Dressing for NFL press box

Dress like a professional.

 

Do not, and I repeat, do not wear a light-colored shirt. I guarantee you will spill mustard and/or kraut on the front of yourself during the halftime rush to pound a brat and a slice of cheesecake should you choose to do so.

Then Grady Jackson and his big fucking mouth full of gold a professional athlete will make fun of you in the locker room.

 

Interesting thread. Dress professionally is the best advice. No reason to stand out one way (cutoffs) or the other (shirt and tie if you're under 65)

Got one question, though.

Do people still wear button down shirts? I thought they had gone the way of khakis with pleats.

 

The rule that's stuck with me since J-school is pretty simple: dress to the level of what/who you're covering.

That's not to say you should buy a $3,500 suit to cover the NFL because that's what the players wear on their way out of the dressing room at the end of the night, but I've always thought it best to dress the situation. If the players are coming out of the room wearing shirt and tie, they ought to respond to you as an equal if you're doing the same (or similar... I like the idea of nice shirt and pants but no tie).

That said, I'm afraid I need to think about dressing down more for covering HS. I've got a nice leather jacket that I tend not to take off even when I'm in the gym. Might be a bit intimidating for the kids?

 

Pleated khakis are out of style?

 

Gomer: I can address the HS issue from experience. I discovered, through trial and error, kids and coaches seemed to feel more comfortable when I dressed to the casual side during mid-week, non-game interviews.

 

Yes I think a leather jacket might be intimidating. I'm not sure why, but I think it's true.

Dress down for practices and up for games, no matter what the level. There should be a difference in your game wardrobe and practice wardrobe. This shows you are professional but approachable.

Regarding pleated khakis, I would say they're out of style, yes.

 

I wore a button down shirt with a tie at a NFL game several weeks ago. I'm not sure why this is a discussion. If you're covering a college or professional game, dress like an adult. Dress like the professional you're supposed to be.