Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia learned a hard lesson for major league athletes – sometimes you have to be careful about what you say around the media, even if they aren’t directly talking to you.
During the NLDS between the Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, Arcia was heard yelling “Atta boy, Harper!” in the clubhouse after his team took Game 2 of the series in Atlanta. The sarcastic dig was towards Phillies star Bryce Harper, and to borrow from the famed Michael Jordan meme, he took it personally.
Harper then proceeded to smash two homers in the Phillies’ 10-2 Game 3 win at Citizens Bank Park. The stadium was rowdy enough but Arcia’s reported quip was plenty of fuel to the fire for both Phillies fans and Harper himself:
After Game 3, Arcia spoke through his translator, expressing his frustration that a reporter leaked out his comments, believing that clubhouse banter should stay in-house:
Players talk smack about their peers all of the time, and most certainly since the advent of social media and other digital platforms, they may choose to send those messages themselves.
There’s a school of thought among beat reporters and media personalities that if it’s overheard in the locker room or clubhouse, it’s reportable. While players at large consider their dressing area a sanctuary from the public, the truth is that once media personnel are in the vicinity, that covenant is temporarily suspended until those reporters leave.
It’s a reality that Arcia and many athletes before him tacitly understand day in and day out. Unfortunately for Arcia, his words especially in the context of the postseason and the division rivalry between the teams.
Arcia’s comments only made Wednesday’s game that much more incredible to watch if you are a sports fan unless you root for Atlanta. The words didn’t exactly add more power to Harper’s swing or make his eyesight ever sharper, but they gave incredible backstory to his exploits, making his night the stuff of legend in Philadelphia.