NBAFinals.https://t.co/fCjx1CW1Jw
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 3, 2015