Cheering on press row?

So what did you lede with on the synchro swimming story?

 

To be honest, I don't really care if someone is cheering or not.

I don't think cheering a team is going to make the public think less of us. We can't hardly sink any lower.

And, hey, if you want to wear your high school team colors and walk the sidelines at the game, more power to you, Mr. Suck Up.

 

I didn't cheer, but I really liked the boys' basketball team I covered in my very first year in the business. Really good, ran like crazy, had an eventual Big Ten starter on the roster -- heavily recruited by none other than Wisconsin assistant Bo Ryan by the way (but that's not where he ended up). Sometimes drove to the games with the two guys who were the official scorers -- they always had a case of beer for the ride home (easy, everybody -- it was a PM paper that didn't publish the next morning, so I didn't help drink that case and then write).

They lost like four games all year. Unfortunately, the last one was to the same team for a second time, five 5-11 white kids who could shoot lights out and slow these guys down. Cost me a trip to state to cover them, and yes, I was disappointed.

As far as long commutes go, I once had a 90-minute one, and that was all highway miles, so about 80 miles. And tunes or no, Shottie, I didn't particularly enjoy it.

 

There's a good column just posted on this thread that deals with cheering in the pressbox:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/posts/1071404/

 

I was in Winston-Salem as well and will say this, the cheering was among the TV/radio folks. And that TV guy is a huge, huge douchenozzle of the highest order. Wore a VCU jersey to Friday and saw him banging his fists against the wall, the recycling bin and god knows what else after Maryland lost on Saturday. Wish I had been around when he found out VCU lost, or had been the one to tell him.

The Georgetown radio guy was absurd and I did not see the other mentioned incident. But, as a press room, we did have serious problem with professionalism all week.

 

you're serious?

 

i'd hope not.

 

My alma mater sucks in just about everything but men's tennis, so I don't have to worry about cheering very often -- especially in the postseason.

 

my alma mater is going to win the tournament ... obviously you all notice i didn't say which one.

 

You know what also sucks? There are people (on my beat, on all beats) who wear jerseys of pro teams. I know it's not the same as cheering for the team you cover, but isn't being a public fan of a pro team nearly as bad? Also, a terrible outfit.

 

How many alma maters do you have? Are they all in the Sweet 16? Must have really been difficult choosing one to win it all ...

 

I'm a reporter and I wear jerseys. How else will my fellow gang members know not to shoot at me?