When Steph Curry brought his daughter, Riley, to his post-game press conference after game one it became a story for all the wrong reasons.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has, on multiple platforms, criticized Curry and other players for bringing their kids to work post game and here was his first reaction on-air:
“We want to ask questions of the millionaire who part of his job is to come and answer for his performance and you know he has his kid up there. I don’t want to be callous. I’m speaking as a member of the media who want to get access to the players in this situation after the game”.
Other media members like ESPN coworkers Ramona Shelburne and Skip Bayless echoed that sentiment. Carolina sportswriter Brett Frieldander took to twitter to voice his displeasure, stating: “Steph Curry’s kid is cute. That doesn’t mean she should have been at presser. There are professionals on deadlines there w/ jobs to do, too.”
Last night, when he took to the podium after Golden State’s game two win, Riley was nowhere to be seen.
This is the entertainment business. That’s what the “E” in ESPN stands for and it is no coincidence it is before the “S” for sports. Sometimes we in the media take our jobs and ourselves so seriously we forget that. We treat Deflategate like it is Watergate. We treated Steve Bartman like he was Ed Snowden.
Basketball media asking Steph Curry about his matchup with James Harden shouldn’t feel like the White House press corp grilling Obama on ISIS. Now, if Sasha and Malia were playing around during a presidential address I can see why it would be disrespectful. But I don’t think Riley Curry yawning is worth losing sleep over.
What I do think is that Curry holding his daughter in his arms in that moment was important.
I’m glad it’s becoming a fixture for NBA players to have kids by their side postgame. They are allowing themselves to be seen as engaged fathers- and the league has gone out of its way to promote Curry as such.
And then there’s Dwight Howard who has been criticized in the past for having 7 kids with 6 different women (his lawyers had to litigate that his name would not be mentioned on the reality show “basketball wives” by one of his former partners as to not further slander him), and the other high-profile athletes with similar stories.
Are we really upset at the thought of an NBA player exposing his seemingly happy nuclear family life?
Stats from the American Community Survey show the percentage of black children being raised in single-parent homes has grown from 20% to nearly 70%. For context the percentage of black children in single-parent homes is more than twice the percentage of whites. Dating back to 2005, 39% of African-American children did not live with their biological father and 28% of African-American children did not live with any father representative. A big reason why 85%of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes.
For better or worse, Riley Curry is part of the storyline, and it’s offered us another glimpse into the family life of one of the NBA’s most marketable stars- not unlike the barrage of on-camera cutaways to Curry’s father, mother, and wife throughout this post-season.
Funny enough Windhorst’s bosses did deem it newsworthy. ESPN used it on multiple outlets, all featuring clips of Riley as content. The video of her postgame performance got more interaction on the NBA’s social media platforms than the video of Steph’s game-sealing three-pointer.
The bottom line is we the media made it a story even though it had no bearing on the outcome of the game or the series. That’s because we have long admitted that everything around these athletes is the story. And as media we’re constantly looking to find the storylines to compel the average fan to keep tuning in. Curry may or not be a more deserving MVP than James Harden but he does have a more compelling story arch: Son of a former great player. Doubted in college yet in the NBA rises to MVP. Looks like he could work for an NBA team in marketing and sales yet is now the most marketable player in the league because he’s an underdog, relatable, wholesome and exciting to watch.
We constantly want more access and to see that narrative progress. When Curry showed up with Riley he provided both on a platter.
Many people have already pointed to last night’s press conference, where Riley was absent, as to proof why he doesn’t need and shouldn’t have his child with him post game. They’re wrong. It actually proved just the opposite.
Nothing in his 6 minutes with media was remotely memorable. It made me want to reach for my remote. Yet despite the claim a child’s presence effects the way he provides media insight the 9 plus minutes he spent talking on Tuesday was much more revealing. Some will consider Curry being flanked by the biggest friend in Andrew Bogut rather than his smallest his daughter Riley as an admission of prior guilt. To the contrary, not bringing his daughter Riley Curry up for an encore was a bigger misstep than his 6 turnovers last night. And had she showed, it might have been more memorable than his 33 points (the third consecutive game he’s scored 30 plus).
Steph Curry is closing in on the single season post season record for made 3 pointers. More people today are aware he has a cute daughter in her “terrible two” stage. There is nothing wrong with that. I know there is no cheering in the press box but count this media member among the growing number that are cheering for the Warriors to win and Curry to play well. Because a podium game by the league’s MVP means another possible appearance by the real star of basketball’s first family: Riley Curry.
