“If you don’t talk to the media, we’ll fine you $50,000 dollars”.

While reading ProFootballTalk.com’s article on Marshawn Lynch leaving the locker room without talking to the media body, I  was thinking this idea of fining athlete’s for not speaking to the media is a little bit redundant.

As a new member of the media as a up and coming sports journalist I understand the importance of this fine.

You don’t want players and coaches just to leave the locker room following a game without participating in post-game interviews and giving the local newspapers, television stations and magazines a quote or two on how the game went.  Also, these are professionals and they should be required to have an “open door” policy for whenever the media wants to speak with you.

But the other side of this is that it’s the same two or three athletes each game, (interviewing the head coach is an obvious interview that’s a given).  For me, I don’t nesscarliy want to talk to Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin or Lynch for 16+ weeks straight; it gets dull and boring asking the same two questions, the same two or three athlete’s will not have a 300+ passing game or a 100 yard rushing game every week.

It’s simply will not happen, it’s really not possible.  So why not change it up?

For today, I understand if Lynch needed to be interviewed because of his 124 yard rushing game.  But if Lynch rushed for 36 yards like he did against San Diego week two, why is he in the media room when Jermaniah Kearse had four receptions for 64 yards and Bobby Wagner had 10 tackles for Seattle that day against the Chargers?

This is where the disconnect is for me.  I understand certain people being in there, the head coach, and the quarterback (if then that’s a gray zone for me with the quarterback); but why do we have a guy who had a statistically “average” game or didn’t really do much in the game is in the media room while you could’ve had someone who did something more in there?

Also too, why do we pin our athletes against the wall with the threat of a hefty fine?  What is the reason for the athlete to say ‘no’?

Thinking about this in the perception of Marshawn Lynch and today.

Plus why team’s and their PR Department don’t have a backup athlete?  Why is it Lynch or bust?  Shouldn’t pro athlete’s have a say?

Who knows, Lynch was probably in a bad mood and thought “screw it, I’m gonna get fined regardless what I do”.

Do we want to put athlete’s in a situation in which puts the league they play in, the team they play for, in jeopardy because the league might have a minor panic attack cause a familiar face isn’t standing behind a podium venting for millions to hear?

I think there’s a fine line to this…but it’s a never ending debate.