What the.......

He might be concerned about what some of the tattoos represent, such as gangs or marijuana. I can understand his hesitancy.

The problem is that it's not his call. If you decide you want to do the story, you should be able to do it. If he wants to cause trouble, there are ways to deal with that. You can hint that you'll have no choice but to take the matter to a higher authority. That will cause him to change his tune quickly. Getting chummy might help, too. It all depends on his personality.

 

Hey Don,
I wrote this exact story on a D-1 hoops program at a major southern school this past season. The SID wasn't happy I was doing it, but he did not prevent me from interviewing the players about their artwork. The athletic department, however, did not permit us to take a portrait shot of a couple of players with their shirts off showing off their tats. So we took separate photos of their different tats and pieced them together for the main art. I actually received some good responses after the story ran, even a couple from some members of the athletic dept. If I was you, I'd say screw the SID and interview the players any way. Maybe you can get them on their cells. Hope that helps.

 

Just talk to the players. Trust me, anyone with tattoos has a story to tell about them.

 

If this is a conservative school like BYU or a Baptist college or something, I can understand the SID's angle.

But Moddy, isn't "control freak" the definition of an SID? ;D

 

$20 says the SID didn't make the decision. I'm betting he asked the coach, and the coach said no, for whatever issues of control/image/paranoia troubled him. Maybe he doesn't want to go into parents' homes and explain why his program is the one where all the tattooed kids go.

 

What's wrong with tattooed kids?

 

Donronnie,
In prinicple, you and everyone on this thread are right. F any SID who tries to tell me what to write. But may I make a suggestion, if it's not too late?
Try the old barter system. Tell him you'll spike the tattoo story if he gives you some kind of good nugget of inside info. Everybody wins.
Just a thought.

 

I don't understand.

Is the SID also the sports editor?

If not, fuck him.

Write the story.

 

This SID sounds like a failed writer and possibly a career failure who's trying to compensate by making a pathetic attempt to exert a measure of power over you.

 

Seriously. Major issue.
An SID at the school I cover had to hover over my shoulder (he was piggybacking for the Web site) and proceeded to apologize afterward for doing so. Guy felt so bad he shot me an email, too. If he was doing it all the time, we'd have problems.

 

SIDs don't like the tat stories because it presents a thug image of their athletes.

Bottom line: You can ask a kid whatever you want. It's up to that kid to tell you he doesn't want to talk about it. An SID can't tell you how to interview or what to ask. If he's so concerned about it, then he'll brief his players not to talk.

The problem, of course, is that they won't be willing participants in the photos. If you already have a photographer shooting practice or that sort of thing, just ask him/her to talk a few snapshots of the tattoos.

My policy always has been to circumvent the SID. There is no law that says you have to go through these people for everything. Ask the kids individually if they wouldn't mind talking about their tattoo (most would) and then ask if they'd be OK if you all took a few photos of them. Try to make the process as low-maintenance as possible, which will really piss the SID off.

 

Write it and if the SID gives you any shit about it, politely explain that you don't tell him how to do his job and you'd appreciate the same courtesy in return. If that doesn't work, politely tell him to fuck off.