split the pot nights

That's hilarious. What school would let the local yokel reporter win so they'd provide "good coverage" of a high school sporting event? That must be one fucked-up high school, if it feels the need to bribe a preps writer. And not to quibble, what raffle announces names? Isn't always just announcing numbers? Maybe in a town of 100 where everyone knows one another...

 

Some schools give a prize to the person who has the program with the coach's signature inside. If the school gave me a free program and I won, I would never take the prize. But I did win once at a school that made me pay for the program and I had no qualms about claiming a free burger coupon. My wife happened to be at the game watching, so I sent her up to get the prize.

 

I did get one one night where it was shooting for a pizza. Hit a free throw for a smallpizza, top of the circle for a medium and half court for a large.
Won the small and gave it to a baseball player in the stands.

 

Don't do it. It makes you look like a booster.

One of the most embarrassing moments of my career came when I covered an appearance by Big Time College Coach who came to our small little Podunkville. I had recently graduated from Big Time College, and had covered said coach.

When I got to the event, my "credential" to get it was a nametag -- same as everyone else there. Little did I know that, by accepting that nametag, my name had been entered in a raffle for prizes.

So, imagine my horror when I won this raffle I didn't know I'd entered, and had to traipse to the front of the room to accept an autographed football from Big Time College Coach.

I try to turn it down, but by the time I got to the podium, the coach was going on and on about how I was "one of the great young sportswriters in America" or something ridiculous. (Anyone who's covered this guy would be shocked, SHOCKED!, he was resort to such hyperbole)

So I had to accept the prize. I felt like a total douchebag. I ended up giving it away to a kid in the parking lot, but the whole episode was just mortifying.

You don't want to look like a booster. Ever. And I think the same principle applies here.

 

I think there's a difference between paying to entering a drawing and getting an entry free.
I disagree; the same principle does not apply.

 

Split-the-pot raffles are so endemic in Chicago, the Bulls have one every home game. I think the Bears do as well. Chicago: where we always Split the Pot.

 

If Granny's buying, I'll split it with ya

 

Always happy to split the pot.

 

The season I hit four were all at the same school... After drawing two, whenever they brought the ticket to the scorers table, they looked at me. When I kept my head on the table, the group of 10 fans (who were also golf buddies) or so behind the bench would start chirping. They knew...
I have not hit one in the 13 years since.

 

Puff, Puff Give!
Puff, Puff, Give!

 

I was at a high school baseball game once where they had one of these things. The winner got to go out to second base and try to hit a home run over the fence for a chicken dinner or something. I was in the press box when some of the JV kids picked the name. They rummaged through the hat to see who was entered, and picked out a teacher they hated just so they could see him make an ass of himself.
Ever since then, I've had a hard time believing these things are on the up-and-up.