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I Am a Media Member, Not a Fan

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That sounds incredibly mundane. You don't have to be a homer, for your team, but to disassociate yourself from the team you're covering just sounds boring. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I like when I read a "professional" fan's opinion. I'd rather read, or listen to, a sport's writer/announcer, who is a fan. Good luck though, bud.
 
I suspect you are actually both a media member and a fan. You are professional enough to be both.

I have seen it in a number of professions, in particular, attorneys.

I have seen attorneys fight like heck against each other in a courtroom arguing their side and then eat supper together and be fine.

You are ingrained as a fan. Your blood runs garnet.

You are a professional now and as such, conduct yourself as a media member.

Change professions, and I bet you would be a diehard Gamecock fan as before.

You should be commended, if you can keep the two separated.
 
Different people have different styles, obviously. Seeing as how I actively pulled for the team for the first 18 years of my life, I think I'm more effective as a writer if I can remove myself from the emotions of the game. I thoroughly enjoy watching college sports, including South Carolina games, regardless of the way those games play out.
 
Okay. Okay. I get your point. Tell me why NO Clemson grad/fan in the media feels the same way. Know of one? Come forth. Betcha can't.

Btw, I really get sick to my stomach when 'aisle crossers' get on their bandwagon. Leave that practice to Senator Graham. USC has a RR overpass to get funded (Assembly Street near the 'Strom'), and he'll need some Dems' support to get it done.
This post was edited on 1/28 2:42 PM by 67gamecock
 
I like your story, but I don't buy it really. You have your fandom completely restrained and you deny it because you think you job requires you to, but you are still a fan I bet.
 
Now... I hope you won't take this the wrong way Mr. Lane, because I think for many fans the thought of being PAID to watch and talk/ write about sports is a DREAM JOB- but to say you were such a rabid Gamecock fan for so many years and have given up that passion to pursue your WORK? Well... That is sad. Really sad. There are plenty of successful media members in the same press box as you writing and talking about our sports teams, getting paid for it... Who are STILL HUGE FANS. Some are employed by the University, some are not... You should not have to limit, change or refuse your own feelings/ fan hood to pursue your job. You say you sat in that box and watched us get blasted in tater town and it didn't bother you? Not even a little bit? I don't buy that either... I think most of us expected it, and after a season of but wrenching failures and disappointment even I was a little numb to that particular loss... But even in my lack of surprise and my total confidence that it was going to get ugly... Watching it still sucked. If you ever were a fan of this team- which obviously you were for most of your life- I don't see how you can just "turn it off". Say that you react in a professional manner, deny yourself the ability to cheer or erupt in anger while in a press box, don't wear the colors as often to promote your neutral professional stance- all fine and acceptable... But to say you a re no longer a fan? Yet still hope to go echo e employed by the University so you CAN be a fan again? That is a mixed message man... Not saying you a re not being honest with US in what you wrote, more that you may not be totally honest ypto yourself about this...

I could better understand you taking your neutrality so serious if you were employed by ESPN as a reporter of all sports/ teams... Or if you were even a writer for say the State Newspaper or a comparable media outlet... But you are working for a GAMECOCK WEBSITE. Nobody is going to be the least bit surprised to know you have been a fan your whole life of this team and it might in fact reinforce your credentials as an expert on the subject to advertise that fact. JMHO.
 
I am not necessarily a fan of young men 18 - 20 either. But I am Garnet and Black until the day I die. Media people are in no position to have a condescending attitude towards "fans" I could never be an unbiased reporter.
Fans are the lifeblood and heartbeat of a team. Fans aren't afraid to stand up and support their teams.I respect a person who lays all their cards on the table and leave no doubt as to what they feel and where their loyalties lie.
 
I don't think it's necessary to post something like that. Why? Because now some may think you're going to bend over backward to be "unbiased" and go the other way. It's just natural.

Try to be like Kirk Herbstreit. Despite being a former OSU QB most would think most folks believe he's does a pretty good job playing it down the middle. Inside I'm sure he was jumping up and down after that title game but he didn't show it.
 
I would much prefer to be a fan.

Life is too short to go and sit and watch college sporting events and pretend not to care who wins or loses - or maybe really not care who wins or loses.

#1) no matter how much a "media member" protests, 95% of the public considers you a fan of the school you cover if you spend years and years covering them - that goes more so if you graduated from that school.

