Would You Ask Why?

Shit, try smarting off to a small-town cop. They're worse than any high school coach, I daresay, and more deserving of being put in their place. But all it would get you is put in the back of a police car. It's useless in any situation.

Be polite but firm, without backing down. They'll realize eventually they're wrong. Some of my best sources started out screaming at me.

 

Fuck No you weren't wrong. I'm certain if the coach is worth his salt (which very few of them are these days) he'll actually end apologizing to you. Either way, you handled it professionally and he figured it out. However, should you run into this again (and I'm assuming you are covering high schools here as this rarely, like never, happens in college...and I can't imagine it in the pros), make certain as he's walking off that you ask him if the athletic director or principal would support his decision...this one makes them shit their britches. You might get another fuck you, but the back side will be a shitload of fun.

And believe me, a coach doesn't want this in the game story the next day: "No comment tonight fellas, okay. Also, you can't print the post game rant you overheard and I don't want you talking to the players," coach Dickhead said after the 35-6 thumping. I've done this, got the "you made me look bad, I can't believe you'd do that, I almost lost my job" shit the next day and replied, "Well I wasn't going to lose mine having no quotes in my story."

For games I cover, I rely more on player comments than coaches. Players are on the field and their perspective is different. The coach saw the same thing you did and you probably had a better seat. Anyhow, last week I walk down to get post game comments from a QB that threw three INTs and lost two fumbles while his team lost by 7 to a mid-ranked opponent. As I'm waiting on the kid, the coach starts babbling to me about lost opportunities, didn't execute, etc. etc. He looks bummed when he realizes I aint writin nothin and then shocked when I say, excuse me coach and run over to his QB. As would be the case, the kids comments were a helluva lot better.

 

You weren't wrong.

And you'd have been perfectly justified in saying, "I've got a story to write. You can talk to me or I can write it off what I heard through the locker room wall. Your choice."

 

No, some of them confuse themselves with God.

 

If anything, you were wrong because you gave the asshole a chance to redeem himself.

Just tonight the team I'm covering lost their third game in four tries, and is dealing with a story we broke about possible preferential treatment of the star quarterback. The guy gave me a few comments, and told me his players were off limits for the foreseeable future and that I should just come to him for now on.

Subhead my editor put on Saturday's story?

"Bumblefucks lose again, coach places gag order on team"

It's in the lede too. Vindictive, maybe, but if they guys going to be a tool he should look like one in the newspaper.

 

I think you always try to give them at least one chance. If they're not going to cooperate, then you pull out the big guns. That's in theory, at least. Sometimes you just do what you have to.

 

Heh. I remember my first game after moving from the cops beat. It was late spring, and I was covering a district baseball championship (high school). Team A, which won the regular season, was upset by Team B. I go to talk to Team A's pitcher, and his dad -- also an assistant -- tells me, "You can't talk to him."

"Stop me."

The guy's jaw dropped, and the kid was fine with talking about the game. I got my way, but I've gotten to know most of the coaches better after a year on the beat, and I've shown that I'm fair, so I don't have to be such a dick anymore.

 

I'd normally agree with you...I'm not normally a belligerent person. That might have been a bad example seeing as the situation has been building up over the past couple of weeks.

 

Had a coach here tell me that I couldn't talk to any player, ever, unless he or an assistant coach was present.

I just ignored him. He tried to send the offensive coordinator to trail behind me as i tracked down players during week one. Now he doesn't even bother to say anything to me. I think, as you mention Last Boyscout, its because he realized I'm just trying to do my job. I'm not (always) out hunting for the "Coach smith is a douche" quote from his players.

 

Amen. Too often I see those "no shit" quotes when you could get a quote you can use by just following up with, "Why?"

 

And the fact you thanked him and he shook your hand?
That should have been a good indication you weren't his issue.