Swim parents *rolls eyes* aye, aye, aye

A lot of programs see media coverage as a one-way street, as if they have to do nothing to help out and we do all the work. They don't understand that we can't cover stuff if we don't know about it. It's that simple.

 

Swim parents are the absolute worst. No matter what I do some dipshit is going to complain. I write my stories and shrug off the inevitable stupid complaints.

 

Four years ago I had a 40-minute conversation with a swimming parent who was upset that I didn't write any features on any swimmers. I did write some on divers, but she said that's a different sport. The truth is, when it came to calling in results, the coach was kind of hit-or-miss so it was kind of tough to get a handle on how good some of the swimmers were. She felt that if that was the case, it was up to me to cover the meets in person.
The phone call could easily still be going on today. She didn't change my mind and I didn't change hers.

 

Yeah, but those stupid parents cut across all sports. Today, Aug. 3, I got my first "pimp my kid" call of the season from a football parent. Didn't say he was a parent, but it was pretty obvious because he talked about two kids who are brothers, one of whom is apparently being recruited by Big State U. I vaguely remember him from last fall -- haven't heard or seen much of him on the recruiting sites. And then he went on about how great their team is going to be this fall. Never mind this school hasn't put its football team in the playoffs in more than a decade, and was nowhere close last year.

I'm not a parent, so I realize there's no way I can possibly understand, but what is it about having kids that turns people so freakin' stupid? I mean, did this guy think I was going to jump and do a story on his kids just because he called me? Did he give any thought to what he was going to sound like? I guess I've spent so long in this business, concerning myself every day with how the things I do are going to come across to the public that I have trouble understanding people who obviously don't think that way. Anyone else feel me on that one?

 

Hacker, I'm sure we all feel that way to some extent. I get stuff like that in all sports. Swimming, though, is by far the worst.

Hustle, I've never heard of a one-sourced feature. I always interview at least three or four other people besides the original source.

 

There is a special place in HELL for these chlorine-snorting swim parents.

 

Little league parents are just as bad, in my eyes. I'm not sure what I hate covering more - swimming or little league.

 

Those are my favorite calls ... "I'm not a parent of Johnny Superstar, but I want to tell you I hated the way you said he was 1-for-4 in the photo cutline."