Does tight access frustrate you?

[Pringle]

Everyone here seems to take it in decent spirits. I guess it's kind of a "can't fight city hall" approach, and that's admirable.

But, damn, with the way this is getting around the sports world, it's just starting to feel like we're just constantly on the outside looking in. And I hate that feeling. Like we're just living to glorify other people's accomplishments.

Obviously, there are other routes to stories. But after a while, it would just be nice to talk to the story subjects themselves and get real answers without so much regimentation.

 

[shockey]

yes. it sucks.

 

[Montezuma's Revenge]

It's the biggest change in my time in the business.

PR people used to facilitate coverage.

Now they throw up road blocks.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Yup.

 

[shockey]

It's the biggest change in my time in the business.

PR people used to facilitate coverage.

Now they throw up road blocks.

indeed. back in the day, teams felt they needed the coverage. now, maybe because of player salaries and the espns of the world, not so much.

i've told this story before: when i covered the ny jets in the '80s, during training camp, you were actually invited into players' dorm rooms during lunch to do interviews. now THAT was one-on-one access.

i tell the new kids on the block about that kind of access today, they look at me like i have two heads.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

Guess what I thought THIS was about?

 

[BTExpress]

You can cover something nobody cares about, and get all kinds of one-on-one access.

Or you can cover something like this:

and forget about one-on-one access because there aren't the 893 hours in a day it would take to accommodate the requests.

 

[Pringle]

BT - I understand the logistical challenges. But there's a happy medium between the Super Bowl and prep swimming. Bill Clinton can play poker on an airplane with writers, but Chad Pennington steps to a podium once a week to take a few regimented questions? Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[shockey]

BT - I understand the logistical challenges. But there's a happy medium between the Super Bowl and prep swimming. Bill Clinton can play poker on an airplane with writers, but Chad Pennington steps to a podium once a week to take a few regimented questions? Doesn't make sense to me.

it's awful. the super bowl is one thing. this recent development of qbs or star players speaking just once a week sucks. the nfl has done a terrific job of making sure no one develops a real rapport with the big guys. just dreadful.

 

[Alma]

In a sense, I understand the frustration. In another, it's time for print journalists to wake up.

Athletes and coaches are talking more than once a week. To radio shows. To the Internet. To ESPN. To Stephen A Smith. To big magazines. They're getting the access print journalists used to get.

I've said it again and again…unless print journalism stops feeding its talent to the other news outlets, diluting the product and the reason for the print media, it's just going to get worse.

 

[Trey Beamon]

Beats the old "hot dog in a hallway." Oh, wait...

 

[txsportsscribe]

Guess what I thought THIS was about?

hell, i was going to say i thought most prefer it that way.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Gold Bond generally takes care of it.

 

[SockPuppet]

The BCS commissioners voted to open the locker rooms _ That's correct, OPEN LOCKER ROOMS _ after this year's five BCS games.
Michigan's Lloyd Carr is about to puke over that prospect. Michigan officials have asked what the fine would be if they didn't open up after the Rose Bowl.
Should be interesting to monitor.

 

[DyePack]

It frustrates me. When I'm driving, I don't like having to force open a bag of chips.

 

[BYH]

It frustrates me. When I'm driving, I don't like having to force open a bag of chips.

You best be talking without a hands-free kit while trying to open the chips.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

My biggest problem is this feeling of "herding."

Good example: bowl media day for the school I cover. They were rotating guys between us print schlubs, radio and TV... this assuring that you couldn't talk to any one individual for too terribly long, and that they always had somewhere else to be.

There are a select few players I've actually developed what I'd consider a "rapport" with, but thanks to the way access is set up at this place, of course none of those players are of a star caliber.

 

[SilvioDante]

Yes, Omar, and then they think that they're doing you some huge favor.

The vibe is, "How much access do you guys WANT??? We're delivering them right here for you!!!"

It makes me feel totally disconnected, this assembly line approach to journalism. Gonna chase me right out the sports door, probably sooner than later.

 

[Bob Loblaw Law Blog]

Gold Bond generally takes care of it.

I was thinking that some KY would take care of it. Not sure I want that burning Gold Bond powder all over my junk ...

Wait, what were we talking about?

 

[PTOWN]

What I dislike most is calling a college athlete because you have his/her phone number and getting this response: "Well the SID told us that interviews must be coordinated through them." CLICK. Now this is not for beat guys, but if you have a local kid now playing in college and try to get a hold of them for a feature it can be a pain in the ass. My worst expereince was I call the girl, she's on the bus, tells me she can't talk because of the SID thing. Tells me to call the SID. So I call said media relations monkey and she's on the freaking bus with the team. Asks the athlete if she can talk and hands the phone over. Ridiculous. The SID even told her parents not to give out the girls cell phone.