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Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by ColdCat, Feb 13, 2015.

  1. ColdCat

    ColdCat Well-Known Member

    I've been getting flak from the organizers of a prep basketball tournament who think I should be mentioning one of the tournament sponsors in every gamer, advance, etc I write from the tournament.
    The sponsor has not bought naming rights to the tournament -- It's the Podunk Basketball Tournament, not the Podunk Basketball Tournament brought to you by Jim Bob's Tavern -- but more than one person has suggested I treat it like they do have the naming rights.
    Anyone else dealing with something like this.
     
  2. SFIND

    SFIND Well-Known Member

    Yes, I deal with it occasionally. There's a local basketball tournament here every year sponsored by a hospital. I never use the name of the hospital, which does have naming rights. Don't believe any of the other area papers that cover the same tournament do either.
     
  3. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    If they want a sponsor mention, then they can buy an ad.
     
  4. lantaur

    lantaur Well-Known Member

    Evem if they bought naming rights, would you still use it? I wouldn't - unless that's the name of the game/tournament (i.e. Capital One Bowl). But do you call it the Rose Bowl presented by Vizio or just the Rose Bowl. I go with the latter.
     
  5. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

    We run submitted youth sports photos. In their cutlines they type up, they thank their local sponsors. Our SE just leaves them in, but I think they should be taken off.
     
  6. Matt Stephens

    Matt Stephens Well-Known Member

    This.

    We've never mentioned the sponsors of bowl games we've covered. I've never seen the point.

    If the name of the tournament was Jim Bob's tournament, then yeah, you'd mention the sponsor, but it's not.
     
  7. BDC99

    BDC99 Well-Known Member

    Yep. You are under no obligation to mention the sponsor in any case. If the name of the tournament IS the sponsor, you have no choice, but otherwise, just ignore it. We have been strong-armed into using the sponsor for a local road race because they pay for us to produce a section, and there is the threat they would no longer do that if we ignored the sponsor. Not an ideal situation there, but you can't throw away the money either.

    This is a little bit different. If you are in a market small enough to run submitted youth sports photos, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the local businesses that are helping out.
     
  8. Rhody31

    Rhody31 Well-Known Member

    The HS state tournaments were sponsored by a bank and the RIIL director always reminded us to put the sponsor in our story - The Big Bank Girls Soccer Championship. Only people who ever did was the big state paper because they had an agreement with the league about getting results from coaches.
    I had a Christmas hoops tournament that was the Local Bank Winter Classic. There was really no way around calling it anything else because if I called it the Local HS Christmas Tournament that would be wrong.
     
  9. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Another "amen" from the congregation.

    As for sponsor names, my thinking is, I wasn't a party to the agreement, so I decline.
     
  10. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

    On first reference, the complete name of the game/tournament should probably be used (ie Reese's Senior Bowl). It's no different than the first reference rules for schools, etc.

    However, that does not mean you have to include who the game/tournament was brought to you by.
     
  11. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Just call it the Winter Classic, played in Podunkville.
     
  12. canucklehead

    canucklehead Active Member

    If it's the name of the tournament you mention it when you mention the name of the tournament. The Subway Girls High School Basketball Classic.
    The name of the arena where the Montreal Canadiens play is the Bell Centre. If you don't call it the Bell Centre you are not being accurate. (I'm watching the Leafs/Habs game now).
    If organizers bug you about not mentioning sponsors tell them to change the name of the tournament next year and you will.
     
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