Monthly Archives: June 2007
An Organization of Their Own
It is always heartening to see when individuals or groups overcome obstacles in their path to success. Sports have shown us many examples of this. Sports media is no different.
Back in May the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) held its 20th Anniversary convention in Dallas. The organization has had much to celebrate. Yet it still has much to overcome.
AWSM (pronounced “awesome”) was formed by a group of California-based female sportswriters as a support network to cultivate the growth of women in all aspects of sports media.
There is no doubt that in 1987 the formation of AWSM could not have come at a better time. Despite a 1978 federal court ruling granting female reporters equal access to coaches and players as their male counterparts, women in sports media was still an anomaly in the mid 1980′s.
AWSM President Vicki Michaelis is the lead Olympic writer at USA Today. She has covered sports since the early 1990′s. She says that even though women sports journalists have gained acceptance in relation to their growth in the ranks, there are still those who are being discriminated against.
“While attitudes and perceptions might have shifted overall, some individuals still cling to antiquated ideas about what we know and where we belong.”
The numbers bear out that there are more barriers to overcome for women in the sports media. A study by the Associated Press Sports Editors showed that women make up only a small portion of administrative positions on the sports desk. Even though there are more female sports reporters than ever before, just below 7 percent of them serve as columnists.
“Sports media need diversity in voice and leadership to stay relevant.” says Michaelis.
AWSM has over 475 members, with 5 to 10 percent of them being men. Since 1990 AWSM has placed more than 90 female college students as paid interns at some of the most respected and well known sports media entities across the country. The organization also provides networking and career enhancement opportunities to its members.
“The program has become the focus of AWSM’s guiding principal, which is to promote and increase diversity in sports media.” Michaelis says.
AWSM has recently received non-profit status, allowing it to increase its fundraising possibilities to ensure that its scholarship program will remain viable for years to come. It will also look to foster relationships with other journalism organizations to widen the networking opportunities for its members. Michaelis says AWSM will also soon unveil a new website, increasing accessibility and improving its online resources.
Organizations like AWSM provide a welcomed support system for its members. And AWSM has served its members well for the last 20 years. But until women are accepted as professionals in all press boxes and locker rooms, AWSM has its work cut out for it. But I wouldn’t bet against it succeeding.
(Logo courtesy of AWSM)
Sports Radio Review- The Sports Guys, KKFN, Denver
One thing I’ve learned listening to sports radio across the country is that the intensity of the programming seems to coincide with the passion of the local fan base. Fans in cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago are often recognized as some of the most loyal in the country. Fans of teams in the south and out west generally are characterized as being more laid back observers of sports.
There are some smaller cities, however, where the passion is as strong as the east coast cities. I think Denver is one of them. They have professional teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball. They have strong collegiate programs as well. And for their sports talk, they have KKFN, The Fan.
I spent about a month listening to KKFN’s morning show, The Sports Guys, featuring Marc Moser and Sandy Clough. And overall, I liked what I heard.
I was first introduced to KKFN’s morning show back in January of 2006 when the New England Patriots prepared to take on the Denver Broncos in an AFC Divisional Playoff game. Listening to Boston’s WEEI, a number of Denver fans called the station touting how the Broncos would be successful in ending the Patriots’ two year Super Bowl run. It was learned that the fans were alerted to call WEEI by Moser. I tuned in to hear what Moser was saying. He seemed pretty sure of himself that the Broncos would handle the Patriots. As we now know he was correct.
After listening to The Sports Guys for an extended period of time I was pleased to hear that they spend their show talking sports. They didn’t fall into the habit of needing to run a conventional morning show. No gimmicks. No funny bits. Just sports.
The period for which I listened was dominated early with the playoff run of the Denver Nuggets and the poor start by the Colorado Rockies. Moser and Clough lamented about the exploits of both teams and used their talents to ask questions that were probably on the minds of Denver fans.
The pair seemed to read the writing on the wall when it came to the Nuggets’ chances against the San Antonio Spurs, even though Denver won game one on the road. Although hoping for an upset, Moser and Clough knew beating the Spurs would be an uphill battle. Again, they were right.
