Do Parents Even Read The Paper?

[Pete Incaviglia]

I just received an e-mail from parent. He was sending me the results of the latest district track meet "as a favor, in case I never got them" because "a lot of these young kids work hard and won medals." He was "wondering if we could the results."

Uh, no ****. It's a two-day championship meet that ran Wednesday/Thursday in our own back ****ing yard. We ran two photos Thursday/Friday (including a shot on A1 on Friday) and story in each day's paper; and every gold, silver and bronze medalist from both days.

I felt like replying "Check the paper. We were there — BOTH DAYS!"

It makes me wonder if these idiots even read the paper.

 

[forever_town]

Could be worse. You could have a publisher and CEO who don't read your own paper.

I've gotten a few calls of "you'd better run this this week.
Me: "I already ran it on page E-5 this week."
Them: "Oh."

Or: "I'm very upset you didn't run this last week."
Me: "Yeah I did. It's on page E-6." Or: "I ran it on April 17."
Them: "Oh."

 

[DemoChristian]

There is nothing better than when a "reader" or even management asks why something wasn't covered and you can respond, "It was. Here's the date."

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I'm convinced in many places parents don't realize what's in the paper unless their child is in a five-column vertical photo on the front of the section.

 

[cougargirl]

Yes. To look for the names of their kids.

 

[dargan]

I'm convinced in many places parents don't realize what's in the paper unless their child is in a five-column vertical photo on the front of the section.

Amen. They even get mad when their kid's teammate gets some cred. Baseball parents are easily the worst.

 

[fremont]

Some people can't be satisfied. Truthfully, some of these people aren't reading the paper unless they're expecting their kids to be in the paper for whatever reason. If they missed it, it might as well not have happened to them.

There are a lot of people, too, who showed a lot of interest in the paper, lots of comments, praise, criticism, whatever from them until their kids graduated. Then I'd never hear from them again.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

But here's what I don't get: We had an A1, three-column photo from the event ABOVE THE FOLD on the Friday. And Thursday, we had a sports front photo (same size) and one INSIDE on Sports 3.

How did this guy assume we weren't at the meet?!

 

[Tom Petty]

But here's what I don't get: We had an A1, three-column photo from the event ABOVE THE FOLD on the Friday. And Thursday, we had a sports front photo (same size) and one INSIDE on Sports 3.

How did this guy assume we weren't at the meet?!

maybe he knows you personally?

 

[fremont]

How did this guy assume we weren't at the meet?!

My hunch is that he didn't pick up the paper that day.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

But here's what I don't get: We had an A1, three-column photo from the event ABOVE THE FOLD on the Friday. And Thursday, we had a sports front photo (same size) and one INSIDE on Sports 3.

How did this guy assume we weren't at the meet?!

maybe he knows you personally?

Zing!

 

[Barsuk]

I'm convinced in many places parents don't realize what's in the paper unless their child is in a five-column vertical photo on the front of the section.

Amen. They even get mad when their kid's teammate gets some cred. Baseball parents are easily the worst.

I don't know where you are, but 'round here, baseball parents are definitely not the worst. Swim parents, lacrosse parents, soccer parents, softball parents, track parents and a whole bunch of other parents rank well ahead of baseball parents, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[BillyT]

I just received an e-mail from parent. He was sending me the results of the latest district track meet "as a favor, in case I never got them" because "a lot of these young kids work hard and won medals." He was "wondering if we could the results."

Uh, no ****. It's a two-day championship meet that ran Wednesday/Thursday in our own back ****ing yard. We ran two photos Thursday/Friday (including a shot on A1 on Friday) and story in each day's paper; and every gold, silver and bronze medalist from both days.

I felt like replying "Check the paper. We were there — BOTH DAYS!"

It makes me wonder if these idiots even read the paper.

Did you reply?

I certainly would have.

Politely, but I would have.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I'm convinced in many places parents don't realize what's in the paper unless their child is in a five-column vertical photo on the front of the section.

Amen. They even get mad when their kid's teammate gets some cred. Baseball parents are easily the worst.

