Debates around media access to college athletes are common, with some athletic departments providing extensive access, while others limit interviews based on various factors, such as player status. An unusual instance emerged recently when the Texas A&M Aggies baseball team reportedly had a policy stating that “players won’t be available after losses.” Sam Khan Jr. from The Athletic highlighted this on Twitter:
This is a first in my years of covering college sports: Texas A&M baseball’s media policy states that players won’t be made available for interviews after losses.
It’s currently on their web site: https://t.co/cNhkvpnjSi
Any reporters out there experience this elsewhere?
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) February 15, 2025
So soft pic.twitter.com/oja3i8gYkw
— joe country (@joecountry99) February 15, 2025
The A&M baseball media policies website has since updated to remove the line stating that “players will not be available following a loss.” It remains unclear how long this policy was in effect or if it originated from head coach Michael Earley or the athletic department. Currently ranked No. 1, the team won its first two games this year and held some player interviews following those victories, making it unclear if this policy had ever been enforced. One response to Khan noted that Texas’ baseball team, under former Aggies’ coach Jim Schlossnagle, does not have a similar policy:
In case anyone is wondering: pic.twitter.com/kO9mHJstcB
— PeaceIn’25 #hookem (@UTPharmGurl) February 15, 2025
Khan shared interesting insights aligning this policy with a trend he has observed at A&M, noting they are offering less media access compared to their counterparts in other sports like football:
Disclaimer: I don’t cover college baseball, but this was brought to my attention by someone on the local A&M beat. I don’t know why A&M took this step.
But it aligns with a trend I’ve seen in recent years of A&M offering less access (at least in football) than its counterparts.
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) February 15, 2025
I certainly understand that sentiment. I know there’s a lot of emotions when players put so much into this. You see it (especially after season-ending losses).
But like you said — when players get to the pros, the clubhouse is open win or lose.
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) February 15, 2025
Agree that “forcing” players to talk is undesirable. We just make requests via the SID and the player can decide to come or not.
I just find the blanket “no one available after losses” to be misguided. Maybe some players want to talk. Tim Tebow’s “promise” speech was after an L.
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) February 15, 2025
I find the vast majority of players I’ve dealt with after losses to be mature and thoughtful and handle it well. Again, never want to “force” someone who doesn’t want to be there.
But to me, there’s a happy medium between the two extremes.
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) February 15, 2025
The debates around access in various college sports are extensive. While only allowing player interviews after wins is less restrictive than never providing access, having a policy that permits interviews only at positive moments is peculiar. This policy faced criticism and was subsequently removed from the website, although it remains to be seen how many (if any) A&M players will actually be interviewed following losses.
