Worst athletic department in the country?

Are SIDs included in this thread? If so, I'll throw my dart at South Carolina. Clueless is putting it nicely. Those folks in Columbia, with the exception of their baseball pointman, Andrew, were always in utter disarray.
I once saw a fellow writer (and former co-worker from a sister shop) get into a shouting match with one of their female skeezers following a night football game. She promised to bring out so-and-so and reneged last minute. That was the same night the SID's wireless network and ethernet repeatedly petered out during the game and of course keeled over right on deadline.
But that's nothing.
A good friend of mine and former colleague drove over there from Georgia to do a one-on-one interview with two players from the home state. He'd called on Thursday before game week to set it up and the South Carolina SID said, "Sure, c'mon over Monday and we'll get it done."
Well, he showed up Monday early afternoon to conduct the interview and head for home when he was informed last minute that the players wouldn't be available until the Tuesday presser. So, he booked a room for the night and figured he'd be westward ho sometime after 1 p.m. the next day.
He arrived at the presser early and still, the players he requested were no where to be found. The main football SID apologized and asked for the writer's cell, assuring him that they would call. The writer wound up camping out in his car outside Williams-Brice Stadium and at one point saw the two players walking into the stadium for practice. Three hours later, an hour after practice, the call finally came and the interview got done -- with the writer melting in his car on the cell phone in the stadium's parking lot.

Like I said, no-talent assclowns are prevalent in Columbia.

 

If I remember correctly, they played a non-region schedule because the program is still in its infancy, even though the school has been there forever. Not that I've been paying a whole lot of attention to their volleyball team. Nor any of their other teams, for that matter.

 

From my first job, the exploits of Failtown High. A lot of this I've covered in previous posts.

• Football team begins the year guaranteed a playoff berth, because it is in a 2-team area. Gets boat raced in first five games or so, gets blown out by the other team in its area, then has everyone from the sophomore class up quit the team. Failtown skips a week, comes back to play homecoming with freshmen and junior high kids, loses, then calls off rest of season.
• Boys basketball loses every single game, with exception of opening round of district tournament. Best player is 5'6" kid built like Corky from Life Goes On who can make an occasional trey. Coach refuses to grant interviews or provide team's record. Possesion arrow busted in home gym, official scorer moves empty paper cup back and forth as needed.
• Girls basketball and softball are only two sports with (slightly) winning records. Both coached by same guy, who married a former player within a year of her graduation. Girls basketball team has no cheerleaders. Boys basketball has cheerleaders once girls finish their game, shower, and change into cheer outfits.

 

Hoover?

 

Savannah State has nothing on Alcorn right now. Alcorn is not only bad in just about everything, but the athletic department is dysfunctional to boot.
First-year football coach goes 2-10 this year, but is competitive in five or six of the losses (two losses were blowouts to FBS schools). Coach is watching TV over the Thanksgiving break and finds out seven of his nine assistants were fired by the AD, apparently without his knowledge. They came back from the break and had letters in their mailboxes.
A few days later, the coach sues the AD, the university and the university president for breach of contract. The assistants are reinstated not long after (by the president, who seemed to go over the AD's head), but the coach is fired and then reinstated -- apparently pending an appeal. Over the course of the next month, the coach continues recruiting. Until mid-January, when his appeal is denied and he is, in fact, fired.
Meanwhile, the assistants are working on a month-to-month basis. One of them is now the interim head coach, but there's a search going to find someone else.
And the now-former coach's lawsuit (asking for $3 million in damages, a sum that's probably twice the entire athletic budget) is still pending. And because of that, every time you get the AD on the phone and ask him about the situation he gives you 43 different versions of "no comment".

So, yeah, my vote goes to Alcorn State.

 

I haven't started drinking at work...yet. Actually the school across town has had a pretty good year, although some of our readers seem to think that's a result of some kind of conspiracy I'm involved in. One of the basketball teams on the fringe of our coverage area went to 22-0 tonight, so it's not all bad around here.

The awful school is the closest to our office and the biggest in our area, so at times I wonder how to handle the coverage. There are only so many ways you can write about teams that bad.

 

I'll take "Any school in the SWAC" for $1,000, Alex ...

 

hey you took mine

 

1-9 Football team
4-14 Volleyball team
2-16 Girls' Basketball team (as of now)
5-13 Boys' Basketbal team (as of now)
Wrestling team has six kids and loses every dual before it even begins due to forfeitures

Baseball, Softball and Track yet to be determined.

 

"I was asking other journalists if they have ever covered a school that bad."


Hey, any journalists see the new Nip/Tuck last night? Thought it was appropriate to ask on this board ...

 

So that opening in the USC public relations department won't be filled by you?

 

So those of you that have covered really bad high school programs, how much do you delve into the reasons for the futility? There could be some good enterprise there, but what is appropriate?