Alan Goldenbach, writer for the Washington Post and professor at the University of Maryland-College Park, spoke about many things and was a fantastic person to listen to.
Access is a huge issue nowadays with sports. Here are some things that Alan mentioned
Pack journalism was an interesting topic he mentioned.
- It involves the many, many journalists who “pack” together in a room to interview and gather information about the person/team they are following.
The example he used was with Mike Shanahan, coach of the Washington Redskins. Before or after a game, he only has so many minutes to talk to the press. All those journalists want to ask their questions and get their own take on the game for their stories.
In contrast to pack journalism is what Alan called “Lone wolf journalism.”
- This is mainly the journalist who is covering a local high school team and doesn’t need to worry about other journalists hounding the same player or coach.
When interviewing a local high school athlete, you don’t need to only talk about the game and strictly ask them “interviewing questions” about the game. Try to talk about other things to make the player feel comfortable because as high schoolers, they may not be as comfortable as a professional player when doing interviews, but at least you have time to talk with them and get to know them.
More information into the shortest amount of space possible. Condense everything when you can.
“Shooting the breeze” with players and coaches during emails can help get lots of information out of them. This simply includes talking to them about things other than just the game. Make them feel comfortable with you.
He mentioned a story about a high school player with a nagging groin injury who has had trouble all season staying consistent. He would never have known why if he hadn’t asked the coach about the player just to keep the conversation going.
