Things that bug sports journalists

I was going to say hookers who won't let you snap a picture of their ass, but you guys seem to be focused on job-related things.

 

Prep level: Bad stat crews (once had a kid throw a 78-yard touchdown from his team's 30-yard line, according to the crew) and bad PA guys (if you're writing or otherwise distracted and miss a quick play, counting on their call is a mistake).

College: Newbie/fanboy in the press box, cheering his team or just there slurping the free food for four quarters... and you never see them interviewing anyone after the game. Yet, miraculously, their quotes end up being remarkable similar to the ones you got from players and coaches. Remarkably.

 

One of our high schools has an accountant who has done its stats for probably 30 years. He's the only one I've ever trusted and would print his numbers verbatim.

 

I got locked inside Jesse Owens Stadium at Ohio State one year during the high school state track meet. I had to climb over the pointed iron fence carrying a computer bag and a camera bag.

 

Come on, dude, give the kid some credit. It was like a 7-step drop. And fossy, glad you didn't impale yer nuts.

 

That's a really long time to be locked in.

 

People who bitch about the simplest things they have to fix all the time in someone's copy instead of just telling the writer to do it the right way. Sure, sometimes they won't listen, but they won't know they're doing it wrong if you don't tell them.

 

The Newk Report

 

Colleagues (both inside and outside the department) who don't read the paper, or at least the website, every day. Particularly if they bring things up which are oh so important... and were already covered. See also: coaches/parents who do the same thing.

 

I won't comment further, but we have people in supervisory roles who don't read our section or the competition. I read both every single day.

 

Let's see...

"I knew that" guy - beat writer who's never surprised by any development, even if he never writes about it, and does most of his enterprising work on other people's radio shows, opining at length on how much he knew about it but never reported. A sub category is "coach was obviously a bad fit" guy after said coach is fired.

The over his skis coach - usually a prep coach - who tries to retroactively take all of his mouthy quotes off the record after your story is printed.

Quirky coach whose quirks wear off pretty damn fast once you're no longer enamored with their quirks, and he knows you're not.

The promo for the Friday Night Super Football Blitz/Drive/Gridiron coverage that features students yelling incoherently into the camera.

 

Love that last one, Alma. That is a TV sports highlight cliche. I see it every single week.