When it came to the Rockies, The Sports Guys were merciless in their criticism. No one was immune. There was a point when the pair called out the club’s principal owners, Charles and Richard Monfort, seeking answers as to why the Rockies were struggling. It’s this persistence that I’m sure fans of the show appreciate from Moser and Clough.
Unlike other morning shows looking to jam hours of information into a 20 minute segment, The Sports Guys take things slow. They delve into subjects in depth. During this period they talked daily with Drew Goodman, the TV voice of the Rockies on FSN Rocky Mountain. They do sprinkle their talk with other interviews which normally add to the discussion. They also mix in callers, albeit in measured doses.
The Sports Guys do provide listeners with some conventional morning show fare with regular local traffic updates. They also provide sports news updates from Karen Kay. I was impressed with her sound and professionalism until I noticed through this blog entry that she does not work for KKFN but records the morning updates after her late shift with Fox Sports Radio. That is not a smart move on the part of the radio station. Isn’t there someone locally they can use to do the updates? Does it cost THAT much? Although the updates are only twice an hour, not having a local personalilty does take away a little from the flow of the show.
Overall I liked what I got from The Sports Guys. They have an understanding as to what the sports fan in Denver expects from their teams and it shows in the topics they discuss. With Denver being a football town I am sure the Broncos dominate the KKFN airwaves each fall. It’s worth your while to check in with Moser and Clough to hear what’s up with the sports scene in the Mile High City.
(Photo courtesy of KKFN)
SMJ Interview- Brian Powell, Awful Announcing
I’ve always been intrigued about the work people do to create and maintain their blogs. Like me, most of these bloggers do this on their spare time. Juggling work and family many times puts what I do here on the back burner. Beleive me I wouldn’t want it any other way.
When I visit some of my favorite links (listed in the left sidebar) I am amazed at the number of posts these bloggers log each day. It’s inspiring and drives me to post more often.
One of those bloggers is Brian Powell, who runs the ever popular Awful Announcing site, which celebrated its first anniversary last month. Powell is known for his irreverence and his stinging commentary on those who announce and analyze sports. In between posts Powell was good enough to answer questions about himself and the site.
SMJ- Tell me a little about yourself, where you grew up and how did sports influence your upbringing?
A.A.-That obviously plays into my love for Sports and the idea to start the site, so….good question. I played pretty much every sport there was to play growing up. In high school I think I might have come close to the school record. I dabbled in Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Track, Cross Country, Soccer, Lacrosse, and at one point….Hockey. By my Senior year it was only Cross Country, Basketball, and Track and while I received DIII scholarship offers for bball I went with a DI to run track and Cross Country. So what does that have to do with announcing? I have no idea.
SMJ- What do you do for a living? (If you can say) How does your job help/impede your work on the site? How difficult is it to post because this is not your full time job?
A.A.- You’d never guess what I did for a living, but I do work with a former NBA player. That doesn’t help with the site at all I just wanted to brag.
Basically my job is doing Internet research all day long, so there’s ample time for me to peruse the interwebs.
SMJ- How did you come up with the idea for Awful Announcing? Is there a story about how you came up with the name?
A.A.-The idea for the site had been floating around in my head for about 3 years before I actually took steps to create it (if entering awfulannouncing.blogspot at blogger is a form of creationism). The story goes like this. One of the first memories I have from any Sport is the 1986 Orange Bowl and my father going apes*** after everything the announcer said.
If you go back and watch that game pretty much everything that Charlie Jones predicts plays out the exact opposite. If that was today I’d have a field day. Soooo…..I learned it by watching YOU DAD!
As far as the name…..I got the idea from an awesome site called Basketbawful, and went with alliteration as the hook.
SMJ- What were your goals for the site in the early going? How were you able to promote it?
A.A.- To be completely honest…..I had zero goals. I sucked at writing (still do), and I had never even read a blog besides Deadspin. I randomly emailed Will (from Deadspin) and said I loved his work and to check out my site. He linked it the next day, and I almost passed out. Since then, things have just been snowballing. The USC Cheerleader Incident is obviously what the site is most known for and started it on its roll.
SMJ- How has the site evolved over its first year?
