Injured while covering a game

[littlehurt98]

I tried searching for a similar a topic but did not see one. So, if this has been discussed before I apologize.

While covering a prep basketball game tonight I was pretty much laid out by one of the kids diving after a loose ball. The school I was at is one of our four city schools (we have about 30-35 other schools that we provide some sort of coverage to at some point during the year, but the city schools come first) and so that being said I had a spot at the press table.

The table isn't very big and isn't designed for more than 2-3 people to sit at, but usually when I show up someone will grab me a chair and allow my to use a corner or something.

Anyway in the third quarter at the 2:13 mark a loose ball comes right us, as do three kids attempting to dive after it. Wouldn't you know the one that smashes into me is a fullback/linebacker on the football team (6-4, 230lb). I take a shoulder right in the bicep and basically get pushed up against the press table.

It hurt, but didn't think much of it at the time. Finished the game and went back to the shop and wrote the story. When I got home tonight I discovered a massive bruise on my bicep and thigh.

Just wondering who else has stories similar to this? I know this board has to have some.

 

[sporting_guista]

So you logged the time you got hurt? Did it make your game notes?

Sit in the stands with the single moms next time. Copy the book after the game, you don't need to sit there unless you want to be seen.

 

[Stitch]

Haven't been hurt since I don't go right up to the sidelines when I cover a game. For basketball, I like to sit up a few rows so I can see the game.

 

[bob]

Reminds me of the time Charles Barkley dove over the press table, laying me out on the floor. My chair was mangled but, miraculously, I didn't feel a thing. I even helped him up.

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

Never been injured while covering a game, but I did see a TV guy's camera get smashed by a soccer ball because said TV guy was standing six inches off the touchline.

 

[Some Guy]

Reminds me of the time Charles Barkley dove over the press table, laying me out on the floor. My chair was mangled but, miraculously, I didn't feel a thing. I even helped him up.

It turns out he was in a hurry to get a BJ in the third row.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I was covering a minor-league baseball game as an intern and was the only person in the press box after the PR guy left. After I filed, I discovered I was locked in the stadium. This was before I had a cell phone. I spent about an hour looking for someone to let me out or find the lowest fence for me to climb. Finally, I found one that was about 8-9 feet high and had less barb wire than the other fences. I climbed up once and lowered my laptop to the ground. I didn't want to break the Trash-80 they had loaned me.

I then realized I would have to scale the fence and jump to avoid the barb wire and then fall the rest of the way. I avoided it on the jump, but the wire caught my leg as I was coming down and I got a pretty bad cut down my leg (I was wearing shorts.) and thankfully only injured my ankle a little as I landed.

I was so embarrassed that I told no one what happened. Needless to say, that was the last time I stayed to work from that press box.

 

[mike311gd]

I was covering a minor-league baseball game as an intern and was the only person in the press box after the PR guy left. After I filed, I discovered I was locked in the stadium. This was before I had a cell phone. I spent about an hour looking for someone to let me out or find the lowest fence for me to climb. Finally, I found one that was about 8-9 feet high and had less barb wire than the other fences. I climbed up once and lowered my laptop to the ground. I didn't want to break the Trash-80 they had loaned me.

I then realized I would have to scale the fence and jump to avoid the barb wire and then fall the rest of the way. I avoided it on the jump, but the wire caught my leg as I was coming down and I got a pretty bad cut down my leg (I was wearing shorts.) and thankfully only injured my ankle a little as I landed.

I was so embarrassed that I told no one what happened. Needless to say, that was the last time I stayed to work from that press box.

I've got a story pretty similar to that, only I scaled a fence to get behind the minor league team's wall in order to grab about 25 Eastern League baseballs. My buddy still has most of them. It was a fun night.

 

[bigpern23]

I was on the sidelines at a high school football game when the opposing team ran a sweep to my side. I began backing up as he got closer, but several players had found their way behind me and I couldn't go anywhere.

As the tailback barrelled to the sideline, a defensive player horse-collared him, causing him to fall backwards as he was coming right at me and his spikes came flying up. I leaped as high as I could and opened my legs to avoid his cleats (I swear it was like Vince Carter dunking over Frederic Weiss).

