High school coaches ripping officials in interviews?

[mannheimadler]

I want to thank you for all your input. I really do appreciate and I agree with the general consenus. I am glad that it seems my original judgment seems like it was correct. Thanks a bunch.

 

[MC Sports Guy]

If the coach believes that the refs played a role in losing the game, then that seems pretty newsworthy to me. It certainly sounds like something that readers would want to know and since the coach feels it was an important contributor to the loss, I would say you should include it somewhere in the story.

Wrong. A coach might feel officials cost him every game during a single season or his coaching career, but I wouldn't make it a point to appease him by saying as such. Some coaches will always whine about officials regardless.

In fact, I've never covered a game where either the coach or fans didn't think the officials cost their team the game. You have to decide for yourself.

 

[Tom Petty]

Use 'em. He had strong feelings about it and just maybe the officials had it coming to them.

His potential punishment is not your worry.

If the coach believes that the refs played a role in losing the game, then that seems pretty newsworthy to me. It certainly sounds like something that readers would want to know and since the coach feels it was an important contributor to the loss, I would say you should include it somewhere in the story.

See, what's being missed here is that high school coverage is NOT the same as college or pro coverage. You don't hang out a high school official to dry. They don't make enough money for you to do that.

The whole argument about "well, the readers would want to know it" ... well, maybe your readers might want to know the same of the 12-year-old who booted the ground ball and cost his team the city championship. And sometimes, you've got to use good judgment.

Equating the coverages is a good recipe for trouble at some point.

thanks for just being you man. your wit and insight mean so much to all of us.

"you've got to use good judgement," ranks right up there with "we're going to take it one game at a time," "it was a total team effort" and "we can't overlook podunk."

high school cover is not the same as college or pro coverage, wow, sage advice. keep it a comin'.

 

[Ace]

Hey, thanks for the contribution, Tom. Keep that sunshine coming.

 

[Tom Petty]

go the distance ace.

 

[shotglass]

your wit and insight mean so much to all of us.

Why, thanks, Tommy! Thanks to you, I'll keep on posting!

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I'm not going to bait a coach into ripping officials, but if they say something about it it's fair game. They're the ones who know the rules about this and if they break those rules, they really should have known better.

 

[shotglass]

I'm not going to bait a coach into ripping officials, but if they say something about it it's fair game. They're the ones who know the rules about this and if they break those rules, they really should have known better.

sp, that's making assumptions about what these coaches have been told/taught that may not be true. For all you know, they've received NO heads-up on how to handle such things (or how NOT to handle them).

High school coaches do NOT get into it for the thrill of dealing with the media. It's a byproduct of their job. They're in it for the sport, or they're in it for the kids, or they're in it for the ego boost. They're not in it for us.

 

[Stupid]

the coach's reaction sounds more like something I'd be inclined to use in a follow-up column or notebook rather than the game story.

if his quotes were particularly colorful (and still printable), it would be a good idea to call him back in a day or 2 and see if he still felt that way. then get the refs' side and you might have an interesting column.

Otherwise, I agree that just b/c a coach bitches, it's not necessarily newsworthy.

 

[Starman]

It's not your job to protect the coach from himself.

If he goes into a real tirade about it, it usually makes him look like a whining bitch.

If he wants to do it, fine.

 

[Tom Petty]

your wit and insight mean so much to all of us.

Why, thanks, Tommy! Thanks to you, I'll keep on posting!

Take it one post at a time.

 

[mannheimadler]

your wit and insight mean so much to all of us.

Why, thanks, Tommy! Thanks to you, I'll keep on posting!

Take it one post at a time.

I just have to tip my cap to the other posters. Gotta give 'em credit.