The "Homer" sports writer

Hey, try reading the newspaper or listen to the local television stations in San Antonio -- there hasn't been any thing said negative about its professional basketball team (the Spurs) in the last five or six years. And, the TV reporters refer the team as "we". Really objective, huh!

 

Being that I am a "radio guy" along with being a twice-weekly SE who used to be a TV sports guy...every media branch has it's own toolboxes to deal with.
That said, I would have to say newspaper people are the most annoying to work with...a lot seem to post here! LOL
I'm not a stuffed shirt, I'm a guy that likes sports and does it for a living.
I cover high school sports in a rural area...I'm not concerned with what colors I wear or if a kid gives me a high-five after a win. If a coach tried to hug me, no thanks...but if he wants to send me a Christmas card, fine...I say good luck and congrats. I'm a sports fan, I want to enjoy what I do.
I think sometimes, we as the sports media gets jaded...the whole "seen this already" mindwork.
We have to remember the excitement and the scrapbook material that we are chunning out.
Cause that's all we are really: on the fridge, in a book pasted on a wall or stuck to the bottom of the dog's cage.
Of course, I am writing this with a high-school sports mind...I tottaly agree with more professionalism when it comes to the college ranks and pros.
Oh, and radio guys should be expected to be a bit "homery" (D-oh), because if not, the game would sound dull. I'm not talking about those radio goofs that say "we" or bitch about how the refs are blind...those guys need to be kicked off the air. But if you can't get excited for a kid hitting a three late in the game for the lead, then you shouldn't be doing radio.

Just my $.02

 

Three championships in five years can't hurt.

 

you cannot spell scrapbook without crap.

 

Ok for those of you covering a HS team, does your paper have the name of that schools town in it's name?
Mine does and when people ask who I'm with I say the name of the paper. You know like "Hometown Gazette" or whatever.
Well once I say that the team is referred to as "you guys" to me. It drives me crazy.
Sometimes I'll say "You guys? I didn't even go to high school in this state!"
Of course the AD of the school once told me that because we're a local paper a degree of homerness is expected. I just kind of stared at him until he left.

 

You may be right, but "we" and "our" should be terms used by fans, not the media. And, every thing can't be totally positive (as far as news is concerned) in any professional organization.

 

I was covering an opposing team headed into Sanford Stadium at Georgia, where I had a scheduled interview with Larry Munson.

Every question he asked had, "You guys" in it. He's old, so I just accepted it and made dang sure I said "they" instead of "we" in response.

 

Forgot to mention this one earlier ...

When I was in college, I had a community journalism class where we spent a week at a small rural daily and shadowed the reporters and editors all week. That Friday night, the local team played a football game, so I and a few other sports-minded guys accompanied the sports editor to the game.

We were down on the sideline late in the game, with the home team hopelessly behind. I asked the sports editor, who was then a guy in his late 20s, "so, we just grab coach on the field after the game?" He said, without hesitation, "oh, we don't like to talk to the coach when they lose."

Classic.

 

I have a problem with fans using "we" and "our" to describe the team. Do I see any of them on the roster? When did they suit up for the game? I have a problem with players from the "other" team referring to the "home" team as "you guys" when they talk to us. To make it clear, when I say "us" I mean the media.

 

I have a great deal of experience in the San Antonio market. While you are 100 percent correct about the TV folks, go read some of the E-N coverage from last year about this time, when the Spurs were totally tanking it. You might be surprised.

 

You know, I used to be "that guy" on press row. The guy who would hiss at the local yokels, "No cheering in the press box, please!"

You have to understand, that's ingrained in us, and necessarily so. We are SUPPOSED to be "fair and balanced" in our reporting, and that includes not showing any emotional connection to either side.

Something happened along the way, and I think any number of print guys here can agree. I lost my ability to cheer -- anywhere. I'd be off work, sitting around with some guys watching a football game, and I found myself totally self-conscious if I tried to cheer out loud. It's just not natural anymore.

So, all the "professionalism" DOES come at a cost.