Do the media have too much of an effect on football?

The British media is famous for being a bit hyperactive. Sometimes the top players in the Premier League are hounded and hunted.

They are chased and chastised. People may say they are only doing their job but sometimes they go too far.

Private

Everybody should be allowed a private life but footballers haven’t got a private life.

This sort of media hype has apparently lead to the likes of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez considering their futures in the game.

Footballers may make mistakes in like but we all do, it’s just every mistake players make ends up in the media spotlight and they get criticised by all and sundry.

Wrong

Wayne Rooney has obviously been wrong in his recent behaviour but does that really affect him on a football pitch? It doesn’t if the media don’t dig up stories to sell newspapers. Somehow newspapers have decided that us as fans should be involved in every part of a footballer’s life.

Rooney has been hounded by the media so much so that people have questioned whether he should quit international football. Luckily and despite the media pressure Rooney has decided to continue playing for his country.

Ironically Rooney told the Sunday Mirror: “I have never thought about quitting,” “I am 24. Steven is a bit older than me but I think there’s a couple of World Cups left in me yet. That was on the fact that Steven Gerrard had said he thought about quitting international football after the World Cup shambles.

He continued: “I’m very proud. For me, to play for England is the pinnacle of my career. In tournaments, we need to do better and I need to do better.

“I’m still young. I’ve still got time to put things right – and hopefully I’ll do that.”

Tevez

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has admitted he has thought about quitting football completely and it could happen at any point. He told the News of the World: “Let me tell you I am not enjoying the life of a footballer.”

The Manchester City star has put his thinking down to the effect the game is having on his body but how can a 26 year-old say that the game is taking its toll on his body, it’s ridiculous. However I would argue that it’s the constant media pressure Tevez has received since his move from United to City that has had a big effect on his mental state.

He has a similar sort of character to Rooney. They are both quite bullish and have a will to win but both seem to have been affected by media hype surrounding them.

Part

Obviously as a football journalist I am part of the vast football media. However I try not to openly attack players or talk about their personal lives too much, because at the end of the day we are here to talk about what happens on the pitch.

I have no real interest in what is going on in Wayne Rooney’s private life or any other footballer’s life for that matter. Unfortunately we live in a world that is obsessed with scandal and celebrity. Footballers are not exempt from this.

I think our game is poorer for this mega-interest in player’s off-the-field lives. By hounding players the media are distracting players from what they are employed to do, that’s play football.

Do the media have too much off an effect on football?