A.A.-I don’t even know how to answer that….that’s a question for the readers. I hate when people say “they found their voice”….that’s crap. I’ve always wrote the same way (crappy)….I’ve just found better material and focused on certain things that the readers enjoy.
I’m basically addicted to the site now, and that dedication is what gets it noticed.
SMJ- Does anyone else help you with the site?
A.A.-God everyone in the whole Blogosphere helps/helped me. Anyone who’s ever linked me I owe a beer too, and thankfully that’s a lot of drinks. The first few were the biggies, so I can’t thank them enough…..Deadspin, The Big Lead, and Mister Irrelevant I owe my blogging career to.
As far as the specific site….I have the best “weekend editor” on the face of the earth. Sorry MJD, but it’s true. Brian from One More Dying Quail has turned weekends at AA into in a event, and comes up with a new Red Sox post every hour to keep it fresh (Just Kidding OMDQ). I also have regular live-blog and special feature contributors that we call the Channel 4 News Team. Extrapolater writes the Press Buffet for the weekend, and Signal to Noise, Run Up The Score, and Marco from Just Call Me Juice fill out the roster.
Without them the site would be a lot worse off. I can’t thank them enough.
SMJ- Where do you get your topics for the site?
A.A.-Anywhere and everywhere. I started out writing very long posts trying to explain how ridiculous certain announcers were. And while that worked, it doesn’t compare to actual video that you can embed and have people verify what you saw. No one besides me is up watching Women’s Softball at 3am, so if some girl loses her top….I have to show someone.
The rest come from Newspapers, Advertising/Industry Pubs, and the Blogosphere.
SMJ- You rely on a lot of video clips. Do you surf You Tube for them, get some referred to you, or both?
A.A.-I’d love to give away my secret, but I wouldn’t want to give someone a leg up. Just kidding. I watch about 4 TV programs that aren’t sports…..every other second of the day I’m up to my eyes in athletics. I watch more games than anyone on the face of the earth. Hell, I watch the WNBA if it’s the only thing on. Probably 60% of the videos you see are the ones I stole….or, uhh…..pulled.
If Michael Jordan comes out of retirement, and drops 50 on Lebron, I can have the video up in 20 minutes while you’re still watching the postgame interview. It all goes back to the point above. You can tell people all day long about what you saw and they can call b.s. But if you show them….they can only sometime(s) call b.s.
SMJ- How much sports do you watch in a given week?
A.A.-I couldn’t even begin to count. I probably don’t watch about 4 hours of the total week’s schedule.
SMJ- From where do you get your sports information? What are some of your favorite websites?
A.A.-I always love this question in interviews. It always seems like people rub each other’s backs and just mention the same sites over and over. That bothers me. Of course you read Deadspin…..my dad reads Deadspin.
Everyone on my “Friends of AA” section I’ve been in contact with, and more than likely got something from.
Here’s a short list of “not gigantic” sites I go to everyday. Ballhype, Babes Love Baseball, Bullets Forever, Deuce of Davenport, Digital Headbutt, Flash Warner, Gheorghe The Blog, Girls Gone Sports, Golden State of Mind, If I Ran, Joe Sports Fan, Just Call Me Juice, La Revolucion, Ladies…, Larry Brown Sports, Leave the Man Alone, Mondesi’s House, One More Dying Quail, Run Up The Score, Signal To Noise, Sports Gone South, The 700 Level, The Big Picture, The Hog Blogger, Thunder Matt’s Saloon, and WBRS Sports
Okay, not a short list, but every one of those sites is awesome so you have to check them out.
SMJ- Do you feel some sports bloggers should have access to team press boxes and locker rooms? Why?
A.A.-I think that’s an obvious yes, but only for the sites that cover actual teams. Would I love to sit in a Press Box and rag on the writers for 3 hours? Of course. Do I expect it to happen? Not a chance.
SMJ- Quick shots…
A.A.-I’m going with word association with these names….I hope you don’t mind me taking over the question.
SMJ- Best Play-by-Play Announcer? Why?
A.A.- Marv Albert: Class
SMJ- Worst Play-by Play Announcer? Why?
