ENTITLEMENT: a right to benefits that is granted, especially by law or contract. (Dictionary.com)

If you start reading this expecting the topic to be Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or some other form of health or welfare benefits, you may be disappointed. While those are legitimate topics for another posting, they are not the topics about which I am concerned today. I want to explore the interplay between the entitlements given to the press and the way in which I believe those rights are being twisted.

There is no question in my mind that the media has been given rights which need to be protected. The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights prohibits the Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion", prohibiting the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech and infringing on the freedom of the press. (Wikopedia.com)

It is the latter portion to which I want to direct us in this posting. Specifically, I am concerned about the role of the press in the arena of athletics.

Over the past week we have watched the media report incessantly the story of two girls’ soccer teams from High Schools in Rhode Island who lost their composure in the heat of a championship game and found themselves involved in a fight on the field. If this had been two boys’ soccer teams it would have been ignored, but the fact that it involved girls caught the attention of the media. The message seems to have been that girls are getting to be just as rowdy as boys. That is not news to parents or most teachers in High Schools, and it is not restricted to Rhode Island. But it seems to have been news to the media.

From my perspective this incident was exploited by the media, who claim it to be “breaking news.” It is not. But the media made it news, breaking the primary rule of good journalism that the person preparing a piece for publication is supposed to report news…not create news. As a result, several teenage girls who worked hard throughout a season to play the game well, forfeited other aspects of their lives to participate in practices and games, and performed at their best on the field of play, have been exposed, humiliated, and embarrassed in front of their parents, their peers, their community and now the wider public.

It raises within me the question of the boundaries on the First Amendment entitlement of the media. It is not the first time I have considered this issue. For instance, I am one of those who is offended by the presence of the media in the locker rooms of professional athletes. Not only is it a violation of decency, but it eliminates an important part of the experience of the athlete…the ability to have feelings and to express them privately. Good athletes are not just about public performance; there is a personal side to athletic participation as well.

All athletes have within themselves a little (or large) remnant of their childhood. It is one of the qualities which helps make an athlete perform well. When that childlike character needs to let tears flow; for grief to demonstrate itself; or for exuberance to explode, there is no reason for a camera to be forced into his or her face. There is plenty of time outside the locker room for that to be captured by the press if desired. But the locker room should be a sanctuary where a private moment shared with teammates (or alone) is possible. The press disagrees and says that its presence in the locker room captures news worth reporting to the public. The press claims entitlement according to the First Amendment. I disagree.

I spoke about this soccer fight issue yesterday with high ranking officials in the inter-scholastic athletic program for the State of Rhode Island. They are grieved by what the excessive reporting of this story has done to the girls, their families, and the schools involved. A mistake made in the midst of an emotional game has been portrayed as a flashpoint of a changing culture. Reputations have been damaged and programs jeopardized.

In a free society it is important that entitlements granted by the foundational documents of our freedom are protected. But, at the same time, it is important to protect the personal rights of individuals within our society…protect them from abuse and exploitation for financial gain. The two are not mutually exclusive. It is in the creative tension between the two that we find the shape of our society. It is time to reign in the excessive intrusion of the press into private lives where people seek the pursuit of happiness…a right also guaranteed by the founders of our nation.

In the grand scheme of things, with two wars raging, an economy in the toilet, and health care reform raging, it may seem like a frivolous thing to concentrate on high school athletics. But it is important for us, as we seek solutions to the larger issues facing our nation, not to lose sight of the small things that bring either joy or pain to our lives.

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