football tab cover photo

I realize I'm a newbie, but I need some advice. I work at a semiweekly paper where I am a one-person sports desk. We were talking about the cover photo for our football preview tab, and my suggestion was a shot of an empty locker with non-team specific football gear filling the locker (the tab will preview nine area high school teams, and I don't want to piss off anyone by featuring Podunk High's colors on the cover).
My editor hated the idea, and wants to shoot the "star player" from the various high schools for the cover. Any advice on what would make a better cover picture, or should I just feature the nine players and get ready for the pissed off parents?
And, not to get out of my newbie status, I'll fetch beers for anyone who can provide some help with my problem.

 

Shoot the star player. Who wants a staged shot of a locker room? It is a bit early for this topic (is it june yet?) but I always err on the side of putting live people in photos. If you got a DI prospect, or a great player in the area, make him your lead story. Don't worry if people complain. That's what we are here for.

If you are in a fertile football area, stage a shot with the best player from each team. Get people and players in the photo at all costs.

Edit: Also, why are you so concerned with pissing parents off? Tell them to take a hike if they don't like your cover.

 

Yeah, it is early, but when the editor asked me what the cover shot was going to be I had to give him something. There are no real D1 prospects, but there are decent players. I guess I just wanted the cover to appeal to anyone instead of the friends and family of the "star" players. I don't have anyone to bounce the ideas off of, so I came here. I appreciate the advice.

 

First place I was at, SE made a cover designed with all of the helmets (we had six high schools). Kind of boring, but it worked for what he wanted to do with the tab.

 

It's NEVER too early to start planning football tabs.

 

JB:
What would you do if you were in my shoes? I know there are a million ways to do this, but in Texas, football is king, and I don't want to play favorites with the teams. And yes, it's never too early for football down here.

 

Agreed. We started the day after the 2006 tab came out.

Seriously.

 

You may want to pick a theme. Maybe do a cover story on offensive lineman and have them all come in for a good staged photo. If you are doing a tab, you got to get really creative with the photo. I disagree with the assertion that going bland appeals to everyone. If you went with players from each school, and designed a sharp cover, everyone is going to read it and keep it.

 

If you try to avoid pissing off everyone, you're guaranteed to please no one.

 

It's never to early to start planning any special piece/section.

I'm with jfs1000, names and faces for a shot.

Hey, we did one once where the race for the rushing title was supposed to be tight. We shot four backs from four different schools (it's a six-team league) and one guy was a bust and the guy who won the title wasn't in the photo. You win some, you lose some. The photo was great though.

Anyway, that said, I drink OV.

 

That's nuts. Maybe in Texas it is a different animal, but I won't even think prep football until early July.

 

Thanks for the help. I like the offensive line idea, because those guys don't get the credit they deserve. Maybe I started this thread too early, but my editor got me thinking about the cover, and I can't let it go.