A.A.-Joe Buck: Ego
SMJ- Best Color Analyst? Why?
A.A.- Bill Raftery: Energy
SMJ- Worst Color Analyst? Why?
A.A.- Joe Morgan: Asinine
SMJ- Best Studio Host? Why?
A.A.- Ernie Johnson: In-Control
SMJ- Worst Studio Host? Why?
A.A.- Dan Patrick (NBA on ABC): Overwhelmed
SMJ- Best Studio Analyst? Why?
A.A.- Charles Barkley: Honest
SMJ- Worst Studio Analyst? Why?
A.A.- Steve Phillips: Clueless
SMJ- Now that you are in year two, what are your plans for the site going forward?
A.A.- Just more of the same. It gets frustrating when someone like CNNSI links you….you get 30,000 hits in a day…..and then none of them come back. My goal is to keep those people coming back.
Look, 9 times out of 10 I give you something you haven’t seen anywhere else. I purposely skip most stories that have already been covered by the larger sites, but I always find the thing that will make you chuckle. Seriously, how many NCAA Tournament Previews can you read before you go numb? 10….15??? Come to my site and find out which announcer will be calling your favorite team, and why it will make your day when you find out it’s Gus Johnson.
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Powell has the right attitude when it comes to his site…sports is supposed to be fun, and sometimes it needs to made fun of. Awful Announcing is a great place for that release.
Live From Louisville…It’s the NCAA!!
The convergence of blogging and sports reporting took a cruel turn yesterday after Brian Bennett of the Louisville Courier-Journal was evicted from the press box at last night’s University of Louisville’s College World Series-berth clinching game over Oklahoma State. Why was Bennett banned? Because the NCAA determined that his blogging from the game site was in violation of its rules on reproduction of game accounts. The Courier-Journal’s account is here. Bennett’s so-called non-conforming blog activity is here.
As you can see, what Bennett did is done by many sports reporters, and non-reporters for that matter, providing live blogging of events as it is unfolding. I don’t like the term “live” blogging because, in fact, the blogging takes place after the play is completed.
I never understood the need for “live” blogging from an athletic event. If the goal is to simply describe the events that just took place, why would anyone seek out a newspaper website for that information? My first stop would be the television broadcast of the event. Or, if I didn’t have access to a television but did have Internet access, I would seek out either ESPN or other media outlets that are providing live updates. Even then I would do so sporadically, not spending any prolonged period of time glued to my PC for the details of the game. Bennett said people enjoyed his posts, receiving over 10,000 hits during the earlier rounds of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
If the blogging, however, consisted of analysis of what happened or information not gleaned from the television broadcast, then I would be more inclined to read about it, although again not for any long stretches. There’s a lot that can be gained from reporters at the scene of the game which would not necessarily be picked-up by television or radio broadcasts, adding more flavor for those at home. These “behind-the-scenes” moments fit well into the notion of blogging during a game.
Here is part of a memo that was sent around to the media at Patterson Stadium in Louisville prior to the three game Super Regional:
The College World Series Media Coordination staff along with the NCAA Broadcasting group needs to remind all media coordinators that any statistical or other live representation of the Super Regional games falls under the exclusive broadcasting and Internet rights granted to the NCAA’s official rights holders and therefore is not allowed by any other entity. Since blogs are considered a live representation of the game, any blog that has action photos or game reports, including play-by-play, scores or any in-game updates, is specifically prohibited. In essence, no blog entries are permitted between the first pitch and the final out of each game.
The memo clearly states that blogging during the game was prohibited. The part that I question is the following:
Since blogs are considered a live representation of the game, any blog that has action photos or game reports, including play-by-play, scores or any in-game updates, is specifically prohibited.
Who determined that blogs are a “live representation of the game”? What standards did they use?
The NCAA will surely catch some flack as a result of this episode at a time when it should be focusing on getting positive publicity for sports like baseball which generally do not receive the same attention as football and basketball. They should embrace “live” blogging from an event as a way to spread the word about these sports. What Bennett did in no way infringed on the rights holders’ exclusivity to the “live representation of the game”.
