Reporting coach's comments to team

Yes, that's where it came from. RIP, Buddy D.

 

Generally, I would say that if it was loud enough to hear it with the naked ear, it's fair game to print and people have to expect that — mind you, you can cut a little slack for someone not as media savvy.

A caution though, one of my former co-workers tells a story about doing something similar at city hall. One mayor was apparently notorious for opening the door a crack and staging conversations just to see who might be eavesdropping. Without confirmation, sometimes conversations pull you off-course.

 

Yeah, but if a coach is yelling loud enough you can here it out in the hall or outside or where ever, I doubt it's just to throw a reporter off course.

 

If we're talking the pros, yes, you can use it. The media, for all intents and purposes, IS the public. Again, if we're talking a high school coach, I tend to tread a little more lightly.

 

I'll echo what others have said.

If it's high school I'll use the point the coach was making and asking about it after the game.

For example:

Coach: What is wrong with you, East Bumblefuck forward? You couldn't defend worth shit tonight!

Me: Coach, it looked like East Bumblefuck forward was having trouble guarding inside. What happened?

 

Can someone please explain to me why you should tread lightly at the high school level? The coach is a grown man, not a high school kid. If he says something audible that can get him in trouble, he's no different than a pro coach. The kids might be different. The coach, nope.

What was it Mike Gundy said? ``Come after me! I’m a man! I’m 40! I’m not a kid! Write something about me!'' It applies here.

 

BTW, I've written comments overheard from coaches shouting in the booth in the press box (on several occasions), and got no complaints.

 

Again, I was referring to on the field, in the huddle after the game. To me, a high school coach should be allowed to address his team without me eavesdropping. Especially if he doesn't even know I'm around. Occasionally, if deadline is tight, I do wander up and eavesdrop on the post-game speech so I can get a quick quote and still make deadline. I figure for the courtesy of allowing me to eavesdrop and make deadline, I can extend the courtesy of not printing something that would get the coach in trouble. ("I told you we'd kick their ass! They're a bunch of rich pansies!")

It's just common decency. If a guy says something that's going to be controversial, you have to talk to him about it directly. You can't ambush him with it in the next day's paper, especially when he didn't even know you were at the game. It's Journalism 101. If you're not going to do that, you can't print it anyway.

Now, at the college and high school level, the coaches are used to being covered and media is typically escorted to certain areas by members of the school/team staff. If an SID/PR guy puts me in a position to hear a coach say something, it's fair game.

 

RIP Buddy. You guys forgot to mention what prefaced the first mention of Steak Snabler in New Orleans -- when Dave Wilson had "torn lee knigaments."