Sports writers and drinking

The Buffalo Theory
by Cliff Clavin:


"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as
fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the
slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural
selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and
health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the
weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate
as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we
know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest
brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates
the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient
machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

 

I put down "yes, regularly." I'm young and when I can, like to go out with friends or coworkers after working the desk at night. If I know my roommate or friends are going out and I have to work the desk, I'll have them e-mail or text me where they are going so when I get off at 1230 or 1 I can meet up with them before last call. I also usually have a case of beer in my fridge so when I come home I can have a beer, wind down, watch some tv, check these boards, and relax before bed. Can't say I've passed out with a burrito in the microwave, but I'm still young. I also thing my drinking will slow down with age. I'm still in the college mindset of drinking.

Some of the best advice / tips I've heard about sports journalism has come from going out for drinks with coworkers after work or hanging out in the media hospitality room in hotels at conference tournaments, bowl games, or other big events and having a few drinks. I enjoy hanging out with other journalists and it's usually easier to have good conversations outside the office or press box, and alcohol helps open people up. In the press box you might say hi to a guy, but back at the hotel after both of you have filed he might give you some great insider knowledge, or a guy who has been on the beat for 20 years will tell you some great story about the legendary coach. I hope to someday cover a World Cup, Olympics, Super Bowl or some of the other major sporting events and I have a small glimpse of what it's like to cover some of those events because of stories I've heard from other reporters while having a drink or two.

When I'm covering a college football game I also usually try to go to local sports bar the night before the game for a drink or two to see hear what the fans are saying about their team and the team I cover. It's a lot better than going from airport (or long car ride) to hotel to stadium to hotel to airport. Also SI, ESPN, and other mags put out top college bar lists and if I'm in that town I figure I might as well check out the place and see how cool it really is.

 

When I first got into this business, I was blown away that I could go out, drink whatever I wanted and then bill it to the company when I was on the road... That got old fast for me, but I don't think it gets old for a lot of people...

 

Thanks a lot. Last time I try to make a joke on this board.

In all seriousness, I don't drink very much. But I do know that editors are aware of journalists' tendency to drink too much. The ME at the paper I interned for this summer warned us not to drink too much. And he was serious.

 

Cases of beer at NASCAR races?

Where? When?

When RJR sponsored the circuit, smokes were available everywhere.

 

If I'm on assignment, the strongest thing I'll drink is coffee. After I'm done, it really depends when the game's over and on what night.

I'm trying to cut back on the nights I go out because I'm trying to save money.

 

I'm a creature of the '70s and '80s, and drinking is part of the deal. It has had a profound effect on my life, I'm sure, from finances, to people I've met to the fun times I've had, to problems created.

Since the end of July, I've changed one thing quite a bit. I no longer drive if I've had more than 2 drinks -- this is a major lifestyle change.

If I know going in I'll drink more than that, I park the car at home and taxi 2 miles to the bar and 2 miles back. $20 in taxis. But, in another change, I don't drink shots anymore, so the money's a partial wash.

If I drive the car to the bar and pass two drinks, that's it. $10 taxi ride home, and run the 2.2 miles back to the bar in the morning. So I'm losing weight.

I'm also seeing somebody who A) doesn't mind coming out to the bar because she likes it there and B) doesn't drink much at all, and doesn't mind driving.

But if we go on a date down here, and I drive, it's two drinks and done.

It's probably not fixing the finances as much as I should, but it's the most socially responsible I've been, and for some reason, a natural offshoot is I'm still drinking less. So I'm feeling better about the whole thing.

I think, frankly, I'm more addicted to bars than alcohol. But it all comes down the same.

 

Trying to make sure you receive a credential fo the next NASCAR race so you can get in on the action, SixToe?

 

Used to go through Dewar's bottles, or other scotch bottles, regularly. Other stuff, too. Don't really imbibe these days; haven't had a drop in several months. Drunkeness doesn't become me like it once did.

 

They still tap the keg at 4 p.m. every day of Masters week in the Augusta media center.

 

Watching my mother battle an alcohol problem delayed me having my first beer till I was 21. That being said, I've only been really hammered four times in seven years. It's not that I don't have a taste for alcohol, cause I do. I love me some Red Stripe. But I can do without if I had to and have really for months at a time. But there have been some of those tough, long days on the beat when nothing but a couple of brews could help you calm down. And yes, I know I used but twice in the previous sentence!

 

The only time I ever drank on the job was when I covered pro football in Memphis, first the USFL's Showboats in 1984-85 and the Arena League's Pharaohs in the late '90s. The beer tap flowed freely in the press box at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium during the USFL games, and I was barely over the legal age to enjoy it. Of course, being the young scribe trying to prove myself to the veteran scribes I didn't let the booze affect me.

Now the Arena games ... that's another story. I watched how much I drank during the game, not letting it affect my work. Then after the game and sending in my story, I resumed my drinking at one of the parties hosted by the team owner. He and I knew each other from some of his business endeavors, and he always invited me to the after-game parties. I would stay overnight in Memphis after those games instead of driving 90 miles home under the influence and having the scent of skanky women on my body. My wife wouldn't like that.