What’s it like to cover a college sporting event from the press box?
Well, after shadowing OSU Lantern Sports Editor Noah Weiskopf for the softball game against Purdue, I can confidently say it’s awesome.
The sights and sounds were intense: printers actively supplying updated lineups and stats, doors opening, doors closing, people constantly coming in and out, looking at the officials for confirmation of plays, trying to predict what will happen next, finding the right story angle… this is what you should expect throughout the duration of a game.
The press box allows a reporter to cover the game in a professional way. It was an opportunity I had dreamed about since I was a little kid.
Sitting in a room with fellow reporters, data statisticians, announcers and photographers, you feel important. You feel confident. You’re sitting there with a credential around your neck, and you feel as though you are living your dreams. Well, I guess probably because you are.
It’s important to be alert in this type of situation. Jotting down everything you think could be used in a story. After all, it’s better to have more than you need as opposed to less.
Ohio State’s pitcher walked two batters in an inning, and I looked at Noah. We both wrote this down because maybe it would turn out to be crucial information – whether it was used or not, having it written down gave me comfort.
By the sixth inning, we had a pretty good read on how the game was playing out. We wrote a lede and nut graph, aware that it might need to be tweaked, depending on how the seventh inning played out.
After reviewing the key aspects of the game and deciding what the most important questions were to ask, we felt prepared for our interviews.
When the game ended, the Sports Information Director brought me down to a private area where the athletes and coaches exit after the game.
Here, I stood with Noah Weiskopf, my mind wandering and eyes trying to take everything in, as we asked the Coach and a star player about key points for the story we would soon publish.
Although the Buckeyes have had an impressive and historic season, it was important to zoom in on this specific game in the interviews.
The interviews gave us just enough information to tie our whole story together. Inserting quotes into the gaps of an already drafted story is my favorite part of this process. It’s amazing to see everything come together in a cohesive manner.
Overall, covering a game from the press box is the real deal. It provides the opportunities that every serious reporter is looking for.
