Dressing for NFL press box

[BillyT]

Slim: I think that how we dress makes an impression that impacts how well we can do our job.

 

[cranberry]

I think it's important to wear clean clothes that don't call attention to you (slogans on shirts/hats, maybe really low-cut tops or too-short skirts for women) and to exercise good hygenic habits (don't smell,for instance). Outside of that, it doesn't matter very much. Unless, of course, you're a television reporter.

 

[Babs]

I've worked with a woman who wore low-cut tops. It was distracting for ME and I'm a woman, I can only imagine the players/coaches. It's just not the kind of attention you want to attract unless you're in a bar.

I sure don't have to try very hard to be more professionally dressed though. Advantage: me.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

I think it's important to wear clean clothes that don't call attention to you (slogans on shirts/hats, maybe really low-cut tops or too-short skirts for women) and to exercise good hygenic habits (don't smell,for instance). Outside of that, it doesn't matter very much. Unless, of course, you're a television reporter.

Exactly.

I know a local TV sports director who wears the following on-air:

UP WHERE THE CAMERA CAN SEE: Coat. Buttondown shirt. Tie and tack. Sometimes even cuff links. Looks very slick.

TOO LOW FOR CAMERA VIEW: Shorts or jeans; tennis shoes or flip-flops. Looks like he's ready to go to a beach cookout.

The minimum standard for men should be: Collared shirt (polo or button-up, preferably with no commercial logos other than your employer [and maybe not even that]), nice jeans (not too faded, no fraying, no holes, no patches, no phone numbers from Ladies' Night), and some kind of closed shoes. As for those you-have-to-wear-a-tie-and-dammit-denim-at-work-is-the-spawn-of-Satan people ... eh. Whatever. It's entertainment, not banking.

And for those who claim ties are "professional attire," I can think of quite a few Fortune 500 companies that have dispensed with the tie requirement and more power to them. IBM is one of them.

I still like the way Insight Direct announced that none of its male sales-by-phone staff would be required to wear ties anymore: After studying the sales patterns on "casual days" versus "non-casual days," they made the announcement by having each tie cut in half with scissors by the receptionist as the employees made their way through the lobby and security-pass door. ;D

Yes, neckties are more formal, for whatever that might be worth. But let me point this out: Part of a reporter's job is to get people to relax and open up. A necktie is a constant reminder to the wearer and people around him of formality, which could very well be a barrier to having people relax and open up to you.

 

[cranberry]

Yes, neckties are more formal, for whatever that might be worth. But let me point this out: Part of a reporter's job is to get people to relax and open up. A necktie is a constant reminder to the wearer and people around him of formality, which could very well be a barrier to having people relax and open up to you.

Good point. I think for everyone who's impressed by your coat-and-tie there'll be another person who perceives you as an eager-beaver wannabe.

 

[Sly]

You'd be surprised how many people can't adhere to the "don't smell" requirement. I can't count the number of times I've been in a group interview and almost passed out from the smell of someone standing around me. I used to think it was just the athlete who stunk but then I figured out the athlete had usually just showered.

And before any suggests it, I usually give my pits a little sniff to make sure it's not me.

 

[Trey Beamon]

If you must wear a tie...

 

[Clever username]

This might be going back 10 years or so, but does anybody remember the NFL writer who wore a 49ers sweatshirt in, I believe, the Giants' locker room? And one of the players went nuts on the guy, which is understandable. I don't recommend doing that.

And that reminds me of Jack McCallum's foray into coaching with the Suns last year. In trying to explain how it was difficult going from objective to coaching a team, he wrote of a time when he was on his way to a game, realized he was wearing a regular shirt that just happened to be the same color used by one of the teams so he stopped off and bought a new shirt.

 

[jgmacg]

Yes, neckties are more formal, for whatever that might be worth. But let me point this out: Part of a reporter's job is to get people to relax and open up. A necktie is a constant reminder to the wearer and people around him of formality, which could very well be a barrier to having people relax and open up to you.

Especially an NFL player on game day - dressed only in his unprepossessing $3500 custom-tailored suit, $600 Ted Baker shirt, $225 Paul Smith necktie and $1200 hand-lasted alligator slip-ons from Milan.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Always liked this look:

They don't make jackets or pants - or rasslin' managers - like that anymore.

Damn shame.

Is this close enough?

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=307&Product_Id=1059602&Parent_Id=305

 

[GB-Hack]

Woo-Hoo! It's on sale!

Coming to a box near you soon.....

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

From their Lindsey Nelson collection.

 

[pallister]

Anyone who knows me, can tell you I should not be dispensing fashion advice (I don't even own a tie).

