The "Homer" sports writer

2007 NHL playoffs, and the hometown team was one of the Cup favorites.

One of the local TV sports anchors grew a (bad) playoff beard. I laughed every time I saw him.

 

I don't use we or our, and also used to have issue when fans did. I don't say anything anymore when after talking to a friend about a certain pro football team and she used the word "we" and I said "we?" she went on a little tirade that went something like this:
"Yes We. I spend $X,xxx on my season tickets each year, another $XXX for food and drink at the games and some $XXX on shirts and merchandise. My money is paying their salaries, AND my tax dollars are helping to pay for that stadium! So yeah, I think I have the right to say 'we' as I do more for that team than the kicker does."

I bite my tongue now. It's not worth it.

 

At least that doesn't show outward partiality to a team. It'd be different if he dyed a team logo into his beard.

And I'm finding the same thing shotglass mentioned about having a hard time cheering when I'm not covering a game. I know some SportsJournalists.commers have heard me cheer, but I used to be a rabid fanboi looser. I used to try to outshout practically the entire stadium. And sometimes, I'd succeed. Used to take two or three days for my voice to recover from a game.

Now? I sometimes get self-conscious if I'm even just saying the words in a given home team's chants.

 

Why is she so down on the kicker? They win and lose games a lot. I guess that's a debate for another time.

 

Psst. The kicker was Brett Conway.

 

I've been known to cuss out loud about foul calls in basketball games, but that is only when it is a 20-point game and it is the final minute. I watched a girls playoff game the other night where Team A led by 45 points and the fucking refs called six fouls in the final 30 seconds, including the last one with .3 seconds remaining. Rather than just wave it off, they made the team shoot the free throws.
Sometimes when you are facing deadline, refs can be pretty fucking annoying.

 

Refs just never got to me. Won't let 'em. It's out of my control. About as bad as it'll get is a matter-of-fact, "Well, that call sure sucked."

 

I totally agree. I don't cheer anymore. I hardly ever attend games on my own. Last (Texas) Rangers game I went to, I found it awkward to clap, let alone stand, when we....err the Rangers... hit a homerun. I'd like to say that was because of the Rangers being as sucky as they were, but I was a season ticket holder in the early to mid 90s. I sat through some horrendous games, and cheered.
I'll still watch NFL games on Sunday, but find myself still not being able to truly get into it. Otherwise, I can't stand to watch sports on TV or even go to a live game much anymore. Except for NASCAR. Maybe it's cuz I wasn't a racing fan in my sports fan days so now I enjoy it. Go Jerry Nadeau!!!!!

In Texas, we (sportswriters) seldom have to worry about finding ourselves cheering on press row, especially at high school games....specifically playoff games. We like playoffs, but we hate playoffs. Terms like "I became the office hero today," are not uncommon when we cover a local team that loses in the playoffs.
The biggest problem is that this freakin state is so big, and we all have many high schools in our coverage area, and now the UIL is allowing so many teams in the playoffs, its more of a hassle than anything else.
Tomorrow night, for example, we have seven basketball teams in playoff games, plus a home opener in our main high school softball team, and two soccer games. Soccer is an easy kill, but then picking what to cover (four people available) is a pain.

 

If you're pulling for Jerry Nadeau, you probably don't find yourself cheering much at NASCAR events either.

 

Which state championship game?

 

We have a LOT of that too. Which I understand, but I despise. We have somebody come back from covering a playoff game, and it's like, "Well, did you get rid of them?" Especially the first night of the state basketball tournament. The mindset there seems to be, let's dispose of everybody who doesn't have a legitimate chance at the state championship.

I know it's going to be a tough night if you have nine teams left in the state quarterfinals ... but really, isn't that supposed to be the highlight of the high school season? If you step back and think about it, we should WANT to have local teams playing at the end.

 

I'd like to have some teams left in the end, but during football I cover 17 area schools by myself. About 10 of them generally make it to the playoffs and I have no problems with half of those losing in the first round just to get the number down to a manageable amount so I can do more in depth stories and whatnot.