The Fine Line

Interesting read in today's Cedar Rapids Gazette by Jim Ecker on the placement of, most notably, print media at many of today's sporting venues. His most recent complaint is where they were located for Wednesday night's Iowa - Indiana basketball game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. In order to report on the game they were forced to watch from the last rows behind the student section and band, located behind the basket. Most of their time was spent standing and watching around the many in red wigs as well as tuba players. Print media has been forced to these remote locations to allow those who donate bigger bucks to sit courtside. Ecker wasn't compaining about being moved, and I believe he understands the move, but his point is that being forced to watch from such an odd location diminishes his opportunity to do a job.

First of all, from personal experience, Indiana tends to do things backwards. Having dealt with similar staff for football games, what Ecker went through was no surprise. On a trip in 2002 we had to deal with a press box going through some renovations. The shooting platform for our cameras did not have a solid floor with dirt, mud and standing water--not conducive to electrical equipment. IU staff members were reluctant to assist until I made a loud point of how "they'd only care if this was the basketball arena."

Then on our most recent trip for football we found the two small elevators were slow and tended to cater to donor, rather than the working people. It was tiresome walking up 9+ flights of stairs to the roof of the Memorial Stadium press box.

However what the IU staff doesn't understand on this recent media flap is that there is a line between being a fan and working at the game.

Fans are there to get away from the office. Screaming, standing and supporting your team while disrupting the visitors are among the qualities of a fan. Many fans become something different than what you would see in their board room earlier in the day. They may have been drinknig and subsequently taken on a new persona.

Typicall the media sits at their seat, watches, takes notes and observes while writing a story in preparation for a deadline. They must concentrate as well write while the action in in progress. These two worlds cannot co-exist.

I must admit I have become spoiled by spending most of my time shooting from a secluded press section at Kinnick Stadium. However our most recent football game found my loaction in the middle of a Hawkeye cheering section at Raymond James Stadium. Beer was being poured non-stop in front of me, and early in the second half an Iowa fan yelled at me and my colleagues from South Carolina to "shut the camera off...the game is over." The first time was mildly humorous, but the second or third was annoying and he struggled to understand why we were ignoring him. The last thing I want to do is summon security. A similar run in with a fan occurred at the Cap One Bowl in 2005. An LSU fan called me Bob Saget, and I in return, once the Tigers scored to cut the lead from 12 to 5, said that I thought he had gone home as I hadn't heard a word from him since the first quarter. It was friendly ribbing between two as I shook his hand following the game, but not every incident ends kindly.

My point is that there is a distinct line between being a fan and being in a working capacity. Very few times do they go together. Placing print media within a student section is ridiculous. I mean seriously, who thinks of this? Ecker in the article goes on to say that many arenas are slowly moving the media further away from the court. In these economic times it is evident to give the closer seats to fans who are willing to pay the high prices. I don't think many would argue that, but if you invite the media to cover the event, you need to give them a place to do their job.

Fans are fans and they pay for a designated seat. That ticket allows some freedoms, but it should be contained to that seat. Media are there to cover the game, and if treated well, can be the best free publicity any school can ask for. But IU needs to understand there is a line. The fans belong in the stands (not on the field post game either), and the news media is allowed a place to work.