The final two installments of the BOSTON HERALD's five-
part series, "Bad Vibes," on sports' impact on society, ran
Saturday and Sunday. In the final feature, Karen Guregian
examined the relationship between pro athletes and the
media. SI's Gerry Callahan "fears some media outlets will
be, for the most part, rendered insignificant" with the
emergence of "big-time sports" TV outlets like ESPN, Fox and
CNN/SI. Callahan: "The daily newspaper guys just aren't as
important. Some (athletes) attempt to be civil ... but it
just seems like they don't give a damn anymore. They're in
a different stratosphere." More Callahan: "The one thing
that always drives me nuts and makes me want to quit the
profession on a regular basis is when they look at you like
you're a lower form of life. We're a few notches down the
food chain. And fans are even a few notches below us."
SI's Jackie MacMullan said that in the future, athletes may
not "talk to us at all unless they get paid." MacMullan:
"What these athletes don't realize is we give them the best
publicity of all. It's worth millions when you think about
it. And they don't seem to grasp that" (BOS. HERALD, 4/25).
