by Dylan James
FORMER Premier League footballer Danny Gabbidon has explained that he has a refreshed view of sports media now that he is working in the industry.
Gabbidon retired as a footballer in 2015, after earning 49 caps for Wales and making 350 appearances at club level, with Cardiff City, Queen’s Park Rangers, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace.
Since his retirement, Gabbidon has transitioned into sports media, and admits that he has a brand new perception of sports media, and being involved has changed his outlook entirely.
“I have actually got to understand and build relationships with these people (journalists) who for so many years I didn’t know anything about.”
The 41-year-old highlighted that his view of a sports journalist before immersing himself in sports media was inherently different to what it is now, having worked with the likes of the BBC and TalkSport to name but a few.
“It’s ridiculous”
Former Wales defender Danny Gabbidon defends Gareth Bale after the Real Madrid forward received heavy criticism in the Spanish media for celebrating with a contentious flaghttps://t.co/w7t2t1jUNo pic.twitter.com/swdismtXtz
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) November 21, 2019
“It would be quite easy to build up a perception of a person, but I think the biggest thing I’ve enjoyed going into the media side, I’ve actually got to understand and build relationships with these people that I didn’t know anything about.”
“Being in the media rooms before games and getting to know people on a more personal basis has been great for me.”
“There’s a bit of a perception with journalists and players, you’re a bit guarded with what you say (as a player) and you don’t want to give too much away.”
“Certainly now, working on the other side, I see how difficult the job is.”
Having experiences on both sides of the athlete/journalist fence, Gabbidon revealed that he is aware that footballers ought to show a bit more respect at times when working with the press!
“I see how stubborn and rude some of us can be as footballers!”
Danny explained that working with the likes of the BBC’s Rob Phillips has helped him to gain a greater understanding of a journalist’s workload and he has learnt to respect the passion they hold for their profession.
“The biggest positive I’ve enjoyed is getting to know these people on a personal basis. It’s getting to know them and that they’re actually really good people and they’ve got a job to do as well.”
“The enjoyment that they get from that, particularly people like Rob Phillips, who works with Radio Wales, the help he’s given me and I see what the job means to him and how hard he works, it’s a different side of seeing things.”
“To get to know these people, and learn from them, and so many have been willing to help me, it’s been great for me on my journey going into this side of things.”
