What types of parents are the worst to deal with???

I got something like that at my second stop. I moved into a new state and began covering this soccer team. In my second season of coverage, I got an e-mail that said, "It's apparent you've got an East High bias. ..."

I wrote back, "Being from New York, I hadn't heard of any schools in this part of the state. So, no, I don't have any "East High bias."

 

I've found they're some of the better ones because they go out of their way to make sure their kids aren't the focal point or else they have to deal with every other parent on their backs. It's not worth it. And if their kid is that good, they will get written about regardless.

 

KingCreole...our situation is almost identical to yours and we hear the same damn thing. one parent several months ago got all over my ass because we don't cover "our school like you do the others" in the city. and said she wasn't going to keep subscribing to the paper unless we increased our coverage. i held my breath to make a smart-ass remark simply out of concern of stepping into the circulation department's area and getting them pissed off because of a subscriber being pissed, so i let it go. shouldn't have, but did. it took every ounce of what little patience i have to do it, though.

 

@Della9250: I actually agree with you. My response was more from a recent run-in with a coach who was upset that a story focused more on a kid who had a 16-point fourth quarter to rally the team for a win and sold short the fact (his words not mine) that his son (starting point guard) led the team in scoring with 20 points. Typically speaking, I'd agree with you, though.

 

there's a Big Private School and a Big Public School in our city.
here's the perennial scenario every season, regardless of the sport:
• when i go cover events at Big Private School, invariably someone there--coach, fan, administrator--will say,"You always give more publicity or cover Big Public School more than us.
• when I go cover events at Big Public School, invarialbly someone there--coach, fan, administrator--will say, "You always give more publicity to cover Big Private School more than us."
holy fucko.
it's as regular as a bowel movement that someone on both sides will ask such a thing, as if we really give a rat's ass.
amazing.

 

Right in the middle of this week, which included state wrestling previews, several infoboxes on tournaments I had no clue about and a couple of 15-hour days, I got this e-mail from the coach of a middle school basketball team that was leading a league of area private schools.

"How would you like to cover some middle school basketball?" it started, then went on for several paragraphs.

I was tempted to send a one-word response: "No."

Instead, I did the boilerplate explanation of not until the kiddies get to high school.

Honest to God, his response was "that makes sense."

 

Something similar here: Four-person staff, seven primary schools with two or three that we include in roundups each day.

Three of us graduated from area schools and our boss is from Ohio. Yet, he always gets the 'you graduated from bumfuck central' line from parents who are pissed about our coverage. Same thing happened with our old boss, who isn't even from this country.

 

If there's one thing universal among readers, it's that they truly believe we sit around and have long discussions about why we want to pump up School A and why we want to actively screw School B.

They honestly believe we give serious thought to that.

 

Parents of complimentary players who whine that their sons/daughters contribute too.

 

I have the same problem there is one of me and two high schools we cover live. One school split out from the other school so there is always a little jealousy and animosity.

Funny thing is the most crap I get is from coaches. I get to a game and some wise ass coach will say "should you be over covering Bumpkin High?" Then when I go to Bumpkin High a coach there will ask the same question in reverse.

 

Shotglass...isn't that the damn truth? these people think we actually gather for weekly meetings and discuss such topics as:
"Okay, gang, let's be aware that fans out there are keeping track of headlines on their schools as opposed to other schools. Right now, Dumbass Private Academy has been in the headlines 17 times as opposed to 16 for Jackass High School. So this week, we have to cover Jackass High to bring them even to Dumbass Private Academy. Got that?"
Or:
"We're getting fans from Whatsamatta U pissed about Jiminycricket Institute getting more coverage than their program. They can't understand why. Whatsamatta U is on a 15-game losing streak and has suffered losses by an average margin of 24.3 points. Jiminycricket Institute has won 10 in a row, wrapped up the loop title and headed to the playoffs. But they're still pissed and wonder why we favor Jiminycricket Institute so much. One fan e-mailed us and said it was because our publisher's son plays for them, so we're giving them more ink. Input, anyone?"

 

Try the parents who call to complain "about the coverage" of baseball and softball just two games into the season. TWO GAMES! One emailer accused us of being lazy and relying on AP as a crutch. All one can do in the face of so much absurdity is laugh.

In a month, we will be covering so much spring sports they'll be sick of it. You can't please everybody.

At a previous stop, I remember one of the parents would always stalk me at every game I covered, with the smell of old Ripple on his breath, that the coach was biased against his son and that he was the best pitcher in the county and that the only reason he wasn't on the All-Area team was because the coach hated his kid. I'd spent half the game keeping score in my book and the other half watching for him so I could make a hasty exit.

He'd call me in the office and I could never get off the phone with him as he rambled and rambled and rambled some more. Kind of like those folks on Coast to Coast, just less sober.

Well, a few months later, his son gets popped in a town two hours away with a felony weight amount of whacky tobacky in his car. WHOOPS!