The wrong approach?

[micke77]

Somebody help me out and tell me where I have screwed up or supposedly screwed up.
For about two weeks now, I’ve emailed the SID of the local D-I school we cover five very short, to the point questions to pass along to one of the coaches for a mini-Q&A we call “Take Five.”
I gave him my deadline, told when we absolutely needed it at the very latest. The coach has a busy, crazy schedule and the team has been on a ragged, far-reaching travel schedule. The SID suggested the emailing of the questions, then he’d pass them along to the coach and we’ve have them back to meet our deadline.
No problem.
Well, I thought.
As of Monday, I still had never heard back and had queried a couple of times.
Covered a prep playoff game at the D-I’s arena last night, the SID is there taking care of stats and I ask him about the Q&A feedback again. He apologized about forgetting. But said the coach would be here tonight and I could get with her while she’s watching the game.
So indeed, she’s there on press row watching the game. I approach her and sit down. I mentioned about the five questions. She said she would prefer watching the game, then dealing with the questions in between games (there were two on this night).
Fine. No problem. With the game a rout and maybe 10 seconds left to play, I say, “do you want to take time now to do this? It won’t take long at all.”
She says, “I really want to finish watching this game.”
Ten seconds?
Okay, so we let it rest. And after the game is over, I get no feedback or, “hey, let’s do it” or “we can do the interview now.”…yada, yada.
Meanwhile, several of her friends come up and they talk and jabber for, oh gosh, 15 to 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, I’m chatting with some fellow writers. Her friends also linger during the next game and chat with her constantly while the game is going on.
Long short made as short as possible, I never got the five questions done. I allowed her the chance to get back with me after I had asked a couple of times and nothing. Yet, she spends this time chatting with a bunch of friends, both between games and during the game.
I mean, guys, we’re talking about five questions that would have taken a max of maybe 10 minutes. And that’s a stretch. This is one of those very short Q&A’s where you can practically breathe twice and you’re done.
And I had never had any trouble with her before and have always had a great relationship. I can’t figure this out and I’ve now missed my deadline and the bosses are wondering why I couldn’t get this done.
I mean, I went through the SID far ahead of the deadline, and followed up twice with him to see if she had gotten this done.
Was I out of line for approaching her at a game while she was watching it and checking out some players and did this **** her off or what? I was very courteous about the whole thing and after she had said she wanted to finish watching the game, I complied and made no big deal about it.
This wouldn’t bother me so much if there had been problems in the past or whatever, but we’ve always gotten along very well. And it’s not like I’m the New Joe Sportswriter on the block interviewing her for the first time. Can’t figure this one out.
Or has frustration just built up with me after the SID initially didn’t come through a couple of times of getting those questions emailed back to me?
I don’t know. First time this type of thing has happened to me.
I just feel like I’m on the short end of this situation after initially having been patient waiting on the feedback from the SID.

 

[MCbamr]

Unless it's Pat Summitt, she loses the free publicity. That would be the right approach in my opinion. Are her games selling out? Then SHE should be calling YOU.

 

[micke77]

Well, that's kinda the way I was thinking. I mean, damn, us ol' media types are the ones promoting her and the program, right? Unless I'm missing something here, guys.
And back to the time element of all of this and how much time it would take. We're not speaking about conversing via stoned tablets. First, the electronic means (e-mail). Then you've got the trusty ol' phone. Or fax. Then an actual face-to-face interview.. Again, doesn't take much time and then we're both outta here and on to more important things.....Duhhhhh.

 

[Ace]

You should not have chatted with the fellow writers after the game. You should have planted yourself there while she was chatting with her friends and not left until she did the interview.

Sometimes in this job you have to be a pushy SOB. If you act like someone who can be pushed around, you will be.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Next time ... find her car, pop her tires, and ask her as many questions as you want while you give her a lift home.

 

[WaylonJennings]

Yeah, you have to be pushy, even with people you have good relationships with. Talking to the media is just last on people's list of priorities. They mean no ill will by it, most of the time. It's just how people are conditioned.

 

[mike311gd]

You should not have chatted with the fellow writers after the game. You should have planted yourself there while she was chatting with her friends and not left until she did the interview.

Sometimes in this job you have to be a pushy SOB. If you act like someone who can be pushed around, you will be.

Exactly. Just stand next to her, between her and the door, and she'll make time for you.

I would have waited the 10 seconds before going over to her. When she wants to watch the game, let her watch the game. You've got time.

 

[Starman]

Run the 5 questions in a box with the answer lines blank.

"Coach Snootie did not respond."

 

[micke77]

Waylon and Ace....yep, sometimes my worst trait is being too "nice" and too "considerate" of the other person. honestly, I just didn't care to push the issue after having already presented the situation to her. and once her friends did get there, okay...common courtesy prompted me to allow them to chat with her...and yes, all the while I'm thinking, 'well hell, if she can bull**** with them this long, surely she can give me a max of 10 minutes or so." not even that long. see where I'm coming from. weighing one against the other, it just didn't make any sense to me.
but also again, i was farrrr too nice. and i am sure, the fact she knows me well enough, she figured it wouldn't be a big deal for me. well, obviously, it is, isn't it?
probably part of my frustration stems from not having been more pushy. i accept the blame there.