So maybe in your own mind it feels better to "not be a fan" - but just realize almost everyone else considers you a fan regardless of what you say, write, or write about.

The media members can wear brown paper sacks to the football games- but most of them are Gamecock fans- and that's ok.
 
Question for Media Vs. Fan....What is the difference?

You state that you are a fan of Lander, Wofford, and Converse. Is it your opinion that it is acceptable to root for those three colleges, but not the University of South Carolina? If Carolina plays Wofford, Lander or Converse, will you pull against USC?
 
Media - as a group - are an arrogant bunch. This is not to say one individual happens to be that way.

Some of it comes from access. Many tend to think that they have the access because they are a special breed - when the actual reason for their access is their employer has some sort of relationship (good, bad) with the object of their reporting.

That's why I often get tickled when I see coaches and players diss the media.

I know they have a job to do- but they take themselves awfully seriously most of the time.

No doubt. I had much rather be a fan (good or bad).




Originally posted by bitemeiptay:

Media people are in no position to have a condescending attitude towards "fans" I could never be an unbiased reporter.

Fans are the lifeblood and heartbeat of a team. Fans aren't afraid to stand up and support their teams.I respect a person who lays all their cards on the table and leave no doubt as to what they feel and where their loyalties lie.
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Re: Question for Media Vs. Fan....What is the difference?

Ever notice how some media members will wear t-shirts or hats of another team? It seems pretty common.

Often you'll see a local reporter with a digital recorder or smartphone shoved up near Spurrier's face while wearing a Cubs hat, or a Red Sox hat. (or something similar)

They are fans too. We get that.

(one "media" member in South Carolina (not Columbia) I won't name has proclaimed that loudly before too- and once I got interested enough to look up one of the social media account and there they were with their family- with all of them at various times wearing shirts and hats (some like family pictures at the beach) of that very same team. Yeah- not a fan indeed.




Originally posted by garnet & black:
You state that you are a fan of Lander, Wofford, and Converse. Is it your opinion that it is acceptable to root for those three colleges, but not the University of South Carolina? If Carolina plays Wofford, Lander or Converse, will you pull against USC?
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This post was edited on 1/28 1:46 PM by Rollerdude123

This post was edited on 1/28 1:47 PM by Rollerdude123
 
"Media - as a group - are an arrogant bunch."

I 100% agree with that comment. Not to get too political but there was a survey of newsroons after the 2008 election. Eighty percent said they voted for Obama. But then they say "doesn't affect my reporting, I'm a professional". Really? I don't believe it for a minute. That's always drives me crazy but they stick to that story.

Anyway, no Clemson fan is going to believe a graduate of USC and fan for 16 years writing for a site called Gamecock Cereal is going to be unbiased. No way.
 
If you expect the folks here to understand this, you're crazy. These folks actually think The State -- which gets on its knees and blows USC 7 days a week -- is biased AGAINST us. Dude, folks here WANT a rah-rah homer goober.
 
Well, I don't want that either.

Most of my Gamecock fan friends are more brutal on the Gamecocks than anyone else could ever be- but they are also the biggest fans too.




Originally posted by Jack_Burton:

folks here WANT a rah-rah homer goober.
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Originally posted by GWMorris:

Originally posted by Rollerdude123:

Media - as a group - are an arrogant bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
How many of them do you actually know well enough to accurately judge what they are as a group?
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Every one that I have met has acted like an arrogant "know it all". Not sure at what point they start thinking so highly of themselves and their opinions.
 
Re: Well are least you are not like a certain former Upstate

recruiting 'analysts' whom used to proclaim to be a lifelong fan of UF not at all because they were the dominate football power in the SEC East at the time....

He, of course, was from Irmo, graduated from Tater U and later got sanctioned for calling recruits and constantly extolling them into considering Tater U even to kids whom had never listed that school as an option.

Soon after the recruiting service went under, why lo and behold, this media member came out as the biggest Tater homer on a certain station in the Upstate.


Nothing was funnier than listening to the WCCCP crew having to bite their tongues when SC was going for their Baseball NC on the radio, then happening to be at the Clemson University Golf Course and overhearing all their radio host son the range with other Clemson fans planning where they were having the rooting for UCLA party and betoching about the reality SC may be about to win a National Championship.

