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All-in format has parents up in arms

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by flexmaster33, Nov 12, 2010.

  1. statrat

    statrat Member

    In regards to the Oregon all-in, I've drilled it into my readers that the "play-in" rounds are not state playoffs. The OSAA does not recognize them as such. So I've called them Regional play-ins (For the first round at some classifcations) and regional playoffs for the second round. That didn't stop one local high school from saying their football team made it to the second round of the state playoffs in the game program. Sigh.
     
  2. JBHawkEye

    JBHawkEye Well-Known Member

    Iowa expanded its football playoffs from 16 teams in each class to 32. Which means a.) in Class 4A, the biggest class, 32 of the 48 teams make the playoffs and b.) if you're the lower-seeded team, your first-round game is likely a 2 1/2-hour/3-hour drive.

    We had five teams make it to the playoffs this season. Under the old system, we would have had two.

    For the first round, we only had three writers available to cover games. One game involved the big local school (in the playoffs with a 4-5 record and playing a game 2 1/2 hours away that started at 8:45 p.m.), so we did that. Two teams were at home, so we did those games. The two that we didn't cover were playing three hours away. Both coaches understood we couldn't be there, and both made sure to call us, even though they lost. Surprisingly, we got no complaints.
     
  3. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    In Indiana, the 0-24 team could get a first-round bye while two teams ranked No. 1 and 2 in the state have to play in the first game.
     
  4. rtse11

    rtse11 Well-Known Member

    I think we're making the same argument, but coming from different directions.
    No one ever - OK, rarely — calls to say thanks for covering our 9-1 football team. It's the mom (who's never met me or spoken to me before) who writes an email to my bosses complaining that we're ignoring her son's 1-7 team because she's heard our kids graduated from that school's rival and we're biased against them, that gets me fired up.
    You wanna call me and ask why your school's game wasn't covered? No problem. You wanna start yelling into the phone as soon as I answer calling me an asshole and worse. Fuck you (which I can't say, of course.)
     
  5. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Don't know about lazy, but they got the disinterested part right.

    Based on your logic, a team can still win the state championship if it loses this first playoff game.
     
  6. Pilot

    Pilot Well-Known Member

    We all started at the New York Times, actually. (Cross-thread, or something.)
     
  7. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    A customer is never always right.
     
  8. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    EVERYBODY GETS ICE CREAM!!!
     
  9. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    Flex, I feel your pain since I'm also in Oregon. One of our local teams legitimately made playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Not play-in, playoffs. This everybody in system is ridiculous and, like making schools teach to the standardized test, is spreading. A few years ago in Iowa I covered a girls basketball "playoff" game. The local team won 76-4, playing JV kids for three quarters. That just makes a farce of early round "playoff" games.
    I was happy when I moved to Oregon and discovered the state didn't have such nonsense. And now the state does indeed give ribbons to everyone.
    Does anyone know how many states are sticking with the old-school you-have-to-actually-qualify-for-playoffs system?
     
  10. 2underpar

    2underpar Active Member

    just a question: did you make arrangements with the coach/stat guy/anybody to have them call in results from the 1-9 team? We cover 30 schools in our circulation area, and we make it a point to have someone call us with the results and pertinent information when they play out of area.
     
  11. JakeandElwood

    JakeandElwood Well-Known Member

    In Illinois you have to be 5-4 (it's technically possible for a 4-5 to make it if there aren't enough teams above .500 but I can't remember that happening).
     
  12. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    The onnnnnnly way to fly, ladies and gentlemen of SportsJournalists.com. You can only stretch you and your staff so thin, even though I try my darndest to get bodies on the road during the playoffs. Even with your trustiest callers/e-mailers, do check in. We had four games going on simultaneously on Wednesday and we staffed two. I sent an e-mail to one letting them know we wouldn't be going out of town for an 8-9 game, but didn't bother with the fourth, since she calls in even when they get slapped silly ... except this time.
     
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