Hometown athletes at FBS schools; dealing with SIDs

Our region produces a number of high school student-athletes -- football players, in particular -- who go on to play at major Division I schools.

We've been writing somewhat frequent reaction stories to canceled seasons and whatnot. Most of these schools in Big Ten and Pac-12 make it clear on their websites that "all interview requests must go through the athletic department" or something to that effect. However, for every one SID who's accommodated our request in a timely manner, there's been two who haven't; sometimes getting back to us a day later and other times never writing us back.

Keep in mind, we don't have any relationship with these schools except for the local graduate(s) on the team.

What is your stance on requesting interviews through the athletic department versus going directly to the athlete and calling them?

 

Start with the SID. If the SID isn't any help and you have a relationship with the player or his/her high school coach, go that route.

If the athletic department isn't helpful, it's not like you have to massage a relationship. Get the interview in whatever way works.

 

Honestly, I wouldn’t even use the SIDs in this scenario. What are they going to do if you don’t follow their rules? Those rules are there for publications that need regular access to the athletes and a seat in the press box.

You’re the hometown publication. If you can get to the athletes through their high school coach, family, social media or a phone number you may already have, that would be my first, second, third and fourth option. The athlete can decide if they want to talk. And if the SID gets angry that you are reaching out to their kids, plead ignorance and try it their way as a last resort.

 

I fart in your general direction.

 

PaperClip529 ... as Michael Keaton said to Jack Nicholson in the 1988 Batman -- "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts."

1) You don't follow my rules -- I bitch to your editor and freeze out your ass until we either a heart-to-heart and/or you buy a couple of rounds next time you're in town.
2) Since I am one of the good guys and a SJ semi-legend, chances are we have a pretty good working relationship. Since you're on this board and are thus, also one of the good guys, you appreciate that fact that I'm shorthanded just like you and if you need your local kid for 5 minutes, I say "Go right ahead and thanks for keeping me in the loop" and offer to send you some fresh art that's almost as good as the art I'm running on your guy on our web site and platforms.

This is the part where you retort by saying "You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

 

Yep, gotta play nice first. Go through the correct channels. Their jobs are just as important as yours, even if it conflicts with your time frame.

I learned that lesson in NASCAR. Gatekeepers have their little fiefdoms and you gotta bow and courtesy to get what you want, even if you never need another favor from them again. They also have very long memories and will make your life miserable by telling all their other fiefdom friends about you. On the other hand, if you make them happy by giving them something for nothing (by writing a story that makes them look good to their bosses), they sometimes will go out of their way to tell their other fiefdom friends what a great guy you are.

It's just like anything in life: Ask politely. If you get nowhere, then use your alternatives. If you later get a nasty reply, you can say "Hey, I tried it your way and you blew me off."

 

Unless it's a situation like John Thompson was running at Georgetown, the good SIDs will work to accommodate you, whether you're with the New York Times or the Podunk Fishwrap.

About 10 years or so ago, one of USC's starting wide receivers was injured in the last scrimmage before the season opener, opening the door for a player from our area. Sent a note to the other sports guy (I was off the next couple of days) to get an interview with him, but in the back of my mind I figured we'd get blown off, since we were the Podunk Fishwrap. Nope. A couple of days later, we had the story.

Another time, I was doing a story about a local wrestler going into the NCAA tourney and the folks at Illinois sent me photos, links to videos and set me up with every source I needed. And when boxing became part of my beat, I was a noob in most cases, but was put into the very, very good hands of Lee Samuels at Top Rank and Marylyn Aceves, then working for Goosen Tutor, now with Golden Boy.

 

With all due respect to DaytonaDan, USC's Tim Tessalone is the best in the business.

 

I remember a couple of times I butted heads with the SID on my beat where I still think I was completely correct.

One was when a baseball player there between his sophomore and junior seasons played on a USA Baseball team in the summer on a trip to Japan and the Far East. When the trip ended and he was still over there, I reached out via social media and he called me right back, giving me about a half-hour interview on the whole experience. Another was when an incoming basketball player was in town to play in a summer league, and he scored something like 90 points in one of those games where defense was a rumor. I was there, so introduced myself after the game and got a quick 10-minute interview and got acquainted with him.

Both times, the SID thought I should have gone through him to set it up. Both times, I told him (nicely) that he was out of his fucking mind. The basketball player wasn't even enrolled yet, though I'm sure the cockbag coach pitched a fit when he saw the interview and found out I didn't go through "their channels." He also said I should have set up the baseball interview through him, even though he was a continent away and under the USA Baseball umbrella at the time. And the baseball coach told me himself he didn't give a shit how I got with his players out of season.

And both were insanely-positive and popular stories that reflected well on the school and athletic department.

 

Guess what? I'm agreeing with you. All I would have asked is for a heads-up.

 

In a recent former life, I did short notes on area college players. I usually needed one or two headshots it even action shots. Even at bigger schools the SIDs were quick to respond. I already figured my ask was so small, plus it was positive coverage.

The funniest thing was I tried to talk to a coach at a small religious school and their communications person, not exactly SID, Said that if I wanted to ask the coach some questions I had to submit the questions first and have them approved. I'm like what? She said that's standard at all colleges. I said it's not and we don't need to talk to him. And I hung up.

 

I've been annoying SIDs since I was an undergrad. It feels like it's part of the job description.

I usually reach out to any student-athletes with whom I have a preexisting relationship directly.

I have also begun emailing the relevant SID out of courtesy afterward. That was my takeaway from a local big-school SID's recent complaint email which got forwarded to my boss.

It wasn't that I talked to the kid. It was that I didn't let him know I talked to the kid.

Maybe he's power-tripping because he's new? Maybe he wants credit for setting up an interview in which he wasn't involved? I don't know. But a quick update doesn't seem like a particularly big deal. If it'll smooth future relations, OK, because I'm sure I'll be reaching out to the same big schools in the future -- and I'm almost certain to need SID help at some point.

Oddly, some of the small D-III schools I've contacted have caused more drama. But I don't think some of those SIDs are accustomed to deadline media requests.