Labar: How Netflix's Receiver is Changing How We Judge and View Athletes

By Abby Labar
Sportmoney Columnist

Athletes. They are human beings. One of the things I have always taken pride in as a reporter is the ability to bridge the gap between player and fan. That means I have a unique responsibility to be a credible and respected voice for the athletes. Every reporter has their own style and beliefs when it comes to journalism and reporting, and in this day and age with social media, it’s valuable to have every type of reporting style. 

There are different elements that we all bring to the table when it comes to our contributions in covering sports in a world where platforms like Twitter can feel saturated. When news breaks, think of how quickly it gets to social media and the number of people and outlets that are simply restating and re-sharing the news. Of course we need the people that break the news, but then how do you add other layers and elements to the story?

My experience in my early career included a lot of team representation. It was rarely my job to be a reporter who “broke news” or shared information from “sources.” I was an extension of the team. As a result, I built a firm foundation and relationship with players, coaches and staff with the goal to get them to understand that I was there to be a voice for them, not somebody who was out to get them or share personal information that they didn’t want out in the public. 

Some of my relationships were strong enough that I could simply go to the coach or athlete when I needed to get a story on a controversial or personal topic and have a conversation about giving them the opportunity to first  tell me what they felt comfortable sharing. We would work together to formulate the story through their lens and voice. They knew and respected that I had a job to do, but they also knew that I treated them like human beings rather than subjects of a headline – and that went far. 

With the recent debut of Receivers on Netflix, we’re getting yet another glimpse of the human side of these athletes. It’s crazy to think how hard it was even just five years ago to get any sort of quote from a player directly for a story, and now we’re getting this insane amount of access that is fully peeling back the curtain of these players' lives on and off the field. 

Seeing the reaction on social media has not been surprising and ultimately has felt pretty consistent across the board. Fans are impressed with the production after the success of Quarterback, some even saying they like this version better than Quarterback. Then there is the consistent conversation in regard to how much fans enjoy learning about these players as people in addition to their preparation when it comes to football. 

In the days where reporters did (and still often do) have to fight for interviews with certain players, you’re oftentimes only getting a small sample size of who that player is based off of their comments in regard to one topic. We pigeon hole and form opinions thinking we know these players based off of one interview or snippet…and when one wrong thing is said, an entire athlete's identity is now criticized based off of something that could easily be taken out of context. 

With the rise of social media, where we hear from the players directly via Instagram posts, TikToks and X, we see a little more personality. But like they (whoever “they” are) say, you can’t believe everything you see on social media. While it’s unfiltered and direct from the source, there are so many more layers to a person's character and who they are. 

With the access from shows like Receiver and Quarterback, there is this deeper level of understanding, knowledge and my favorite…empathy…for the player. It says a lot about the men voluntarily putting their lives in the spotlight like this, but at least they can say they’re being judged for who they truly are rather than allowing others to forge opinions on half or part of their story that’s usually shared through a third party. 

Look, as a reporter who takes pride in her work and loves a career that is often being that middle man, I still think this is ultimately a huge win for everybody. Fans get unbelievable access and the players get to control their narrative. And for us media personalities? We can still be a voice for sharing their stories. It helps us even more to get background on these athletes by watching these shows. Now when the time comes to interact with them in person or at games, we will have a good idea of who they actually are and use that to be the proper voice for them throughout their careers. 

Athletes. They’re human beings. Just like us.