pros and college sports vs. preps sports

in preps, at least at a smaller paper, you also have to stay on top of multiple sports at the same time, in addition to multiple teams. and photography and layout as well.

 

Maybe it's me and its a strong possibility, but I grew up in an area where there were four major dailies competing on every level. I was fortunate enough to break in with one and have always felt the need to do an outstanding job.
So when the opportunity came to "move up" by doing other things besides preps, it wasn't fazed and have never felt the need to think of it differently except that I had a job to do and if I didn't do it well, someone else was always there to step in and do it and I'd be looking elsewhere for employment.
Everyone has given outstanding responses but I've yet to pinpoint what this "standard" thing is all about. To me, standard has always been going out, doing the job, and beating the competition (print, radio, TV, cable, internet) every chance I got. My goal had been for every scoop you get on me, I'm going to get two on you.
But again, a few people have talked about this "standard." I'd like to know what that is.

 

Drip,

I think people haven't talked about "it" because there's no one, exact "it" that can necessarily be pinpointed -- except, perhaps, "getting it right." And that should be a given.

Otherwise, standards may be different, depending on the individual people/papers, and general talent, time and resources involved.

Take me, for instance. I never want to be beaten on any real news, and sure, I hate to make a mistake. Consequently, I've always done my best and worked my hardest to make sure neither of those things happen very often, and thankfully, they haven't.

I feel like I try to make sure of that, but each is something that is going to happen, to everyone, at some point.

What I, personally, really place a premium on, is critical and creative thinking. I love it, notice it when I see it, value it, and probably, take more pride in "it" than than, perhaps, anything else besides "getting it right."

That goes both for my own work, and in others'. But that's just me.

Someone else, or some other editor, or paper, might hold themselves, and others, to some different standard, or might place more value on something else.

 

Most of my experience is in preps, but I've covered college and pro stuff, as well. I agree that having stats given to you makes life easier and frees you up during game play. But the nice thing about covering preps is the interviews are more one-on-one, and it can be easier to ask all the questions you have.

It also can be a disadvantage, too. If the coach is pissed at you for whatever reason and doesn't feel like opening up and you're the only reporter staffing the game, your job can become difficult.

I also have found it helpful to be in a pack journalism setting where someone might ask a question you weren't thinking of. I've also been in situations where there were 1,100 credentials passed out and it was tough to just get into the media room, let alone get a chance to fire off a question.

Bottom line? I don't think covering preps, collleges or pros is easier or harder than any of the other. It kind of depends on the situation. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

The next time your high school beat takes you on a 15-game, 17-day, 5-city road trip -- with 12 of the 15 games at night, up against deadline, and wondering if one of your competing papers has something you don't have -- tell me how much tougher covering high schools is than covering pros.

Pros and colleges hand you stats. High school, you have to do your own stats. That is the only thing that is easier about a pro/college beat than covering high schools.

Otherwise, it isn't even worth discussing.

 

Your right, spnited.

 

Every now and then, pallister shows flashes of intelligence ;D

 

I may put too much thought into things, but when I was a wee prep lad, my toughest thing was this ...

In pro sports or college, most of the time people are going to read everything you put in front of them. Not, so in preps.

You can write a feature about Team A, and all the fans of Team A will read it. Team B won't give a flip, most of the time.

But if you can come up with an idea to package the story, or a cool photo/illustration, or just a cool story, fans of Teams A, B, C, D will all read your story. And at the end of the day, that's all I really wanted. I just wanted folks to read my crap, and hopefully like it.

Does that make me egotistical?

 

Nay, nay. In that span of games, you've watched that team and you know it like the back of your hand.

In preps, your boss tells you to write a story about some running back from East Podunk High ... a 35-inch, big-deal story.

Problem? You've never seen the kid play. And when you cover 30-plus games like our shop, you're voting on teams, and putting together all-star teams where you might have saw players play one or two games.

The problem is you can't dedicate your time to those long road trips and entrench yourself in a team. Most of the time you're just glossing over things. That I always hated.

 

The next time your college/pro beat leaves you in an over-crowded, undersized press box with a leaky roof or no windows on a rainy, 40-degree night (and you have to stand the entire game), has no phone line or available power outlet, and is in the middle of nowhere, so there is no Internet connection or signal available for your wireless card, meaning you have to either talk your way into the office of some AD who wants to go home, or drive to the nearest Budget 8 to pirate wireless, please do let me know. And that shit happens far more often than you'd think.

Football-wise, most college and pro games also end hours before deadline. You have plenty of time to write, double-check things, and still have a couple of cold ones before deadline. High school games start at 7:30, sometimes even 8, and often end at or after deadline. If you're covering MLB, you write a half-baked throw-away feature in case the game ends to late and you can't get it in. If the HS football game ends too late, you're pretty much screwed (as are the desk people, who then have a hole to fill).

And while it's not as high-profile, I would certainly think that even as a prep writer, you're concerned about getting the stuff the competition is not getting.

The answer to this question is that there is no answer and both can be tougher depending on what you're doing at that particular moment.

 

There were times that I hated pros and colleges and loved the preps. There were times that I hated the preps and loved pros and colleges. In some tinstances, it was where I was at. There were many places I dispised covering anything and counted the hours until I left. On the flip side, there were places where I wanted to stay.
To me, it's always been about the assignment as a whole. I wanted to be professional, get it right and make the story sing like an angel on Christmas morning.
Beating the clock has always been a thrill and any time my copy beat AP, I was extremely pleased.

 

I thought that was called "paying dues". I think most guys and gals on college and pro beats have experienced those types of situations covering preps.