If nothing else this will be a test case as to the definition of “live representation of the game”. I fall in line with the Journal-Courier’s initial assertion that reporting of the facts after a play does not negatively impcact upon the exclusivity of the rights holder.
I wonder who is really driving this action? Is it solely the NCAA, or are some of the rights holders holding its feet to the fire? This should be an interesting case to follow.
SMJ Interview- Larry Dougherty, Temple University
There is more to sports media than reporters. There are hundreds of people who work for professional teams and collegiate athletic programs whose job it is to interact with the press in support of their organizations.
I have always felt that handling the press needs for a NCAA Division I program is probably one of the most demanding jobs in sports media. I was pleased to have the opportunity to interview Larry Dougherty, the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Temple University. Dougherty oversees the media needs for the University’s 24 athletic programs.
Dougherty’s story is one that I am sure is no different from others in the collegiate media relations field. But his is one with a proud family lineage.
SMJ- Can you tell us a little about your background, where you grew up, and how you developed your interest in sports?
L.D.- I grew up in Upper Darby, PA – a suburb of Philadelphia. My interest in sports, as well as sports media relations, stems from my father. He served as the Sports Information Director (SID) at Saint Joseph’s University from 1972-81. He was also a rabid sports fan, and instilled his passion in his five children.
SMJ- Were you an athlete? If so what were your athletic aspirations?
L.D.- I would not term myself an athlete. I played sports growing up, but was never quite good enough to make the varsity. So, like my father – guess I inherited his genes as well – became a manager of my high school boys basketball team, and then the women’s basketball team at Saint Joseph’s.
SMJ- How did you get started professionally? What inspired you to follow your career track? Is it safe to say your father Andy (who was Sports Information Director at St. Joseph’s from 1972-1981) played a major role in your career choice?
L.D.-I guess I have already answered this. To go into greater detail, I saw the passion my father had for making sure all that was good in college sports was pushed in his job as SID. Not just in basketball, the major media sport at SJU, but all of the Olympic sports as well.
SMJ- What led you to your current position at Temple?
L.D.-Well, I started my career at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, LA in 1984, and moved from there, to the now defunct East Coast Conference, back to Nicholls, then to my alma mater- St. Joe’s – for 15 wonderful years. I left SJU four years ago to move to Temple. The reason was career-oriented as Temple has Division I-A football.
SMJ- What does your job, in a nutshell, entail?
L.D.- I feel our job in media relations is maintaining a positive image of your institution through your athletic teams, student-athletes, coaches and administrators. It is selling your school to prospective students – not just student-athletes – in the media through the most visible vehicle of any school – its’ athletic programs.
SMJ- What types of information does your department disseminate to the press? In what form?
L.D.- We disseminate press releases, announcements, game recaps, schedules, media guides – in printed form or electronic messages.
SMJ- You have a staff of five (according to the Temple website), what role does your staff play in the operation of the department?
L.D.- Each member of my staff is given “beats” or athletic teams that they are responsible for. We split the sports up so that the person covering say, men’s soccer, is well-versed in the sport and can facilitate any media requests. Also, that person is responsible for maintaining the website for the team and making sure the publications regarding that program are done in a timely fashion. We also have one person, Al Shrier, who is our historian (53 years at Temple) and also handles media credential requests, media parking and media food at events.
SMJ- What role do students play in lending a hand?
L.D.- We are fortunate to work at a school with not only a strong sport management program, but also communications, journalism and public relations. We typically get a student intern or two to work in the office per year. Those students may handle the media relations for an Olympic sport. We also use student workers at games as runners, carrying stats to the media, etc., as well as set-up and disseminating credentials.
SMJ- There are 24 Division I-A varsity sports at Temple. How difficult is it to juggle all of them in getting all the information you need? How cooperative are the coaches and student athletes?
L.D.- As we have a large staff it is not as difficult as it is at say, a Division II or III school. It can be a little hectic during the change-over from say fall-to-winter season, or winter-to-spring, as one person may have two-three active sports.
SMJ- How important is the university website in the dissemination of information? Does it put more pressure on your staff to now be a member of the media, in essence, when creating content for the site? How has the advances in technology in general impacted how you do your job?
