Cheering on press row -- live

[Smasher_Sloan]

Totally off the subject. Back in my younger days (re: early 1990s) I was covering a major-college football game. The school had very cute girls who handed out stats during the game. At halftime, one of the young writers started talking with one of the young ladies. He finally asked her if she'd like to go out sometime. She said she would. Then the writer asked about coming by to pick her up. The young said "In a car? Oh, my father doesn't let me car date yet." Turned out she was 15. We never let him live that one down. It was very understandable though, you'd figure a college would have college students working for them. I think they did. He just didn't choose wisely.

No car dates (haven't heard that term in a thousand years), but Dad lets her hang out around a major college football program?

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Hang out around a major college football program? It's not like she was going in and out of the locker room or taping the players' ankles before practice. She was in the press box handing out stats to adults, nowhere near the players and coaches.

In the context of what you seem to be suggesting (the dad's inconsistent judgment?), I don't see how it's much different than if she'd been handing out programs at a play or a concert or being an office assistant in a newsroom.

 

[mustangj17]

Hang out around a major college football program? It's not like she was going in and out of the locker room or taping the players' ankles before practice. She was in the press box handing out stats to adults, nowhere near the players and coaches.

In the context of what you seem to be suggesting (the dad's inconsistent judgment?), I don't see how it's much different than if she'd been handing out programs at a play or a concert or being an office assistant in a newsroom.

You make it sound like football players, a group known for their drinking, smoking and bad language are worse than the journalists who are known for drinking, smoking and bad language.

 

[slappy4428]

I'm covering a college basketball game right now. There's a looser fanboy one row ahead of me wearing the home team's jersey. He's clapping after every play and has ignored my three pleas to stop.

Do I tattle and report him?

1. Quietly walk up behind him.
2. Grab the back of his neck with one hand and the back of his skull with the other, entertwining your fingers in his hair.
3. WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM.
4. He won't do it again.



(I keed, of course ... )

Outing alert: Toomuchcoffeeman is Fat Broad from the BC comic strip, and she's going after the snake.

Nice visual...

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Hang out around a major college football program? It's not like she was going in and out of the locker room or taping the players' ankles before practice. She was in the press box handing out stats to adults, nowhere near the players and coaches.

In the context of what you seem to be suggesting (the dad's inconsistent judgment?), I don't see how it's much different than if she'd been handing out programs at a play or a concert or being an office assistant in a newsroom.

You make it sound like football players, a group known for their drinking, smoking and bad language are worse than the journalists who are known for drinking, smoking and bad language.

Good point.

I was just trying to figure out his.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Hang out around a major college football program? It's not like she was going in and out of the locker room or taping the players' ankles before practice. She was in the press box handing out stats to adults, nowhere near the players and coaches.

In the context of what you seem to be suggesting (the dad's inconsistent judgment?), I don't see how it's much different than if she'd been handing out programs at a play or a concert or being an office assistant in a newsroom.

Oh, it's a lot different.

Are you kidding?

She never goes into the football staff offices or the SID office or spends any time around people who work on the football staff? According to this story, she was hit on by someone who's old enough to hold a job with a newspaper.

The <b>kid</b> is 15. It's not like handing out programs at a play. It's a completely different environment. BTW, if the story is true, I can't believe a college would employ 15-year-olds.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

The extra people who hand out stats at the major college football games I've attended go to the press box and that's it -- unless they are college students who work in the sports information office already.

They've got the copiers and other office equipment there (because they're at a major college football program) and don't ever need to go inside the SID office or the athletic department building on game day/night. The extra people the schools employ have no reason to be anywhere other than the press box during the games, and usually they sit and talk in a back room somewhere while waiting for the next batch of paperwork to be copied. Mostly girl talk, from what I've heard.

I guess we just disagree.

But, I ran this past a woman with a young daughter, and she said: "One of life's fundamental truths is that pretty teen-age girls get hit on. I don't understand why this was more unacceptable than if, say, some older guy she was checking out at Target asked her out."

 

[joe king]

The extra people who hand out stats at the major college football games I've attended go to the press box and that's it -- unless they are college students who work in the sports information office already.

They've got the copiers and other office equipment there (because they're at a major college football program) and don't ever need to go inside the SID office or the athletic department building on game day/night. The extra people the schools employ have no reason to be anywhere other than the press box during the games, and usually they sit and talk in a back room somewhere while waiting for the next batch of paperwork to be copied. Mostly girl talk, from what I've heard.

I guess we just disagree.

I did that job a few times as a Boy Scout a few million years ago (we used to , and as you said, I didn't go anywhere but the press box. I just hung around and watched the game until they needed something passed out.

 

[highlander]

Hang out around a major college football program? It's not like she was going in and out of the locker room or taping the players' ankles before practice. She was in the press box handing out stats to adults, nowhere near the players and coaches.

In the context of what you seem to be suggesting (the dad's inconsistent judgment?), I don't see how it's much different than if she'd been handing out programs at a play or a concert or being an office assistant in a newsroom.

Oh, it's a lot different.

Are you kidding?

She never goes into the football staff offices or the SID office or spends any time around people who work on the football staff? According to this story, she was hit on by someone who's old enough to hold a job with a newspaper.

The <b>kid</b> is 15. It's not like handing out programs at a play. It's a completely different environment. BTW, if the story is true, I can't believe a college would employ 15-year-olds.

This was in the 1990s when things were a little different and people weren't so . The girls who helped out in the press box were members of an organization and made money for the organization working only on game day. They were like hostesses doing different things in the press box.

The writer involved in the story was just out of college working for a small paper, so it's really not that unheard of for him to try and get a date with someone he thought was in college. Like I said before some of the ladies were in high school and some were in college. The writer just picked the wrong one. Sorry if you don't believe the story happened.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

All I'm saying is if I had a 15-year-old daughter, I wouldn't want her working in a college football press box.

And if I were an SID, I wouldn't want to have kids in the press box, either. I'm sure there are other jobs where they could gain work experience and raise funds for their organization.

 

[highlander]

All I'm saying is if I had a 15-year-old daughter, I wouldn't want her working in a college football press box.

And if I were an SID, I wouldn't want to have kids in the press box, either. I'm sure there are other jobs where they could gain work experience and raise funds for their organization.

This was in 1990. A lot has changed since then. It was a different and probably better time. That's just my opinion.

 

[Drip]

I don't think there's anything wrong with an SID letting his kid work a game with him. You wouldn't think twice if the father owned a garage and the kid worked in there.
And contrary to popular opinion, some sportswriters are pedophiles.

 

[PopeDirkBenedict]

The SID at the school I cover, who is very good at his job, has two sons. One is probably 15-16, the other looks like he is 11-12ish. They are at most games and during football season, they would help handout quarter/halftime stats, etc. They worked quickly and quietly and never bothered a single writer. I have absolutely no problem with them being there.

 

[micke77]

unbelievable. this is as bad, it not worse, than the "fans at press conference" thread we began the other day. maybe i missed it, but was fanboy an alleged media guy? surely not. wearing a jersey. ug. that called for security. and who is in charge of the press area? what are they doing?