Doing non-journalism piddling while working

Good segway into one point -- most readers don't care what the hell you do in the pressbox, either. I can't stand those columnists and writers who print notes about how bad the pressbox food is or how people cheer, etc.

 

I can't believe people would waste their time posting on a message board during a game.

 

Shotglass missed the original point of this thread.
Rock was complaining others were screwing around in the pressbox and that he was having such a tough day and he was so productive and he would match his work against anyone...blah...blah...blah...
I pointed out that he had time to observe others, critique their work ethic and start a thread and respond five times. The reason this thread got hot was because of the hypocrisy of the whole exchange.
Be a professional. Simple as that. And let's not over-sensationalize what we do. We cover football games. We're not finding cancer clusters on Navajo land (LA Times) or have GOP congressmen grumbling on the record about the President (WashPost) or getting Henry Kissinger on the record saying the U.S. can't win in Iraq (NY Times).
Here's guessing the reporters finishing those stories weren't playing games on the computer or posting duplicitous threads on a postboard. So, before we talk about newspapers being a public trust, we need to have the public's trust. You're there to do a job. Do it.
Like I tell reporters, use your time wisely. Or, I'll use it for you. I can find plenty for you do, whether it be a print or web production.

 

That's a "toy department" argument, and that's insulting.

Sports has a valuable place and serves a meaningful purpose in society, and what we do should not be demeaned because we're not covering government or war or politics. News reporters are not "better" than sports reporters simply because of what they write about.

 

We'll come on, Buck. More times than not, we are a toy department compared to the LA Times', Washington Post's and New York Time's investigative and political departments. And I don't see that as insulting. I know we impact people's lives too, just in a different way.

We do some of that "real" stuff too, like steriods investigations and suicidal cross country runners, but, seriously, a gamer on said team's come-from-behind win and a notebook on said player's recovering torn rotater cuff is "toy" compared to Ken Adelman saying he wouldn't have supported the war in Iraq if he knew the president's plan was occupation without setting up an interim government. The difference? Tens of thousands of cases involving life and death (including Iraqis) and millions of lifes impacted (their loved ones). But, again, I don't think there's anything wrong or inferior about what we do.

 

I've given a life to Sports departments.
It was stated to make a point. You can't shake that "nickname" with the actions that started this thread.
But, if you want to take the one point you disagree with out of context and argue against it, be my guest.

 

Sportswriter is correct. My point wasn't to dismiss what we do, just give it context.
We do serve the public. Just in a different way.

 

Sure, if you mean "toy department" as in "having an absolute blast doing what I do for a living," then by all means you're right. And I didn't mean for it to come out that sports was somehow more or less important than politics or war -- sports rarely involves life and death.

But too often, the "toy department" label comes from "holier-than-thou" outsiders who mean that we are inferior professionals because we cover games for a living. That label doesn't apply.

 

Agreed

 

I agree, too. Wholeheartedly.

 

Yeah, I'm down with that too.

 

I can beat expert Minesweeper in 62 seconds.