I came down on top of the two players, got up, helped them up, got a swat on the head from the RB who said, "Nice air," and went back about my business. It wasn't until I sat in my car later that I saw the big hole he tore high on my inner thigh with his cleats. If I had jumped a couple inches shorter, it might have been my sack with that big tear in it.

 

[txsportsscribe]

had my knee serve as a target several years ago by a h.s. kid going full steam trying to turn the corner for the end zone. i could hear the other sideliners scurrying to safety but i wanted the damn shot. hurt like hell and still think the kid should've been flagged for roughness for a hit clearly out of bounds (kidding). but it was a damn good photo.

 

[slappy4428]

Dennis Rodman once came flying over the press table at The Palace, knocked Perry Ferrell out cold and destroyed his laptop.
One and only game story Mitch Albom has ever written at the Freep.

 

[forever_town]

Reminds me of the time Charles Barkley dove over the press table, laying me out on the floor. My chair was mangled but, miraculously, I didn't feel a thing. I even helped him up.

It turns out he was in a hurry to get a BJ in the third row.

Was Cindy there?

 

[e_bowker]

I was covering a high school basketball game between two city rivals on Saturday. Halfway through the third quarter of the girls game (yes, I logged the time -- 4:17 left), I hear a commotion and out of the corner of my eye see someone fall into the scorer's table to my right. Two teenagers with a beef had crossed paths at the wrong time, gotten into a fight in the stands, and I was in the crossfire.
After fighting their way down a dozen rows of bleachers, they resumed right near me, came across my back and smashed into the scorer's table again. It was actually two tables pushed together, so they hit in the middle, split them apart, and spilled onto the court.
I hardly saw any of it. It all started directly behind me, and by the time I realized what had happened they were on the court. I got out of the way, and the cops were already cuffing one of them on the free throw line when I looked up again. By most accounts it was a pretty good and lengthy scrap, though. I was just glad that they were wrestling, and not throwing haymakers, when they were near me, and that neither of them had a weapon.
And during the ensuing timeout, I did what any reporter would do -- noted the time and score, took the opportunity to write down a note about the run one team was on, and copied the roster for the boys game.

 

[daytonadan1983]

I got ran over by a pit crew tool cart one year at the Daytona 500. Got taken to the Infield Car Center, x-rayed for a possible concussion, the whole treatment.

Made two notebooks that after I said ``It was just one of them pit deals and I gotta get ready for Rockingham'' upon my return to the infield media.

What really pissed me off is that was an unsponsored car...

 

[playthrough]

A photographer friend at a football game turned away from the field for a split-second and got rolled into, destroying her leg and putting her on crutches for months.

 

[Big Circus]

Dennis Rodman once came flying over the press table at The Palace, knocked Perry Ferrell out cold and destroyed his laptop.
One and only game story Mitch Albom has ever written at the Freep.

I know it's the guy's name, but it had to be done:

 

[Big Circus]

Also, I had a linebacker (who will play at an ACC school next year) land on me on the sidelines. Almost got out of the way, but he landed right on my left big toe. It was a week before my wedding and I was scared ****less that I wouldn't be able to dance. Stopped limping about 2 days before, but it was black and blue for about 6 months.

 

[Slash]

So you logged the time you got hurt? Did it make your game notes?

Sit in the stands with the single moms next time. Copy the book after the game, you don't need to sit there unless you want to be seen.

Sitting in the stands and listening to the blowhards. No thanks. If I cant sit at a table I try to find a section where there are no fans.

 

[Slash]

At my first gig the two schools I covered played HS district tourney games the same night at the same time. I tried to cover both games, and I was running in the parking lot to jump in the car and catch the coach at the other school. I slipped on a patch of ice and severely injured my ankle.

I went to the Dr. and got Workmans comp for it.

I also had a kid land on me while he was going for a loose ball. He was a little kid, so I caught him on my back and secured him and helped him down.

 

[tapintoamerica]

This is why I never worked HS FB games on the sideline.