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This week, veteran NFL sideline reporter Charissa Thompson found herself subjected to a wave of backlash from a number of fellow broadcasters who roundly criticized her for admitting she’s occasionally made up quotes from coaches while covering games. It’s one of the dumber controversies in recent memory, and one that can probably be boiled down to something none of them want to admit: their job isn’t really that important in the grand scheme of things.
If you’re not up to speed on the hottest beef in the sports journalism streets, Charissa Thompson recently appeared on an episode of Pardon My Take where she “revealed” she would “make up reports” during games where she didn’t get an opportunity to chat with coaches at halftime.
I put “revealed” in quotes because Thompson explicitly stated that wasn’t the first time she admitted to that particular practice, and while those previous acknowledgments may have flown under the radar, that certainly wasn’t the case this time.
It didn’t take long for a number of fellow sideline reporters to come out of the woodwork while clutching their pearls to the point of crushing them to dust in their hands.
ESPN’s Molly McGrath stated the practice was “not normal or ethical,” NBC’s Michele Tafoya described it as “professional fraud,” and CBS Sports staple Tracy Wolfson asserted it was a breach of trust that is “not the norm and upsetting on so many levels.”
I’ll be the first person to admit this isn’t necessarily a great look for Thompson, as making up quotes attributed to a source is one of the first things you’re told you’re not allowed to do in Journalism 101.
With that said, when you contrast the reaction of her fellow reporters to the resounding indifference most football fans seemed to greet the development with, it’s hard to ignore the notion some of the backlash stems from people who found themselves facing an existential crisis after their colleague said the quiet part out loud.
The role of sideline reporter can be traced back close to 50 years, as Jim Lampley of ABC Sports is widely credited with being the first person to hold that job after he started roaming the outskirts of the field during games in 1974. In 2009, he essentially admitted there was no real reason for it to exist, saying “I’d get rid of it entirely” while asserting live hits could be eliminated by simply having someone relay vital information to the broadcast booth.
“Vital” is the key word here. Thompson’s admission focused almost entirely on the generic responses football coaches trot out 99.9% of the time a microphone is placed in front of their face when they’re heading back into the locker room.
It’s one thing to baselessly speculate on an injury while pretending the news came from an official source, but accusations of journalistic malpractice seem wildly overblown when the quotes in question revolve around the most tired clichés possible.
I’m not saying I necessarily agree with Lampley when it comes to eliminating the role of sideline reporter entirely, as they’re usually the first people to learn about the status of an injured player and can occasionally secure some entertaining and insightful soundbites.
However, the reaction to Thompson’s remarks seems like a useless waste of perfectly good torches and pitchforks.