They were high fiving other Tater fans with "Go Bruins"....it was hilarious...the rump hurt going on that day.
 
Originally posted by johnnyplaid:
Originally posted by GWMorris:

Originally posted by Rollerdude123:

Media - as a group - are an arrogant bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
How many of them do you actually know well enough to accurately judge what they are as a group?
Click to expand...
Every one that I have met has acted like an arrogant "know it all". Not sure at what point they start thinking so highly of themselves and their opinions.
Click to expand...
How many have you met?
 
Originally posted by GWMorris:


Originally posted by johnnyplaid:

Originally posted by GWMorris:


Originally posted by Rollerdude123:


Media - as a group - are an arrogant bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
How many of them do you actually know well enough to accurately judge what they are as a group?
Click to expand...
Every one that I have met has acted like an arrogant "know it all". Not sure at what point they start thinking so highly of themselves and their opinions.
Click to expand...
How many have you met?
Click to expand...
I think the first one I met was in college, working in retail. A local tv guy came in frequently and acted like a complete jerk every time. I think he's still on tv in Columbia. I won't mention names but he was a "Jack" hole.
 
Next time you have this feeling, just take a selfie and post it to Facebook. Then everyone can gaze at you. This is what you really want. There's nothing like writing a whole article about yourself. I see an ESPN career ahead - where they are neither fans nor media members nor journalists...they are narcissists.
 
I have sat on press row with them before for basketball by invite of a media guy.

have discussed sports with 3-4 of locals more than a few times.

Regularly have email coversations with a few.

Once talked an hour with a sports guy at The State about their approach- he was - I better not say.

Know 2 locals enough that they walk up to me out in public when they see me. I feel like I have a good feeling about it.






Originally posted by GWMorris:


Originally posted by Rollerdude123:


Media - as a group - are an arrogant bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
How many of them do you actually know well enough to accurately judge what they are as a group?
Click to expand...



This post was edited on 1/29 8:09 AM by Rollerdude123
 
Mr. Lane ask Ron Morris how well this tactic worked for him.The biggest difference is he worked for a newspaper not a usc website. Since I, a gc member, pay for your articles I'm going to ask this site not to buy anymore of yours. See the difference between a gamecock site and a newspaper. By the way I've read the cereal twice and it had more misspellings and grammar errors than a middle school term paper. Based on this I say you aren't a gamecock fan and you certainly are lacking as a journalist. A little fatherly advise you won't get very far in this world pissing off the people who sign your paycheck.
 
First off, thanks for being a GamecockCentral member. I appreciate you taking time to read the article. Obviously, I never want anything posted with errors, but sometimes mistakes are made. You're welcome to your opinion, but the purpose of this article was not to upset anyone and I'm a little confused as to why so many people have gotten so agitated over it. Also, I have a father who has given me wonderful advice throughout my life, but I do appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
 
Originally posted by CockPete:
The Benji Norton of Gamecock websites.
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laugh.r191677.gif
 
Personally, I think giving up being a fan is taking the "easy way out". Many of us in our daily lives aren't able to be fans in our professional world, but are still fans in our personal lives. We are able to separate the two. Many members of the media are able to, and do, the same thing every day of their lives.

I actually have more respect for media members who remain fans of their teams, can report objectively on the material in front of them, but aren't afraid show emotion (albeit the proper amount if in their professional setting) when their team wins or loses, moreso than those who hide it or think that they can't be both.

But as you say, you prefer not to be both. If that works for you, then fine. I just think you might be selling yourself short in believing you can't be both.
 
I agree. I also have more respect for those that are fans - but can also be objective in their reporting duties.

I think folks like that are considered more credible as too often it appears some "former fans" try too hard to make sure they come across as objective.

I can name a few in Columbia that fit that bill too.




Originally posted by USCBatgirl21:


I actually have more respect for media members who remain fans of their teams, can report objectively on the material in front of them, but aren't afraid show emotion (albeit the proper amount if in their professional setting) when their team wins or loses, moreso than those who hide it or think that they can't be both.
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Originally posted by Rollerdude123:

I agree. I also have more respect for those that are fans - but can also be objective in their reporting duties.

I think folks like that are considered more credible as too often it appears some "former fans" try too hard to make sure they come across as objective.

