I noticed Mitchell Johnson’s mum is in the news again today, this time defending her recent outburst having any link to Johnson’s poor Ashes form. I’ve watched this story unfold with interest.
First of all, having a private family matter debated in the media like this is awful and I really feel sorry for Mitchell (anyone who says this hasn’t had some impact on his below par Ashes performance has never worked with elite athletes).
This story has raised a good issue though. And that is, family members, partners, friends or even long lost relatives of celebrities have the opportunity to go to the media at anytime. So what drives people to seek out the media? It comes down to one or a combination of these things:
- Money
- Jealousy
- Fame
So we know what drives it, the hard thing is stopping it. When manager’s sign athletes they’ll often ask about skeleton’s in the closet. This refers to anything the manager should be aware of that could warrant media attention or impact on sponsorship down the track. Maybe it’s time managers also discussed over-zealous family, friends and relatives? I’m not saying this will prevent any outbursts but if a manager knows about it they can at least think of strategy before it happens.
Back to the Johnson case, and what a recipe for the tabloids! Here we have Australia’s newest and brightest cricketing star, throw in his attractive partner, a mum crying for his attention, the rising popularity of the WAG’s and a tense Ashes battle and you have newspaper editors rubbing their hands with glee.
So what should athletes and managers do in this situation? Firstly, don’t shoot back. Its good see Mitchell and his partner have not resorted to a Jana Pittman verse Tamsyn Lewis debate in the media. Second of all, you need to silence the speaker. This can be achieved peacefully or by legal action in extreme cases.
That’s it. What seems complex is really not. The media will continue to dig this up until either its resolved or the offending party stops talking. Choose a path, stick to it and watch the issue go away.
Tags: Jana Pittman, Mitchell Johnson, Tamsyn Lewis
[...] At the time, I knew this was the case. Having worked with elite athletes I know that personal issues affect performance more than the public can ever imagine. Especially when those personal issues are played out in the media. [...]