As a kid growing up I was constantly at the park playing whatever game was currently in season. I played Little League baseball and played baseball, basketball and a little football in middle school and high school.
I love sports. So to actually get paid to attend the Cougar games and write them up for the News-Gazette seems almost like stealing to me.
The biggest problem I have as a sportswriter is staying objective. In doing my job, I get to know the coaches and players pretty well. I like all of them and I can't help hoping they succeed.
That sometimes comes out when I am on the scene, covering the games. I can't help it. And I feel it is not totally unprecedented that people covering games may be biased. Think Harry Carey wasn't rooting for the Cubs?
I remember reading an article as a young man in which Russ Hodges, the longtime radio announcer for the New York, then San Francisco Giants, answered a question about his objectivity when he called games. He admitted to being for the Giants.
He said you couldn't be around the team for years on end without rooting for them deep down. That's why when he called, "You can tell that one goodbye!" he was always a little more enthusiastic when it was a Giant who hit it out.
However, I feel I am overly fair once I actually begin to write the story. If the Cougars mess up, I say that. If the other teams does something great, I acknowledge that fact.
What I do not do, and have never done, is mention someone in my stories because of their standing in the community.
That is why it was particularly unsettling last week when a woman came up to me on the sidelines during a lull in the action of the freshman football game to ask me a pointed question.
I always try to be approachable to anyone. I may not always remember who you are, but I will always listen to a comment or a question.
However, this lady really hit a hot button with me and I was not very cordial. What she asked was, "What does your name have to be to be mentioned in your paper?"
Essentially she was accusing me of a bias of some kind that was keeping her son or daughter from being mentioned in the paper.
I have heard that kind of thing before. For whatever reason, there are people in this community that harbor ill feelings towards others because they feel those people have more influence, or power, or money, or social standing or whatever, than they do themselves.
Those folks have worked to get where they are and if you resent that, that's your problem. Don't inflict your insecuities on other people and don't accuse me of a bias that I will never be guilty of.
If your son or daughter does something on the field or the court that is worthy of recognition, I want to know about it and I want to report it to the community.
Not every player, manager, trainer or coach will be recognized, but I will always do my best to be fair and accurate in my reporting.
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