Coach puts muzzle on players

A. The coach does talk, that's not the problem.
B. If the team winning or losing is news, it's gotta get in the paper, regardless what the coach says or does.

Worst thing you can do.

Just about everything in that post is wrong, wrong, wrong.


No. 1: The AD is going to support the coach... "His team he know his players, I can't tell him what to do ... blah blah blah."
No. 2: A coach can put an entire team off limits ... not saying it's the right or smart thing todo, but it has been done again and again and again.
No. 3. The "you can't let a coach push you around like that" is wrong on 2 levels.
First, the coach is not blaming him or pushing him around, he's trying to control the idiots on his team (again, not saying it's right, but it is his right).
Second, if you approach this as a confrontation -- being pushed around and pushing back -- you'll only make the situation worse and the coach will no longer be a "great talker who gives me all the access I need."

Talk to the coach about it ... every day until he lifts the restrictions. But TALK to don't argue, don't be confrontational, don't go over his head, don't tell him he's being an asshole (which he is).
This is his way of controling his players and the writer gets caught in the middle. The way out of it is to "negotiate" with the coach, get him to trust you and make him see that he's hurting himself more than helping by cutting off access to the players.

 

First, until the coach lifts the restrictions, every story you write make sure that you include the paragraph. "None of the players were made available for interviews under restrictions in place by coach so and so.''

Second, there has never, ever been one effing thing written in a sports story that has caused a team to lose the game. So this team has a bunch of big talkin' idiots. They got trashed in their opener by a D-I team. They were gonna lose either way, no matter they had said to a reporter.

 

agree with sock pup

a team i covered tried this BS many years ago and i simply wrote that high up in every story

"None of the State Tech players were available for comment. Head coach James James is refusing to let any of his players speak with the media."

wasn't long before the idiot was so embarrassed he lifted his ban

 

I'd put it in print - that the coach is putting his players off limits because....

 

No becuase necessary.

just mention it in every sotory until he lifts the ban:

... said coach Jack Ass, who will not allow his players to speak to the media.

 

Spnited is right. Excessive confrontation in this instance is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Confrontations rarely get you any leverage. if a coach says a kid is off-limits, try to talk it out with him, but don't be a dick. I know way too many people who have done that, including myself. Guess what? It blows up in your face.

You should address the issue with the coach, and you also should talk to your sports editor about it. Try to explain to the coach that coverage will be reduced if he doesn't lift the gag order -- not because you want revenge, but there's only so many one-source stories that your SE is gonna accept.

 

Just can't agree more with this.

I seriously wonder how many of the people who keep pushing for confrontation with sources actually push that button themselves. And I wonder if they did, if they're still in the business.

As much as some of you think they need us ... we need them too if our newspaper has deemed the event worthy of coverage.

 

I appreciate all the input. Spnited and others are saying exactly how I figured I should go about this.

And yes, since he put a gag order, I have noted in all stories related to the team of his gag order and why the players werent talked to.

 

I agree with pointing out the gag order. The other thing that gets coaches going is when you write about opposing teams -- especially rivals. If a local kid they recruited and went somewhere else and is having a good start to the season, get him on the phone and write about that. Write a feature on an opponent.

If they ask why, say, 'I can't write about your players if I can't talk to them.'

 

Spinited is right.

Confrontation seldoms gets you anywhere--in any business activity.

Particularly if the other party holds the power.

 

Spnited? The voice of reason?





;D