NBA fans on press row?

[crimsonace]

The school I cover got rid of press row completely -- donate 5 figures to the athletic department and you can sit in chairs where the press once sat. We are in the bleachers underneath the basket. Classy operation.

Not an attempt at outing, but Indiana is the one school I know of that has done this within the last couple of years.

It's a *great* view of the court in the bleachers, too ... as long as a tuba isn't in your way : (I'm surprised they didn't come up with that seating arrangement during the Knight era, given his tremendous desire to make it impossible for us to do our jobs).

I've noticed fans sitting in what used to be half of the upstairs (not courtside) media section at Indiana Pacers games in the last year or so, too.

It has worried me in the last few years, especially with the explosion of fans watching press conferences on ESPN, et al, that "media seating" is going to become a new revenue stream for teams, and they'll begin selling seats in the working press area to the most hard-core fans, complete with postgame presser access, as a new way of making big $$$ and giving extra access to the richest fans.

I worry that "arena access" is going to be the next thing to go -- limit the press area to a few people (the home/visiting team's 2-3 main beat writers and the radio crew) and everyone else watches on TV in the media room, as teams realize they can make money with those seats (as currently happens for bigger games).

 

[JBHawkEye]

I don't care where I sit so long as a.) I can see the game and b.) I don't have asswipe fans trying to take things off press row or yelling in my ear.

I sat in the upper press box at the Kohl Center at Wisconsin last year. It wasn't bad.

 

[sheos]

this is terrible. where's a young bob ryan when you need him? the beauty of covering basketball is the courtside access - you really get a feel for the game, unlike covering football, which I hate. In fact, I enjoyed covering preps more than college/pro football because of the sideline access. Covering NFL and colleges that seal the windows in the press box is barely covering a game at all.

 

[JBHawkEye]

this is terrible. where's a young bob ryan when you need him? the beauty of covering basketball is the courtside access - you really get a feel for the game, unlike covering football, which I hate. In fact, I enjoyed covering preps more than college/pro football because of the sideline access. Covering NFL and colleges that seal the windows in the press box is barely covering a game at all.

I've never covered a college basketball game in a closed press box. Everything is open where I've been.

Given my choice of sitting up high and seeing the whole court, or sitting along the baseline and not seeing anything on the opposite side of the basket, I'll sit up high.

It's a reality _ sad, but true _ that our courtside seats are a thing of the past.

 

[happygirl]

I mentioned this subject to a friend who covers the Celtics. Says they sometimes have fans in the room where Doc Rivers gives his post-game press conference--which, of course, are broadcast live in the post-game show. It's spiraling out of our control.

 

[sheos]

don't these teams make a shit load of money already? what's the point?
down with capitalism, i bet those soviet beat writers never had to deal with this crap.

 

[scribeinwiscy]

It's only a matter of time before pro teams start charging media outlets for their seat. Frankly, it seems like a win-win for the team, as stupid as it sounds.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

The owners of the Celtics bought the team so they could stand in the locker room and use their cell phones to say they're seeing Paul Pierce get dressed. They're so overleveraged I wouldn't be surprised if they raffled off the 12th spot on the roster to some fan.
When teams start charging the press for a seat, coverage should cease immediately. I'd rather cover sewer hearings than whore out like that.

 

[leo1]

don't these teams make a shit load of money already? what's the point?
down with capitalism, i bet those soviet beat writers never had to deal with this crap.

you're brilliant. businesses should stop finding revenue streams. ok.

 

[Armchair_QB]

The school I cover got rid of press row completely -- donate 5 figures to the athletic department and you can sit in chairs where the press once sat. We are in the bleachers underneath the basket. Classy operation.

Not an attempt at outing, but Indiana is the one school I know of that has done this within the last couple of years.

It's a *great* view of the court in the bleachers, too ... as long as a tuba isn't in your way : (I'm surprised they didn't come up with that seating arrangement during the Knight era, given his tremendous desire to make it impossible for us to do our jobs).

I've noticed fans sitting in what used to be half of the upstairs (not courtside) media section at Indiana Pacers games in the last year or so, too.

It has worried me in the last few years, especially with the explosion of fans watching press conferences on ESPN, et al, that "media seating" is going to become a new revenue stream for teams, and they'll begin selling seats in the working press area to the most hard-core fans, complete with postgame presser access, as a new way of making big $$$ and giving extra access to the richest fans.

I worry that "arena access" is going to be the next thing to go -- limit the press area to a few people (the home/visiting team's 2-3 main beat writers and the radio crew) and everyone else watches on TV in the media room, as teams realize they can make money with those seats (as currently happens for bigger games).

Or they go to 'special ticketing' for big games. You get a season credential but have to pay for your seat for big games.

 

[Keystone]

Didn't Dan Snyder make the Redskins pressbox one of the worst in the NFL when he turned it into a cigar bar and threw the media into some hole in the one end zone? Our NFL beat always bitches when he has to make his annual trek to Landover.

Hell, the mid-major hoops team I covered in the late 1990s was giving the media row seats to big donors back then. The press was forced to sit in a narrow row, on a riser, behind the scorer's table. Had fans yelling in my ear, asking to see my stat sheet or saying stupid things to me in the three years I had that beat. What's worse is that they got rid of the pep band and started piping in music during timeouts like they do in the NBA.

 

[KJIM]

It's only a matter of time before pro teams start charging media outlets for their seat. Frankly, it seems like a win-win for the team, as stupid as it sounds.

Please explain.