Eating at high school games

Good Lord, no kidding.

There have been some dumb arguments on here, but this one about food "takes the cake." (HA!)

Goodness, some journalists can be self-important egotists. You think a team is trying to get you to write positively about them for placing free pizza and soda in the press room? They don't care that much, trust me. They shouldn't turn the heat or A/C on, or let you use the bathroom, or even give you a press pass, then.

I would . however, pay to see SnarkShark in, say, an NFL press box during a brunch spread pull out his little baggie of carrots and a PB and J. And maybe a juice box.

 

Good post. You know what really pisses Fredrick off about journalism? We're in this new school era of clickbait stories and overworking reporters 10 times moreso than the past even (see The Athletic posts about how they'll actually watch the fourth quarter of a football game rather than write some half baked story to run at the conclusion of the game) and yet we are hanging onto these old school "rules" that are meant to only shit on the reporter. By god, don't eat any free food at games. By god, don't mention any actual brand names in providing color for a story (if subject was drinking a Sprite or holding his adidas spikes, etc). Reporters are not getting raises ever, they are being paid minimum wage when you factor in 70 hour workweek; 40 hour pay), they are working under horrible conditions with no support from management and they can't eat a slice of pizza that is free at a game? Guess what. Reporters should eat all the free food they can get. I can't wait until all newspapers are gone. Let people who get it like The Athletic rule the media business. Can't eat any free pizza even though I'm not being paid for my freelance high school assignment?? F--k you suits. I'm eating.

 

Unless things have changed drastically in the last decade, the person bringing his/her food to an NFL press box would look like an oddball. Surprising that there were any negative stories about the Jets during the Kotite years because pretty much every single reporter ate free food before the games and during halftime.

 

If food is offered, eat it. Some of my most memorable meals were served at high school games back in the day. Some at college and pro games. A full chicken-fried steak dinner with green beans, mashed potatoes, cream gravy and Texas toast in Electra on a cold rainy night in November. Warrior Dogs at Arlington Martin covering Ben Grieve. A great cup of coffee at Arlington Bowie covering Vernon Wells III. Some perfect chili dogs watching Kerry Wood in Grand Prairie. Tom's Barbecue in College Station. The beef stew at Cleburne Stadium. If you think you can be bought with food, get out of the business. They aren't trying to buy you with food. They're offering decency, kindness and appreciation.

 

Courtside eating. No. I never did that when I covered Big 10 hoops. It’s a little different than a press box. There usually isn’t enough room.
But for football, baseball, etc. Yeah, go to town. It just comes down to common courtesy..
...which a few parents of players that sat behind me needed to learn. Instead of literally SCREAMING in my ear the whole game. Pretty sure I have tinnitus because of Chris Kramer’s mom. LOL

 

The same photo editor, as I said, frequently says "If we have to do it, you have to do it." That means go into the office instead of working from home in blizzards (when there are no games being played to cover), Being on the sidelines instead of being in the press box when it rains and leaving one game in the middle of it to go cover another one.
He seems to think our jobs are not different. He can shoot one game, leave at halftime and shoot another because we can use the photos from each game. I have to stay at the same game because I have to be there at the end so I can report on the whole game. If I have to call somebody to find out how the game ended, what was the point of me going there at all?
And again, if the only reason you have to do something is because someone else has to do it, do you really have to do it?

 

This photo editor is dangerous. Has too much power and needs to be fired.

 

Let's not get carried away here.

 

Sounds great. Next time he says that, tell him that you'll expect him to help you out in typing up JV swimming results.

 

Until that photo editor insists on not running a front page giant picture of some high school kid in the middle of an inconsequential 3-yard gain in the second quarter (like too many sports pages do), yes, he is welcome to fuck off.

 

In your scenario, does the photo editor even care about that any more? The print rag? He'll get all the photos he wants online as long as he's not too lazy to put up 5-10 in a photo gallery.

 

Seriously, what are these "photo editors" you guys speak of?