New York Mets media fiasco exposed the importance of professionalism

The incident recently between members of the New York Mets team and a local beat reporter further raised the importance of professionalism on either side.

The relationship between teams and the media has often gotten attention for the wrong reasons further increasing the tension at times between both parties. New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway and pitcher Jason Vargas were not very fond of one reporter after a tough loss creating a ripple effect of questions from their actions.

Callaway and Vargas were both fined by the Mets for verbally abusing a reporter and since only Callaway has apologized publicly for the incident. Vargas has chosen to remain silent which is incredibly alarming since he did make a threat of saying to the journalist he was going to “knock you the f–k out” before being separated by teammates. This ugly display followed a severe loss, but tempers should’ve never reached a boiling point to the level of an altercation of any sort between a beat reporter and player or coach.

The displeasure of the situation and it’s embarrassing effects it can have on a franchise can be critical, and everyone involved will take notice. Gary Cohen is the play by play voice of the Mets for their television station SNY, and he shared his opinion on the fight in the middle of a recent telecast. The longtime announcer was very dismayed by the entire situation and focused most of his attention on Vargas.

"“It doesn’t sit well at the end of the day that somebody can physically threaten a person in his place of work and not have to feel some consequence of that action, Now we all say things in the moment that we regret later. But the way you take the air out of it is to apologize and move on.”"

We have seen over the years tension between the media and players that can be interpreted from different viewpoints. It’s easy to get upset and react in a hostile manner, but it doesn’t solve the overall issue since both sides have to do a job and serve an essential purpose. The overall goal is to make sure fans understand each other’s roles and not to belittle the game that has provided these fantastic opportunities.

Situations that always stand out to me usually include players not wanting to discuss the poor play or speak with a media member that they felt reported negative things about their character. Deion Sanders‘ infamous beef with Tim McCarver in baseball resulted in a bucket of ice water being thrown on the broadcasters head in a locker room. A situation as tricky as Jim Rome being attacked in the middle of his show by Jim Everett are examples of the issues that happen outside the lines of sports.

The bottom line is it’s important to remember that everyone has a career that should be respected, and all fans need is cooperation from both entities.