 

[WaylonJennings]

Waylon and Ace....yep, sometimes my worst trait is being too "nice" and too "considerate" of the other person. honestly, I just didn't care to push the issue after having already presented the situation to her. and once her friends did get there, okay...common courtesy prompted me to allow them to chat with her...and yes, all the while I'm thinking, 'well hell, if she can bull**** with them this long, surely she can give me a max of 10 minutes or so." not even that long. see where I'm coming from. weighing one against the other, it just didn't make any sense to me.
but also again, i was farrrr too nice. and i am sure, the fact she knows me well enough, she figured it wouldn't be a big deal for me. well, obviously, it is, isn't it?
probably part of my frustration stems from not having been more pushy. i accept the blame there.

I'm not busting your balls at all. I've been the same way hundreds of times probably - missing out because I hate to be a pest. It's a very tough part of this job. I've never gotten used to the "Yes ..." you get when you cold call somebody you don't know. Feel like a telemarketer every time. I just have learned to plow through in service of the work.

 

[rpmmutant]

She is certainly not the only coach in the area you cover. Not the only person who can do five questions. You have other options. Use them. Send the clips to SID and the coach. Let them know what they're missing. Maybe they'll come around. Maybe not. Focus on the people who want to do the interview and ignore the people who don't. Like previously stated, unless it's Pat Summit, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[WriteThinking]

This is called living according to everyone else's schedule. We do it all the time.

The media -- the print media, not TV, that is -- is usually last among people's priorities.

 

[micke77]

Waylon..hey, you're not busting my balls at all and actually I probably need that after surely being too "soft" in this situation. but hell, i don't want to be a jerk, either. sometimes you have to, but that's not my mode of operation unless pushed to the absolute corner.
Rpummutant...that's exactly what I plan to do. There's others, and plenty of them, in our area who can do the "TakeFive"...that won't be any problem at all. and folks have enjoyed seeing them and the ones i've interviewed have absolutely loved doing them. i had Willis Reed the other day as one of our subjects and he couldn't stay on the phone long enough to answer 'em. Same thing with Archie Manning, who comes into our area a lot and does a lot of celeb golf and other events. I got him via email and he gets me the answers back in less than a day. They were both super and more than cooperative.

 

[spnited]

A. Willis Reed is one of the nicest, most cooperative human beings on the planet.
B. Archie Manning loves to hear himself talk.

C. With 10 seconds left, you should have sat down next to her and as soon as the game ended, said "OK, let's take five minutes and get this thing out of the way." If she made an excuse or blew you off, scratch her from the list. Tell the SID she didn't want to do it at the game and becuase you have a deadline, you have to go get someone else who wants to cooperate.
D. The only thing you did "wrong," as others have said, was try to be polite and not pushy.

 

[micke77]

spnited....appreciate very much the feedback, from you and the others so far...yep, y'all are right: too nice, not pushy enough. and part of my urge to kick myself is also the fact that i didn't hang around after it was over and push to get it done. by then, i was in the frustration mode to where --after having tried the email/SID method, then failing on the interview--was simply put out about the whole thing.
that's why, when I got up this a.m., I said to myself, "Self, you need to pass this by your friends on SportsJournalists.com."

 

[User 1019]

Unless it's Pat Summitt, she loses the free publicity. That would be the right approach in my opinion. Are her games selling out? Then SHE should be calling YOU.

Well, that's kinda the way I was thinking. I mean, damn, us ol' media types are the ones promoting her and the program, right? Unless I'm missing something here, guys.

I really can't believe two journalists wrote these.

 

[rpmmutant]

We used to run a similar feature at my old shop. We called it Pop Quiz. Dale Jarrett, Ashley Force, Brian Vickers were very accomodating. Matt Kenseth had no interest in it. Just the way it goes sometimes.

 

[micke77]

one other thing about this situation and others where one has to sometimes wonder about why things the way they are and why folks do what they do. I don't know whether i am speaking for a lot of us on SportsJournalists.com, but for those of us who have been in this profession a good while, it's back to that line that a lot of my veteran cohorts and myself have mumbled under such circumstances: "I don't need this crap." not when one has dealt with a fair share of far tougher situations or whatever during their rather lengthy careers.

 

[mediaguy]

Are her answers really worth all this trouble? I'm with those who say move on to another coach who's willing to do something simple like this. Your editor should understand that you've gone above and beyond to get this coach and someone else will be an easier option at this point.

 

[micke77]

mediaguy...oh, i am moving on for sure.
as my late dad used to tell me when somebody would rag his ass, "you don't bother me. i've been cussed out by professionals."
so with this, after being initially frustrated and baffled by it, I've got plenty of others ready to be queried.
and nope, her five opinions or answers aren't of economy-shaking proportions. just wanted to vent a little and share this with y'all and get some feedbacks. i figured it was much better passing this situation on to y'all and hearing some opinions, all of which are appreciated.