I can name a few in Columbia that fit that bill too.






Originally posted by USCBatgirl21:


I actually have more respect for media members who remain fans of their teams, can report objectively on the material in front of them, but aren't afraid show emotion (albeit the proper amount if in their professional setting) when their team wins or loses, moreso than those who hide it or think that they can't be both.
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Agree with both of y'all.

If you don't want to be a fan of who you cover, IMO you'd be better suited at somewhere like the main Rivals board, not the team's fan page... or is it the fan's team page? IDK.
Regardless, I come here to hear a fan's take, whether they be casual or professional. The rest is clutter.
 
I've been a sportswriter and continue as a newspaper reporter (maybe even an arrogant one; I'm too close to the subject to be objective) and I won't try to speak for Rixon Lane. Still, I think there may be some hair-splitting in the whole fan/media subject.

Since my newspaper career has been spent entirely in Tampa, Florida and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I've only occasionally covered USC games. I'm sure some part of me always hoped Carolina would win the games. But, the attitude I took was that I would conduct myself as a media person. I would try to cover the events as dispassionately as possible and try to see what happened from a neutral perspective.

I think the reporters I know do that. At the same time, they realize that most of their audience cares quite a bit about the outcome, and write for that audience -- not sugarcoating the truth, but not going out of their way to antagonize. There have been some exceptions on both ends of the equation (some homers, some who sought a name for themselves for their jaundiced attitude toward the home team.

I will say that the culture of the industry (in print, at least) tends to be more forgiving of the reporter with the hard edge rather than the homer, if only because it's easier to be a homer because the people you report about and most of the audience tends not to get angry with you the way they do about more critical reporters.

To me, the key thing was to be honest and fair, and to not duck those who wouldn't like what I wrote. Once when I wrote a column critical of Dale Brown, I showed up at the next basketball game's postgame press conference, even though I wasn't assigned to cover the game, because if he wanted to have words, I thought he deserved the opportunity. (He didn't. Though we had combative moments when I was a sportswriter, we've maintained a civil relationship. Now that I don't cover sports and he's retired, I think it's fair to say we're friends, though I don't pretend it's a close friendship).

One reason I acted as I did was an incident at one of the SEC Media Days when Ray Perkins was coming off a bad season at Alabama and Paul Finebaum wrote in that day's Birmingham Post-Herald that the upcoming season should be Perkins' last. That day was Perkins' turn to be at the press conference, and though there was no sports story in Alabama bigger that day than Media Days, Finebaum was nowhere to be found. I thought that was chicken guano. Still do.

This post was edited on 1/29 3:14 PM by GWMorris
 
Originally posted by jascock:
Mr. Lane ask Ron Morris how well this tactic worked for him.The biggest difference is he worked for a newspaper not a usc website. Since I, a gc member, pay for your articles I'm going to ask this site not to buy anymore of yours. See the difference between a gamecock site and a newspaper. By the way I've read the cereal twice and it had more misspellings and grammar errors than a middle school term paper. Based on this I say you aren't a gamecock fan and you certainly are lacking as a journalist. A little fatherly advise you won't get very far in this world pissing off the people who sign your paycheck.
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Wow..talk about buthurt. This guy may not be able to sit down for a week.
 
Originally posted by Cocka-Cola:


Originally posted by jascock:
Mr. Lane ask Ron Morris how well this tactic worked for him.The biggest difference is he worked for a newspaper not a usc website. Since I, a gc member, pay for your articles I'm going to ask this site not to buy anymore of yours. See the difference between a gamecock site and a newspaper. By the way I've read the cereal twice and it had more misspellings and grammar errors than a middle school term paper. Based on this I say you aren't a gamecock fan and you certainly are lacking as a journalist. A little fatherly advise you won't get very far in this world pissing off the people who sign your paycheck.
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Wow..talk about buthurt. This guy may not be able to sit down for a week.
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IKR...complains about errors, and then uses "advise" instead of "advice". ;)
 
Originally posted by Rixon Lane:
I am a media member, not a fan. And, no matter how surprising it may seem, I prefer it that way.
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Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'll bypass all of the articles you write from this point forward.

When it comes to reading about my Gamecocks on Gamecock Central and Gamecock Cereal, give me a Gamecock fan every day of the week -- and TWICE on Saturdays!
 
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