Non-journalists cheering in press box. Should I say something?

Followed by the everlasting "Bruce Madej? Bruce Madej to the control point..."

 

Back when anybody had barely heard of 'em, Brooks & Dunn were at a NASCAR race in Martinsville, Va., and camped out on the front row for part of the afternoon. Brooks whooped and hollered every time Dale Earnhardt turned left. The track PR director went down and quietly asked him to hold it down, but it didn't do a lot of good.

Eventually, they left and we reporters went back to gripin' about something else besides "freeloaders in the pressbox" -- probably about how on earth they could run out of BBQ on the buffet or something equally as important.

 

It always amuses me when people who SHOULD know better cheer in a press box.

One of my favorite stories, and one I've told here, is a time when the guy who took over my beat covering D.C. United was attending his first match. I was there for another paper and was assigned to sit next to him by the team's SID.

The entire season previously when I worked for the Web site the other guy was now working for, I didn't cheer at all. And I'd heretofore been arguably THE loudest fanboi looser in the stadium when I was there with my season ticket. I'd only ever allowed myself a subtle fist clench under the table once the entire season. I knew without anyone ever telling me that you DON'T FUCKING CHEER IN THE PRESS BOX. And that season was the first time I'd ever been in a press box to cover a game.

So the first game of the season, the dude who took my place cheers about something good that happened for D.C. United. The SID went to him immediately and explained that you don't cheer in the press box.

You wanna cheer? Fine. Buy a ticket. You wanna sit in the press box? Fine. Keep your trap shut while we're working.

 

Let's say you play a BCS Championship or even Super Bowl game in Miami at Joe Robbie Stadium. Some old fart keeps making a bunch of noise and you finally tell him to zip it. Guy says his name is "Joe Robbie." Lot of good that's going to do him--he'd be out the door on his ass in 30 seconds. Having a stadium named after you, especially some old, little-known fossil like this Bryce guy doesn't make him god of the press box.

The only---ONLY---person I've ever seen cheering in a press box that no one could remove was Tex Schramm at Texas Stadium. Not even Pete Rozelle would have touched that, for obvious reasons.

 

On account of the fact that Tex Schramm had Rozelle by the short and curlies.

 

Think of where you are and what was being covered.
At a Joe Robbie Stadium for the national championship game, your point might be valid.
In Nacogdoches, he rules and you're nothing but a flyspeck pissant.
You might have been right, but no jury in Nacogdoches was going to convict the group that kicked your ass.
Your threat of "If I had been there, that would not have ended the conversation." would be, as they say, all hat and no cattle.

 

That's Langston Rogers taking care of business. One of the best SIDs in America.