Crediting the defense

[Smallpotatoes]

I received an e-mail from an reader who was curious why in write-ups about soccer and other similar sports like field hockey and lacrosse, why the defense doesn't get mentioned more in the story.
The people who scored goals and assists are always in the story, but many times the defensive players aren't.
The reader wondered if that's just "the way it is" or is there another reason.
I'm not sure how to answer it, if it's a failure on my part in terms of reporting or something else. The only thing that comes to mind is that if I'm going to put something in the paper, especially if it's a phoned-in thing, I'd like to have some sort of objective measure of what the player did, stats or something like that, not just "somebody played well on defense."
Also, I think there are times when I'm covering a game live when I will report that the sweeper took the ball away from an attacking player or something like that, so maybe it's a matter of somebody not really reading my work on falling back on old cliches.
I'm not even sure how to answer this one. Like many things I do, I don't always know why I do it.

 

[Tucsondriver]

Not much you can do in a roundup if the coach calls it in and doesn't mention it. If he/she does, you can use a quote and mention a few names. But there is a language of roundup that like you said tends to diminish the accomplishments of things that aren't measurable statistically. It's not the world's greatest injustice. Just like linemen take pride in doing the dirty work without getting much pub, so do their grunt equivalents in other sports.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

No offense, dude, but you worry more about the most inane "complaints" than anyone I've ever not met through the Internet.

Not worrying about it. Somebody asked me a question and I'm trying to figure out what a good answer is.

 

[podunk press]

If a sweeper makes the difference, and sometimes they do, then it's always well received to give them some credit.

But you've got be able to identify that on your own.

 

[GB-Hack]

For lacrosse, you might look to see if the statisticians kept ground ball totals for individuals, and obviously saves.

On this kind of thing, especially with called-in games, having a knowledge of the players on each team can help. If Team A, which has a standout attacker, gets shut out one game, ask Team B's coach how they were able to contain that player. Most of the time, the coach will give you a name you can use, and you can use it in relation to the player they held off the score sheet.

 

[HanSenSE]

I'll be the person who called in has a son/daughter/neighbor who plays defense. Just like the guy who complains the star tailback gets all the glory and his linemen never get mentioned.

 

[RickStain]

Tell complaintant to get back to you with reference to a game won 0-0.

 

[KJIM]

From the OP, it doesn't really sound like a complaint. The way I read it, a reader -- who may or may not have a dog in the fight -- wondered about it.

It's a legitimate question, really.

I worked in a collegiate hockey league office and had to helped choose stars of the week. More often than not, the defensive star was someone who assisted on goals, because that's all the scoresheet had. We were aware the method sucked, but unless an SID called and made a pitch, we had no way to know what defensemen were outstanding defensively.

 

[Bob Slydell]

As far as soccer, I ask the coach about the defense. If a team only gets off a few shots, the defense has to play a role.

Now if a team gets 15 shots and has one goal, most likely they can;t shoot well.

But one of the girls teams we cover has a super-fast defense, and I make sure to mention it. It's hard put that into statistical terms I know, but I try to spread the love.

But when a coach calls in and doesn't mention it, not a lot you can do.

And HanSenSe, I played line in school so whenever I hear that i just tell them to get over it, goes with the position.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

If it's a paragraph or two about the game, then you get the people's names in who scored. Simple.

If you're covering a game and it's 1-0 and you spend six paragraphs on the guy who scored the goal and one paragraph on the defense, that's poor reporting.

 

[TrooperBari]

As far as soccer, I ask the coach about the defense. If a team only gets off a few shots, the defense has to play a role.

Now if a team gets 15 shots and has one goal, most likely they can;t shoot well.

Could be that, or it could be the other team's keeper had a great game (getting shots and shots on target would help sort that out). Of course, you also occasionally run into a scorekeeper who counts every slow dribbler to the keeper's feet as a "shot" (or worse, a "save").

@ SP: I can't speak to lacrosse or field hockey as I haven't had the pleasure, but part of the reason scorers get so much attention in soccer is because scoring is so damn hard to do. And, like Jimmy Dugan says, the hard is what makes it great.