But the best advice I've read on here is not to draw attention to yourself one way or the other. Just wear a nice pair of pants/jeans and a nice shirt and you should be fine. Most people don't notice what you wear unless it's obviously different from the standard fare.

If my bosses happen to read this, they should get a good laugh.

 

[skippy05]

When I covered the Rams, I wore nice jeans, nice sneakers, and either a polo or jacket with my radio station logo. But, I knew all the guys in the box really well AND I always sat in the auxillary box so I didn't have to deal with the TV egos in the main box (plus, the food was better). If you're a new guy, I don't see the problem with jeans, but a polo or button down and a pair of loafers wouldn't be bad. Covering the Cards, most of the media I know wear shorts. I don't, because I'm tattooed and while I like my body art, I understand it's not the most professional image to put out there.

And you guys joke about jerseys, a couple years ago, there was a guy in our box who not only cheered the team, he wore his Rams' ballcap, brought his kid with him and (I swear this is true) sent that kid, who was probably 10 or 11, into the visiting team locker room (I believe it was the Pats) to collect sound!!! I don't think I would send my kid into a room with a bunch of naked athletes...if for no other reason than you don't your male child getting any body image complexes that early in life.

And the comment about Bruce Martin in a kilt? Maybe if there were a couple stains on it and it reeked of alcohol, MAYBE he'd consider wearing it...

 

[Mira]

Come on, let's not pick on Bruce Martin.

You can't compare attire in an NFL pressbox to a Cup race. If you need to catch a driver who drilled his car into the Turn 2 wall, you have to be comfortable to chase him down if need be ... and jeans and sneakers do just fine.

A nice shirt and pair of jeans ain't going to make no difference to Mr. Helton, Mr. France or Mr. Stewart.

 

[gandhithegreat]

Don't forget a blazer...screw the tie.

 

[skippy05]

Come on, let's not pick on Bruce Martin.

You can't compare attire in an NFL pressbox to a Cup race. If you need to catch a driver who drilled his car into the Turn 2 wall, you have to be comfortable to chase him down if need be ... and jeans and sneakers do just fine.

A nice shirt and pair of jeans ain't going to make no difference to Mr. Helton, Mr. France or Mr. Stewart.

While I don't disagree, I actually dress better covering NASCAR than I do any other sport. I also wear a company polo and nice khakis. I do wear sneakers since I'm moving around a lot. I've never been a slob, though, even covering prep sports, I always wear something appropriate.

And you're right, I shouldn't pick on Bruce...it's like pointing out everything wrong with the STL Cards this year, it's too easy...

 

[lono]

Come on, let's not pick on Bruce Martin.

You can't compare attire in an NFL pressbox to a Cup race. If you need to catch a driver who drilled his car into the Turn 2 wall, you have to be comfortable to chase him down if need be ... and jeans and sneakers do just fine.

A nice shirt and pair of jeans ain't going to make no difference to Mr. Helton, Mr. France or Mr. Stewart.

Agreed ... except that frequently isn't the case.

An awful lot of the journos at NASCAR races dress down in t-shirts and jeans and don't look any more professional than the fans. Looser fanboy baseball attire is especially popular.

As for the aforementioned Bruce Martin, his uniform of the day is almost always a Chicago White Sox shirt or jersey.

 

[skippy05]

Come on, let's not pick on Bruce Martin.

You can't compare attire in an NFL pressbox to a Cup race. If you need to catch a driver who drilled his car into the Turn 2 wall, you have to be comfortable to chase him down if need be ... and jeans and sneakers do just fine.

A nice shirt and pair of jeans ain't going to make no difference to Mr. Helton, Mr. France or Mr. Stewart.

Agreed ... except that frequently isn't the case.

An awful lot of the journos at NASCAR races dress down in t-shirts and jeans and don't look any more professional than the fans. Looser fanboy baseball attire is especially popular.

As for the aforementioned Bruce Martin, his uniform of the day is almost always a Chicago White Sox shirt or jersey.

That's a true statement, but most of the regular writers at least wear collared shirts and look somewhat respectable, but it's guys like our White Sox fan who make the rest of us look bad. If I'm there representing someone, I'm wearing a polo with a logo and either khakis or nice jeans and nice sneakers. Yeah, it's not a suit and tie, but considering the environment, it's not bad...

 

[slappy4428]

I wear Jeans and tennis shoes. I'm comfortable.
But, I always wear a collared shirt too.

If I do wear shorts, they arent ratty and its to an event I can get away with it. And the only time I'll wear a T-shirt is if it's a prep game and like 95 degrees. And even then, it's a little dressy. Not wearing a bar shirt to a HS game