The Reds had a chance to meet the moment with their fans at end-of-year media availability. Phil Castellini did his part by showing up alongside Nick Krall and Brad Meador, and that mattered after a disappointing season. Ownership needed to be there, answer questions, and face the noise.
But the part that undercut all of that was simple: video wasn’t allowed.
That’s the kind of decision that makes it hard for fans to buy the message that the organization hears them. You can say all the right things about understanding frustration and wanting things to improve, but it rings hollow when people aren’t allowed to watch the people in charge explain themselves.
What makes it more aggravating is how avoidable it felt. The whole point of an end-of-year availability is to let fans hear directly from the decision-makers and judge the exchange for themselves. Instead, they had to rely on quotes and reporting from those in the room, which is not the same thing as seeing the full conversation unfold.
That distinction matters. Fans wanted the questions, the answers, the follow-ups, and the moments where leadership chose not to go further. They wanted the whole picture, not a handful of selected lines pulled out afterward.
And no, that’s not a shot at the reporters who covered it. Their work is valuable. But even the best reporting can’t replace the experience of watching the availability yourself and drawing your own conclusions.
The bigger issue is what the restriction says about the organization’s instincts. It feels like the Reds are more worried about an awkward clip circulating than about being fully open with a frustrated fan base.
If the goal is to change perceptions, cameras being shut out does nothing to help. Winning games changes perceptions.
Transparency at least helps. This didn’t.
There’s no shortage of blame for what went wrong this season, and allowing video would not solve any of it. But this was a straightforward chance to be more open, and the Reds passed on it.
Castellini showing up deserved credit. That part was real.
But if the Reds want fans to believe they understand the frustration, decisions like this keep getting in the way. Fans want answers.
They want reasons to believe next season will be different. Blocking video only adds one more reason to wonder whether this organization really gets it.
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