Soccer isn't a game that lends itself to stats, and defenders' stats such as successful tackles, interceptions, headers won, etc., would only bog down a story some people already find difficult to follow. If you must have defensive stats from a phoner, ask for keeper saves. You can keep an eye out for defenders constantly breaking up plays or winning headers when you cover a game in person. I'd hold off on mentioning defenders stripping the ball unless the play would've otherwise been an obvious scoring chance.

Above all, if you're wondering how the defense played, just ask the coach. They should be able to give you a good gauge whether that 1-0 game was down to offensive ineptitude or defensive brilliance.

 

[anotherjrcsurvivor]

I believe coaches about as often as I believe politicians, so stick with the stats.

 

[Gator]

I'll be the person who called in has a son/daughter/neighbor who plays defense. Just like the guy who complains the star tailback gets all the glory and his linemen never get mentioned.

I'll always ask a running back about his linemen if he has a big day, and more often than not, he'll give them their kudos, maybe even mentioning them by name. Unless he's Boobie Miles.

As far as the soccer defense, I'll ask the coach about who stood out, and then just attribute it to him: Podunk High held Podunk Tech to just three shots, with sweeper Jane Doe shining on the back line, coach Jones said.

 

[HanSenSE]

Been there, done that Gator ... and more often than not, the big running star will spread the love without being prompted. Just been my week for crybaby parents, I think, which is why it came to mind.

 

[albert77]

Most times, a winning tailback or QB will make it a point to praise his line. If I can, I like to quote the big guys because they often have a unique perspective on the game. In soccer, if it's a game I'm covering, I like to ID the winning team's best defender and get a comment. I've usually found that a keeper is only as good as the three (or four) players on the back line. In a call-in situation, you take what you can get.

 

[forever_town]

If I remember how I handled soccer matches correctly, I'd usually try to get a defender and midfielder in addition to any goalscorers. They'd usually give me something I could use to write about different aspects besides who scored.

When I covered D.C. United, I usually found their goalkeeper at the time made the same observations about the game I did. I wouldn't lead him into saying it; he'd usually say it in the course of an interview. So I often used him too.

 

[flexmaster33]

That sounds like a fairly laid back question...I wouldn't get too paranoid about it.

I do try to make note of missed chances and big defensive plays...it's not uncommon to see a defender rush in and block a shot and boot the ball away from an open net.

As far as call-ins...I send out a preseason e-mail/letter to our varsity coaches explaining what I'm looking for along with a sample wrap-up. Most coaches know to report goal scorers and such, but I make a note of asking for defensive highlights or how many saves a goalie makes. I'd say about half my coaches (of the ones that bother to call in) include that info for me now.

 

[Ace]

On a call in, it's not a bad idea to ask the coach about defense if it's a low-scoring game and you would have room to run it. If the coach wants to say that Pete Podunk did a great job at sweeper, why not run it?

I am sure it would make the kids day.

As the parent of a kid who plays the line in youth football, you realize the linemen will get no glory. But it's funny that these poor kids are up there smacking someone every play and our own parents think nothing of yelling at the line to block throughout the game.

But when a QB throws a bad pass, receiver drops a ball or RB slips no one yells that they need to run, pass or throw better.

Rant over.

 

[crusoes]

The object is winning the game, and you do that with offense. Period. If someone on defense makes a game-saving play, and we see it or the coach reports it, we include it.

Otherwise, no one cares outside the parents. Everyone wants to know who scored.

 

[Wenders]

The object is winning the game, and you do that with offense. Period. If someone on defense makes a game-saving play, and we see it or the coach reports it, we include it.

Otherwise, no one cares outside the parents. Everyone wants to know who scored.

Amen. I usually ask the coaches afterwards who they would like to highlight or if they thought their defense/keeper had a good game but without some sort of game action to back it up (such as the sweeper clearing a cross, etc.), often it never sees the paper unless the coaches start specifically mentioning people.

I had an *incensed* parent earlier this year who not only e-mailed me, but bitched the coach out as well because the coach mentioned only three people on defense and left his precious daughter out. I've only been covering soccer two seasons. I barely know the positions and what they do. Give me a break, dude.