Why Sports Leagues Permanently Closing Locker Rooms To Reporters Would Be Horrible For Fans

To state the obvious, the coronavirus outbreak has produced far more consequential ramifications than professional sports leagues closing their locker rooms to reporters. But in terms of sports, the joint decision by the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS to shutter locker room and clubhouse access to non-essential personnel promises to significantly alter how teams are covered, especially if the ban becomes permanent.

In a rare joint statement released Monday night, the aforementioned four major professional sports leagues announced they were closing their locker rooms due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. There are now more than 114,000 confirmed infections globally and more than 4,000 people have died. Coronavirus has spread the U.S., where there are now over 740 confirmed cases.

The epidemic has wrecked havoc on the international sports scene, causing Italy, which is in the midst of a nationwide lockdown, to halt all leagues, including Serie A. The organizing committee for Tokyo 2020 told the Wall Street Journal they are discussing the possibility of postponing the games by one or two years if they cannot proceed as scheduled in July.

The Indian Wells Tennis Tournament, which is held annually in Riverside County, Calif., where officials declared a public health emergency, was cancelled over the weekend. The Ivy League men’s basketball tournament has been cancelled as well, and the NCAA is reportedly discussing ways to reduce the number of venues at which games are played during the annual NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. At the professional level, the NBA has already drafted plans to play games in empty arenas, and the San Jose Sharks are deciding whether to scrap their home games this month, after Santa Clara County officials banned large public and private gatherings.

But so far, the biggest impact on the major U.S. professional sports leagues has been the limits imposed on locker room access. To fans, that may seem like a small measure, and even some journalists have questioned the necessity of standing around locker rooms while athletes hang out. “I honestly don’t think we ever need to be in a locker room,” tweeted Sports Illustrated veteran Grant Wahl. “Doing mixed-zone postgame interviews with the USWNT outside their locker room has never been a problem.” (Wahl said later he was “dumb” to tweet in favor of limiting journalistic access.)

While ripping on the media is commonplace among sports fans, and frankly, society at large, reporters say locker room access is essential for developing personal relationships with players. Longtime Red Sox beat reporter Rob Bradford, who covers the team for its radio flagship station, WEEI, says he often gets ideas for stories while he’s milling around the clubhouse.

“A lot of times, you learn about these guys not by requesting them and not by the formal press conference, but by having these human conversations with them,” he said. “That might just be an informal thing that you didn’t even intend to be an interview, but you say, ‘Hey listen, this is interesting, mind if we talk about it for a story?’ That happens a ton in baseball. The approach that I try to take is, these guys are human beings, and they have good stories.”

Blocking reporters from entering the baseball clubhouse means player media availability becomes a lot more structured, with reporters being forced to send requests through the team or waiting for press conferences. That takes away the human interaction, which means it is more difficult to cultivate sources. It is unlikely, for example, pitcher Mike Fiers would’ve felt comfortable telling the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich about the Astros’ sign-stealing operation if he only knew those two reporters from impersonal press conference settings.

Sara Civian, who covers the Carolina Hurricanes for the Athletic, says closing the locker room could potentially make coverage more formulaic, since reporters would no longer have the ability to casually pull players aside and chat. “I do think it’s so important to walk around the locker room and have those little off-the-record conversations,” she said. “A bunch of times per week, I’ll go up to a player and be like, ‘Just be clear about this: this is what you meant by that?,” just to keep our relationship good. That’s just how you talk to a normal human being.”

While some athletes are probably rejoicing at the prospect of no longer sharing their sacred space with scribes, others recognize the importance of building relationships with those who cover them. Star Reds first baseman Joey Votto said Tuesday he wouldn’t welcome a permanent ban on clubhouse access for that exact reason.

Plenty of folks who have never stepped foot into a locker room produce excellent work. But in order to break news, it is helpful for reporters to have frequent personal contact with players. There is a fear the temporary ban on access could become commonplace, which means a lot of stories would not get told.

Access is good for truth, whether you are covering sports, politics or any other beat.

“A lot of people say, ‘What’s the big deal? You can’t interview guys while they’re getting dressed?,’” Bradford said. “But it’s not about that. It’s about human interaction and getting to know players and their stories.”