Injured while covering a game

I was covering a high school basketball game between two city rivals on Saturday. Halfway through the third quarter of the girls game (yes, I logged the time -- 4:17 left), I hear a commotion and out of the corner of my eye see someone fall into the scorer's table to my right. Two teenagers with a beef had crossed paths at the wrong time, gotten into a fight in the stands, and I was in the crossfire.
After fighting their way down a dozen rows of bleachers, they resumed right near me, came across my back and smashed into the scorer's table again. It was actually two tables pushed together, so they hit in the middle, split them apart, and spilled onto the court.
I hardly saw any of it. It all started directly behind me, and by the time I realized what had happened they were on the court. I got out of the way, and the cops were already cuffing one of them on the free throw line when I looked up again. By most accounts it was a pretty good and lengthy scrap, though. I was just glad that they were wrestling, and not throwing haymakers, when they were near me, and that neither of them had a weapon.
And during the ensuing timeout, I did what any reporter would do -- noted the time and score, took the opportunity to write down a note about the run one team was on, and copied the roster for the boys game.

 

I got ran over by a pit crew tool cart one year at the Daytona 500. Got taken to the Infield Car Center, x-rayed for a possible concussion, the whole treatment.

Made two notebooks that after I said ``It was just one of them pit deals and I gotta get ready for Rockingham'' upon my return to the infield media.

What really pissed me off is that was an unsponsored car...

 

I know it's the guy's name, but it had to be done:

 

Also, I had a linebacker (who will play at an ACC school next year) land on me on the sidelines. Almost got out of the way, but he landed right on my left big toe. It was a week before my wedding and I was scared shitless that I wouldn't be able to dance. Stopped limping about 2 days before, but it was black and blue for about 6 months.

 

Sitting in the stands and listening to the blowhards. No thanks. If I cant sit at a table I try to find a section where there are no fans.

 

At my first gig the two schools I covered played HS district tourney games the same night at the same time. I tried to cover both games, and I was running in the parking lot to jump in the car and catch the coach at the other school. I slipped on a patch of ice and severely injured my ankle.

I went to the Dr. and got Workmans comp for it.

I also had a kid land on me while he was going for a loose ball. He was a little kid, so I caught him on my back and secured him and helped him down.

 

This is why I never worked HS FB games on the sideline.

 

I left the L.A. Coliseum after covering a game there, and for some reason, it was really late and most people had gone, and I needed to find a cab. I ended up in a place I probably shouldn't have been in and feared for my life, but I made it OK.

 

I was walking aimlessly around the pits at the Las Vegas 400, a little wrapped up in everything, when I feel a huge gust of wind and a roar of an engine zoom by. I was about a foot away from being taken out by Dale Jr. That was a bit much.

 

Interesting stories. I noticed a trend in all the people who got hurt kept working, no bitching here. They are gamers. I
wonder how many of the 9 to 5 news fucks would have continued working after getting injured. Most of you probably didn't even tell your bosses or want sympathy. Good for you all. Good jobs that probably went unnoticed by management.

 

When you are on the sidelines at a football game, move back as soon as the ball goes outside the hash marks.