Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Sarah Fuller & Jurgen Klopp
Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT – SARAH FULLER
Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power 5 match – the highest level of collegiate American football – as a placekicker for Vanderbilt Commodores against Missouri Tigers.
Several women have appeared at lower levels of college football, but 21-year-old Fuller made history and took the opportunity to use her platform to encourage other females in sport.
“I just want to tell all the girls out there that you can do anything you set your mind to,” she said after the match.
Fuller wore a helmet with the slogan Play Like A Girl on the back, a non-profit organisation that encourages girls to play sport.
Despite her team losing the match 41-0, Fuller’s actions are likely to inspire young girls to believe that they can follow in her footsteps and compete on an even keel with their male counterparts.
A day after Fuller’s appearance, there was another encouraging storyline to come out of American football as Callie Brownson made history when she became the first woman to serve as a positional coach in an NFL regular season game.
The Cleveland Browns chief of staff filled in for Drew Petzing as coach of the side’s tight ends and helped them to a 27-25 win against Jacksonville Jaguars, with tight end Austin Hooper scoring one of the team’s two receiving touchdowns.
It’s vital that women are given opportunities to showcase their skills and both Fuller and Brownson have become role models for underlining that hard work should pay off regardless of gender.
There is still a long way to go, but this is another step on the road to creating equal opportunities for athletes and staff alike in elite sport.
MISS – JURGEN KLOPP
Jurgen Klopp had plenty to be unhappy about this weekend as Brighton & Hove Albion snatched a late late draw from the penalty spot.
Twice VAR ruled Liverpool goals out by the finest of margins and the evergreen James Milner left the field with an injury as the intensity of the fixtures schedule took its toll.
Understandably frustrated, Klopp accused BT Sport reporter Des Kelly and other broadcasters of putting the health and fitness of players at risk.
“I don't know how often I have to say it. You picked the 12:30 kick-off, you. Not you personally but you did it, didn’t you?” said Klopp.
“After Wednesday, Saturday at 12:30 is really dangerous for the players. Until this year is over in this part of the season we had this slot three times. Look who else had this slot three times? No-one.”
Kelly stood his ground and explained to Klopp that the broadcasters did not decide the scheduling.
Kelly responded: “Maybe you're firing at the wrong target. We are broadcasters, we work within Premier League rules, and Premier League makes the rules, that's the Premier League clubs, so shouldn't you be talking to Premier League clubs? Shouldn't you be talking to chief executives.
“When you say 'you picked the 12.30', the Premier League clubs chose that slot. There's a reason that slot is there, because it's valuable to the Premier League. Of course it's difficult, the stadiums are empty and the broadcasters are supporting the game.
“Your chief executives and other chief executives should be having that discussion. If you come down here and just have a go at the broadcaster, it doesn't go anywhere, it's not going to change anything.”
Klopp also used his post-match interviews to complain about the need for Premier League teams to be permitted to make five substitutions – as is the case in the Football League and other countries and took aim at Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder.
“Ask Chris Wilder how we can avoid that [injuries],” Klopp lamented.
“We had a talk between managers, a week ago now, I think, it was 15-5 if not 16-4 for five subs.
“Chris Wilder says constantly that I'm selfish. I think the things he's said shows that he's selfish. I was in a similar position at Mainz, all about staying in the league.
"Today, if we had five subs, I take off Andy Robertson and bring on Konstantinos Tsimikas. To save Robbo. Not to make our game better, just to save him. It's not about changing tactics and systems, it's just to save the players.”
For such a superb communicator, Klopp taking aim at broadcasters and rival managers was a rare mis-step prompted by understandable on-field frustration.
It’s great for broadcasters, who get managers and players at their most emotional, and Klopp is usually charm personified.
While it’s vital to use his platform to get his points across, he could have been just as compelling without being confrontational and picking fights with the wrong people.