The "Homer" sports writer

Nothing wrong with it if it was a male cheerleader, either

 

The only time I've ever had to worry about colors was when I would do a high school gamer. If I didn't know the nickname/colors of the two schools beforehand, I made sure to look them up to make sure I didn't pick a shirt that corresponded with them.

When it comes to colleges, I always wear a shirt and tie combination anyway. Just a trademark, I guess. But I've never gotten problem for it, even on the days I've worn blue and gold to a game where the team I covered played Notre Dame, maroon against South Carolina, etc.

 

Well let's see.

A few years back at my other shop, I wrote a story about a group of players that were suspended from the football team for being caught at a drinking party the week before playoffs started. Two were two-way starters, that actually had an impact on almost every game throughoutthe season. I name the kids through one of the team's captains, talking about the team meeting and how so and so and so and so let the team down sort of thing.
Well, obviously the school was pissed at me, the coach, who I had a decent relationship was mad - but understood I was doing my job basically finding out the info despite his repeated no comments - but the person mad at me the most was the city's weekly paper sports editor.
I was shocked strolling the sidelines to do my stats on gameday to find the players were allowed at the game and on the sideline. Although I got a few dirty looks from them, none were as piercing as the looks shot my way throughoutthe game from this idiot of a so-called reporter. Every time he passed me on the sidelines he would glare at me, and when the hometown team scored to go ahead early, not only was he high-fiving players, he was saying see what the F'n big-time daily writes about that.
Well, they ended up losing by three touchdowns and well that's what I wrote about., of course highlighting a few key missing players from the field.
To this day I cannot get the image of this goof sprinting up and down the sidelines high-fiving players out of my head. It was and still is friggin' hilarious.

 

We have an NAIA D2 College in town and our SE covers them. He yells at the officials if they call anything against them

 

I like pizza, I like bagels, I like hot dogs with mustard and beer. I'll eat eggplant, I'll even eat a baby deer. LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

Who's a baby deer on the lawn?

 

when I was in high school the SE at our local rag got kicked out of at least three football games over the course of a 15-game season.

 

You guys are being silly about the team colors business. Unless it's some odd combination you could only put together if you were rooting for a team, who cares?

 

I disagree.
If you are wearing black or white, no big deal, but if one of the teams wears virtually any other color, many people are going to assume you're rooting for them based on your clothing.

 

Maybe it's the south but I know many, many, many sports writers who tell coaches "congratulations" after a win or "good luck" after interviewing to do an advance. It is typically done in both fasions ... with the team the guy covers and the team the guy does not cover. I include myself in this category of people.

I find it as simple, common courtesy. They have helped me do my job. The very least I can do is extend them a "good luck" thank you or a "congratulations" thank you for the work they do. I don't think of that as homerism at all.

Now hugging a coach, high-fiving a coach, cheering at a guy about to shoot free throws or telling someone its great to make other people cry is disgraceful. I'd like to beat the &*%$#@ out of people like that. But I think it's ok to say "good luck" or "congratulations" and I honestly think most coaches know that you really are doing it out of common courtesy and not because you are some fanboy homer.

Trust me, nobody around my parts thinks I'm a fanboy homer and I've wished many coaches good luck.

 

Damn right.

My dress code was slacks-shirt-tie any time that I was out reporting and not slotting the section. I always knew where I was going, what colors were involved and wore something completely different. Because, yes, most of the dipshit public are fucking stupid enough to think we have bias based on the color of our clothing, especially for covering the high school kids.

I had my dress code, I never said "congrats" or "good luck," and I carried my shit in a soft briefcase. I wanted to present that I was a professional with a subtle hint of "I don't give a fuck if you win or not."

I was actually admonished by one of my three former MEs for not being homer enough. To the general public, he said, I look like a prick because I don't pull for the local boys and girls.

Fuck that noise.

 

worst example of homerism I witnessed: I'm covering a DI football game between two crap schools in the late 90s. The crappier team is playing its mind out and is up like 20-0 in the second quarter. Team scores to go up 26-0, and the ENTIRE SID staff of like 5 people in the pressbox jump up, cheers, high-fives each other and is laughing. I overhear one of them say, "Can you believe it? I thought WE were the worst team!"

 

Wishing people "good luck" is not homerism. "Congratulations" is not homerism. The former is politeness. The latter is acknowledging one's interview subject is happy for an accomplishment. I swear there are people in this business who think it's being the clergy of some sect with a particularly large stick up its ass.