I don't know where you are, but 'round here, baseball parents are definitely not the worst. Swim parents, lacrosse parents, soccer parents, softball parents, track parents and a whole bunch of other parents rank well ahead of baseball parents, as far as I'm concerned.

I agree. Parents of kids outside the Big Five Sports (Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf and Hockey) are the worst. And they are the worst in two ways: 1) They and the coaches NEVER give us schedules, results, changes to venues, etc. in a timely fashion and 2) they are all the first to complain something wasn't in the paper.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I just received an e-mail from parent. He was sending me the results of the latest district track meet "as a favor, in case I never got them" because "a lot of these young kids work hard and won medals." He was "wondering if we could the results."

Uh, no ****. It's a two-day championship meet that ran Wednesday/Thursday in our own back ****ing yard. We ran two photos Thursday/Friday (including a shot on A1 on Friday) and story in each day's paper; and every gold, silver and bronze medalist from both days.

I felt like replying "Check the paper. We were there — BOTH DAYS!"

It makes me wonder if these idiots even read the paper.

Did you reply?

I certainly would have.

Politely, but I would have.

I did. And politely.

 

[rtse11]

Had to track down district tennis results. Called the tournament director. "Oh, one of the coaches is supposed to fax those results. But he had something to do with his daughter first." Well, when the calls come in tomorrow from angry parents wondering where the results are, I'm giving them your phone number with the reason why we didn't have them. Said results arrived 15 minutes later.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

Had to track down district tennis results. Called the tournament director. "Oh, one of the coaches is supposed to fax those results. But he had something to do with his daughter first." Well, when the calls come in tomorrow from angry parents wondering where the results are, I'm giving them your phone number with the reason why we didn't have them. Said results arrived 15 minutes later.

Awesome.

 

[BillyT]

I'm convinced in many places parents don't realize what's in the paper unless their child is in a five-column vertical photo on the front of the section.

Amen. They even get mad when their kid's teammate gets some cred. Baseball parents are easily the worst.

I don't know where you are, but 'round here, baseball parents are definitely not the worst. Swim parents, lacrosse parents, soccer parents, softball parents, track parents and a whole bunch of other parents rank well ahead of baseball parents, as far as I'm concerned.

I agree. Parents of kids outside the Big Five Sports (Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf and Hockey) are the worst. And they are the worst in two ways: 1) They and the coaches NEVER give us schedules, results, changes to venues, etc. in a timely fashion and 2) they are all the first to complain something wasn't in the paper.

I would disagree with you on this Pete, but maybe it's because of my experience.

I covered the state rowing championships Sunday. I loved it. I have never been thanked more for being at an event. I said, as I often have, that if I just covered the non-traditional stuff, like crew, sailing, horse-jumping, rugby, gymnastics and the like, I would be a happy man. Don't get me wrong, I like nothing more than covering three high school football games a weekend (four if there's a Sunday game for some reason), and baseball is my passion. (So is wrestling, but in the places I have worked, that's practically a "major" sport, though I know it is not in some places).

But my experience is that coaches, kids and parents in the "major" sports feel incredibly entitled.

We also have different opinions on "Big Five" or "major" sports. (I can say that here)

Golf is a seriously minor sport in the places I have worked, but the coaches are pretty good. Hockey *is* a major sport in some places in New England, but not everywhere. I would guess a third of schools have teams. I would list football at the top, then group together the soccers, the basketballs, baseball and softball. (girls' sports, in the places I have been as big as boys' sports at times). As I said, I also come from an area where wrestling is a pretty big deal.

I think everyone has their own experiences and opinions.

But we all agree on swimming parents.

 

[dargan]

That's a good point.

Soccer parents have the capability of being horrific, but soccer's not big here. It's just now getting where all the larger schools have it (3A-5A).

Baseball is the most entitled. Maybe because around here there is no lacrosse and other stuff like that. Baseball still gets the little kids who come from money whose parents have groomed them to be the vicarious units of glory that they are.

Honestly, it has more to do with the school/town here than it does with the sport. It's just baseball parents are pretty much awful in all our schools.

 

[HejiraHenry]

There is nothing better than when a "reader" or even management asks why something wasn't covered and you can respond, "It was. Here's the date."

Ding!