Should teammates call one another out in public?

[LSN80]

This, from James Harrison, in an upcoming issue of Men's Journal.

Originally posted by James Harrison in Men's Journal
“Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does.”

Harrison was referring to Ben Roethlisberger, and more specifically, the two interceptions Ben threw in the Super Bowl in February. I get that Harrison is still pissed that the Steelers lost the Super Bowl, but he waited until July to say something about it?

Locker room scuffles happen between teammates. Teammates throw each other under the bus at times during post-game interviews. I understand the frustration, heat of the moment things that are said and done at these times. Theyre still wrong, but in looking at things contextually, its understandable that these things happen.

What I dont understand is the practice of calling a teammate out in public regarding something thats happened so long ago. What purpose does this serve? I dont know what goes on in the locker room area and the like, but wouldnt it have been much easier for Harrison to say those things to Roethlisberger in private, rather then broadcast them in an interview with a large magazine? Is there any good that can possibly come of this practice? Ive never seen the purpose or the benefit of teammates calling one another or their coaches out publicly, as it only serves to divide a team or alienate the man who did the talking from the rest of the team. So i ask:

Whats the purpose of a player calling a teammate or coach out in public rather then private?

Is there any benefit that comes from this, or is it simply classless?

 

[Big Sexy]

Hell no. Calling out a teammate publicly accomplishes nothing positive. It can, however, cause some negative affects. Number one, it could easily cause a rift between teammates. Especially if it is a younger team without a lot of veterans. Number two, it can have lingering affects. Players will say they forgive and forget but in most situations they aren't just going to let it go completely and depending on the personality of the player it could be brought up again if things aren't going well.

If you have a dispute with a teammate then resolve it behind closed doors. Get in a room, air out your grievances, and put it behind you. That is how you handle disputes within an organization. Going public with it is the cowardly way to go about it. It can cause a rift in the franchise and it causes unwanted media attention.

The only time it can be acceptable is if a team leader is calling out the entire team for a poor performance. If no one is being singled out and it's a leader doing the calling out then that could have a positive affect and serve as a wake up call to the team.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Whats the purpose of a player calling a teammate or coach out in public rather then private?

I think in some cases it can be to deflect any blame from themselves and also be a preemptive move in case they figure a teammate may be about to do the same thing to them. The attitude of most professional sports players and the environments they are in are a factor too; when you're paid ridiculously high salaries and protected more than average Joe and Jane, there is probably a tendency to think "I can do/say what I want". Add the alpha-male factor in to an equation with money and fame and you have potential time-bombs all over the place.

Here in the UK last September/October, Wayne Rooney started questioning the drive of Manchester United and the squad in general at a time where he had performed poorly at the World Cup, had had personal secrets about his infidelities revealed to the nation and was generally playing shit. He came out claiming he wanted to leave the club as their ambition didn't seem to match his own, yet a week later he signed a new 5 year contract making him the club's highest paid player.

The Rooney example pretty much bridges the purposes of calling people out; more money and more attention. It's an ego thing.

Is there any benefit that comes from this, or is it simply classless?

It's a classless tactic that can come with financial benefit. More often than not the person doing the calling out looks like an utter prick and can expect to get the piss taken out of them more than ever, but when they are making ridiculous sums of money in a month some people wont make in years then it's hard to think they care too much what Joe and Jane really think.

 

[Calderownz]

Whats the purpose of a player calling a teammate or coach out in public rather then private?

Is there any benefit that comes from this, or is it simply classless?

1. It depends on the players involved. Some players need that type of public pressure. It also depends on how you're calling out the player. Are you saying that he needs to settle down and play smart? Or... are you saying that he's not a team player and no one on the team likes him? It just depends.

2. Once again, it depends. Kobe Bryant has been "criticized" for calling out players such as Fisher or Gasol and they, most of the time, have responded well and understood where he was coming from. I wouldn't call it classless and the Lakers have had success with Kobe as the leader on and off the court. At the same time, they way a guy like Terrell Owens seems to only know how to fuck things up.

Just depends.

 

[People's Champ]

There is absolutely no benefit calling out a teamate in public. Think of the issues that could arise from that. One, the players directly involved aren't the only ones involved. Its can divide a locker room. What if there are some players who agree with what was said, but didn't want to show it or say it. Now that he's heard a teamate rip that player, he doesn't feel the need to hold back any more. But there are players who don't agree, and since it was said publicly, they feel the need to come out and defend him. All of a sudden you have guys picking sides and making things much more worse.

Think, too, of the effect it can have on the field for the players involved. In Harrison's case, he play defense while the players he ripped are on offense. But just think of the effects it could have if they played on the same side of the ball. All you would have to do is look at the examples of T.O and the QBs he ripped to see the effects of that. And football is the only sport that has seperate players for offense and defense. So think of the effects if say, D Wade were to come out and rip LeBron for his performance in the Finals. Think that wouldn't affect not only their relationship in the locker room, but also on the court?

So really, there are no benefits whatsoever to calling out a teamate publicly. All it does is cause more issues, more problems for the team. The solution is to talk with with the teamate you have an issue with behind closed doors, that way you can say what you want to say and minimize the damage as compared to ripping them in public.

 

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