L.D.- By University website, I am going to assume you mean the athletic website – Two different things. I believe it is very important as media go to the site constantly for information regarding teams, student-athletes, stats, etc. This new media has been tremendous, but at the same time – a burden – for media relations staffers. The information must be updated constantly and there is constant pressure to make sure information is disseminated in a timely manner. The job has never been more 24/7 than it is today with the advent of websites.
SMJ- How many sports media organizations cover the University on a regular basis?
L.D.- In Philadelphia we have numerous media outlets that cover the athletic programs, but on a regular basis I would limit it to the two main papers – the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, a few suburban papers, the student newspaper and the Associated Press. Electronic media is hit-and-miss as there are so many teams/schools in the media coverage area.
SMJ- Are the student based media organizations on campus afforded the same access as the traditional “working” press?
L.D.- Yes, I treat the Temple News the same as the Inquirer. They are the writers of tomorrow, and there are many former Temple News writers in the professional ranks now.
SMJ- What is the university’s protocol for handling requests by media outside of the Temple media market? Are there some opponents that carry with it more media attention than others? Which ones?
L.D.-We handle all visiting media requests through the visiting SID. If we get a request that comes from an outlet we are unfamiliar with we will check with that team’s SID to see if it is legitimate. Rarely will we turn down a legitimate media request as we have large media facilities at both the Liacouras Center and Lincoln Financial Field.
SMJ- Is it a little disappointing that all the sports at Temple may not get the same media attention as the big revenue sports like football and basketball? How much more difficult is it to try to generate interest in those sports? What do you try to do to change this?
L.D.-To me it is very disappointing, but I am also a realist. The Inquirer and Daily News must service their readership and they utilize the space they have for high-interest sports. We still pitch away at stories and when we land one, like we did with our softball player – Adrienne Repsher – who was a First Team Academic All-American – it is very satisfying.
SMJ- Is it safe to assume that although it may carry more work, you would prefer an overflow press box at each sporting event, reflecting a successful season? Does such a scenario provide you with more excitement, yet more pressure to meet the needs of the media?
L.D.-I would hope no one in my profession would want anything less than a high-demand for their event. It is definitely more work, but something I think we all thrive on in our profession. Normally, like with our men’s basketball game against Duke at the Wachovia Center two years ago, we can anticipate the demand and have the proper staffing. One of the most important things we need to do is that when we are at capacity, that we service the media well. As we want them to feel good about our program and want to come back.
SMJ- What is a typical gameday for you and your staff?
L.D.-A typical gameday consists of going through a checklist to ensure that all is ready as you are hosting an event. Setting up the press area, name tags, etc., making sure all of the credentials are ready, parking list is complete, media food ordered. Game notes copied and in the media room. Fax list from the visiting team is in your possession. Student workers are in place. Stat computers and monitors are at the venue. Phone lines are operational. Then when the game begins, everything should in place.
SMJ- Are there some media members more demanding than others? How do you handle them?
L.D.- Yes, there are some “high-maintenance” media members, as there are “high maintenance” people in all aspects of life. We try to help them with all of their requests, and when we can not provide the information, or interview, that they are requesting, we just professionally explain our policies and procedures.
SMJ- Can you share with us a request made by a member of the media that was a little out of the ordinary?
L.D.- A few years back a print reporter asked to go inside our men’s basketball locker room prior to the game to decide the Atlantic 10 Regular season championship. And, if we did not win the game, we would not get a story. I asked the coach, and we were able accommodate. It helped that it was the New York Times.
SMJ- What do you like best about your job?
L.D.- I like placing the human interest stories about our student-athletes. They are role models and there are so many good stories that can inspire our youth. When we are successful in placing one, it give me a good feeling.
SMJ- What aspects of the job are you not so thrilled about?
L.D.- The long hours and time away from my family.
SMJ- What are your plans for the future?
L.D.- Hopefully, one day I will become an Athletic Director at a Division I University.
There are those in the sports media who take the work of someone like Dougherty for granted. That’s too bad. For without these hard working communications professionals, the reporter’s work would be much more difficult.
Larry Dougherty photo courtesy of Temple University.
