England’s World Cup campaign has been turbulent to say the least. Think back to John Terry being stripped of his captaincy after revelations of adultery came to light several months ago. The team have suffered not only on the pitch but in the players’ handling of the media during the tournament.
Wayne Rooney highlighted the frustration with both his and the team’s performance with an outburst against the England supporters who had proceeded to boo the team after their match against Algeria. It was understandable for him to feel betrayed by his fans – the very people he was there to represent – but a derogatory outburst was not the way to vent those frustrations.
The players have ample opportunity for media coverage and the potential blunders which accompany it. Instead of waiting for the post-game adrenaline to settle, allowing a calmer and more considered response, Rooney opted to denounce the supporters on live television, shouting to the camera as he left the field. In taking such a disorderly approach to his media coverage, Rooney caused a public backlash, alienating the fans, who had travelled to South Africa, television viewers, media consumers and essentially anyone who heard about it. We can see here how a long standing reputation can be ruined in seconds.
Following this, John Terry took note of Rooney’s misfortune and waited for a press conference to speak of the situation. Terry did not fare much better. Publicly questioning manager Fabio Capello’s team selection was not the best option – it certainly did not show a united front. In another media mishap John Terry also criticised the teams performance.
Of course, management of such a situation is unique to each company, body or individual and the background issues must be taken into account. In this particular case, Terry in fact enforced rumours of discord in the team. Even worse, Capello then incited Terry to apologise for his statements; a true show of a failure to handle their media opportunities.
So who managed it well? Current England captain Steven Gerrard took it upon himself to manage the situation with sufficient consideration. He admitted the onus was on no one but themselves and that this only fuelled the team’s preserved determination to succeed. He accepted the blame and emitted positivity. Top marks.
The potential for media success or failure is the same for all players, but when comparing media blunders committed by Wayne Rooney and John Terry with the awareness and understanding shown by Steven Gerrard, it is clear that the ability to deal with and present oneself to the media appropriately will have a long term effect on image. The fans never forget!
Photo by Whatleydude
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