Story on player tweets

Reading my twitter feed, players from local school said they're going to play a big-time school next fall. I did some google searching and found nothing of the sort.
Got denials from people on the record. Off the record, got some stuff, nothing I could run with.
Told my managing editor (not of sports; of the paper) and he said we can't run the story about local school playing big time school. I agreed. Facts are there.
But is there a story there on the tweets?
I don't know if I'm feeling pressure because I haven't found a whiff of this anywhere and I want to get it up ASAP. It's not a big story for the big school, but it would be around here.

 

At this point, would it merit more than a brief? Do high school schedules merit more than a brief?

 

Not high school.

 

Could you do a blog item listing the tweets from players and getting the on the record denials from the office folks?

 

Oh, and I hope the game is a go Podunk beats Bama, Rhody.

 

Tough one!

You can't run it as a brief because it's too big of a deal to be a brief.

You can't run it as a lead story because you don't have anybody on the record confirming the schools are negotiating.

And yet, even though the players don't have the story exactly right, you're getting scooped by fucking Twitter.

Couple of options...

1. Get somebody to go "not for attribution" that the two teams playing isn't a done deal but is looking good.

2. Story idea: Does players' use of social media irk the athletic department? Do these guys tweeting about playing a big school jeopardize a potential deal to play said school? What's the school's official policy on athlete use of social media, if there is one? If there's not, should there be.

3. A story that combines 1. and 2.

4. Start making cold calls to the big school. Maybe you'll hit.

--------

Bottom line: If the school's athletic department is allowing the players to tweet about this, somebody should be comfortable enough to go on the record with you about it, even if unnamed.

 

God, if we have to go with "sources say" for some schedule story, sports reporters are taking themselves way too seriously.

 

Hey, if it's that or get beat, I go with that.

 

Problem solved.
Long story short, players from Local U tweeted they were playing Penn State in 2013. AD wouldn't confirm, Penn State says its schedule is set. Talked to Local U's coach and he says it's a possibility.
It's not Watergate. Story is bigger here than it would be in Happy Valley because Local U football isn't great. Game like this would bring in $$$ and attention to the program.
Like I said, I hadn't heard or seen anything from my area or Penn State on it so I wanted to get it first, even if it was just about the the tweets. Bossman wanted someone official saying something. Everything worked out.

 

Who would Penn State drop?

 

York Daily Record blog says UVA.
York Daily Record blog does not link my story, just mentions our awesome website. Guess I'll never be famous now.
Boo York Daily Record. Boo.

 

Rhody: I would so drop everything to go to that game.

Road Trip!