MIAMI _ It's often easy to get George Kittle to pose for a picture.
After Week 17, for example, Kittle was donning a new shirt that would soon start to fly off the shelves. It read: "Feels great, baby." Which, of course, was the postgame quote made famous by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo following the Halloween victory over Arizona.
So in his new shirt, celebrating clinching the No. 1 seed in the road locker room in Seattle's CenturyLink Field, Kittle gladly modeled for numerous reporters as the 49ers basked in their victory over the Seahawks. The win clinched a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Following the NFC Championship game, a reporter approached Kittle with a similar request for a picture. This time, the celebratory shirt was different. It included a photo of a shirtless Jimmy Garoppolo created as a prank (which Garoppolo signed because he's a good sport).
Only Kittle wasn't feeling so gracious this time. He didn't want to quickly pose for a picture like he did before. He told the reporter the only way he would get a picture of the shirt would be if the reporter wore the shirt and took a selfie. The problem(s): Kittle had put the shirt on over his jersey before showering.
At least with water. Kittle enjoyed a shower of lite beer with the shirt on before making his (generous) offer to the reporter, who declined. But the reporter still pushed for a picture.
So Kittle made a deal. The All-Pro tight end would take the selfie with the reporter's phone as the two held up the shirt together.
It sounds harmless, but there are integrity issues from a journalist's perspective. The last thing a credible, objective reporter would want to do is appear to be celebrating with a player after a win. On the other hand, if the only way to get a picture of the shirt was to be included in the photo, sometimes ethical lines can be blurred.
It was another example of what makes Kittle different from many other star athletes who often loath the media. If Kittle's not stealing notebooks and pretending to read them and share contents with teammates, or grabbing reporters' phones and taking selfies, or razzing writers by saying interviews are $10 this week (up from $5 the week before), he's often generous with his time and willing to divulge anecdotes that write themselves (for free, of course).
Kittle's affability is generally unique among football players. But not necessarily to the 49ers locker room, where Kittle is the poster child for a group that's easygoing _ and a lot of fun to cover.
To a man, most reporters around the team on a regular basis would say this 2019 season has been their best to date. Mostly because of the openness, honesty and friendliness in which the players approach the media. And that hasn't always been the case with San Francisco, even when the team was contending for Super Bowls earlier this decade.
A locker room can be an intimidating place, especially for a reporter. Players can often be so singularly focused they avoid speaking to reporters altogether, by either ignoring their requests to their face or choosing to be elsewhere (lunch or the training room) when the locker room is open.
Reporters can be belittled by players for not knowing football on the same level as they do. Because, after all, very few media members have ever played the complex game at a high level. They don't spend countless hours observing a team's tendencies with All-22 coaches film.
The 49ers appear to make a conscious effort to educate the media. Over time, it's allowed questions to be better, conversations to be more fruitful and coverage to more encompassing, which means fans can enjoy reading and consuming content that dives into their team with greater detail.
Walk over to the northwest side of the locker room and Richard Sherman will be holding court (even if he already spoke at the podium earlier in the week). He'll be talking on or off the record about nearly anything. Receiver Emmanuel Sanders will be across the way, sometimes throwing friendly jabs at reporters for divulging details he'd rather the upcoming opponent not know.
Right next to him is Joe Staley, who finds himself in front of television cameras more than he likes because certain reporters approach him, making it look like he's got all the time in the world (and he's not running late for a massage). Across the way is Mike McGlinchey, the 25-year-old who might as well be 35, given his knack for sounding like a polished color commentator.
On the east side of the room is the locker of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who will gladly be the sounding board for any reporter's story idea to see if it's accurate. Down the row to the end is DeForest Buckner, one of the most approachable stars on the team.
The south-side wall is where Nick Bosa's locker resides. The rookie is a sneaky good quote, even if his monotone voice sounds passive. His confidence may be somewhat brash, though he's backed it up with his star-level play. Who could forget his willingness to call out Baker Mayfield after the Monday night thrashing of the Browns early in the season.
A final point: It's easy for players to be good to the media when a team is winning. After all, who doesn't want to talk about winning and how well everyone is doing?
But the truth is, the locker room dynamic hasn't changed from when the team was 6-10 in 2017 and 4-12 last season.
What we don't know is how that dynamic could change following the upcoming Super Bowl.
