Do all of these sportswriters...?

Question

Every time I watch PTI, Around the Horn, etc...I hear these sportswriters brag about how they hang out and "know" all of these sports stars...is this true or do they just have an altered perception of what it means to "know" somebody. Just wanna know what football land thinks.

Answer 1

They are around athletes all the time. They would have to get to know them a little just by doing their job.

Answer 2

If you are a beat writer that is around the players/coaches every day you usually develop a "working" relationship with them. Some guys will always be wary of the media and the job they have to do, and others kind of warm up to you after a while when they feel some level of trust and knowledge that you aren't out to s***w them over. You can make some small talk with them or whatever and they are pretty cool with it. Either way, there is still a line that exists between everybody that is necessary for objectivity and professionalism.

I've me a lot of guys/gals who are media members because they love covering/talking about sports and enjoy the opportunity to follow sports on a daily basis. Then there are some that are trying to make a name for themselves, and there are a few that are just jock-sniffers that want to be friends with the players and all that. But trust me, the only time athletes want media members to hang out with them would be if they had some sort of agenda they wanted to fill. And, having met some of the guys that go on these shows, athletes definitely wouldn't want to be with them in their spare time. There are some writers whose egos are even bigger than the players that they cover, and that's a tough thing to do.

Writers do spend a decent amount of time with athletes and do get to "know" them in the same sense that people get to know their co-workers. You learn enough about them that you get a good judge of their personality and character and as a result can say that you "know" enough to say something about them in a public forum.  

Answer 3

Well, I think that these sportswriters have at some point done interviews, but I think that's pretty much all they have done.  Their job is to tell the sports world about news that they discover and to give their opinions about the stars or up coming games, and provide stats.  I don't believe that any of the sports writers have a friendship or close comrodery with these stars.  First of all the players are way too busy to be talking to these sports writers 24/7.  Secondly most of the players want privacy and the last thing they want to do is be hasseled with the writers.  The sportswriters job is to write for a column or paper and that is pretty much their job.  The one's on PTI and Around the Horn just pretend to do that so they can make themselves seem bigger than they really are.  

Answer 4

Schmidt Brainless (Skip Bayliss) is having a love affair with himself.

Answer 5

I suspect that when a sportwriter says he "knows" a player it's in a business sense. I doubt that many players spend their down time hanging out with the media.

As in many working relationships, writers form opinions of players based upon interaction in that environment. That's why you may hear a sportswriter say they're shocked by something a player says or does because based upon what they've seen it may seem to be out of character.

They may know a player better than the average fan but that's only because they have more access to the players.

Answer 6

They "know" them like we all know the hot girl at our work. We admire her, check her out every chance we get, and speak to her hoping she remembers our name. The only difference is that we don't go on national tv afterward and pretend to be an expert on the hot chick. And Austin, the only reason sports writers or anyone else would love USC is if they were getting the same kickback to hang around that Reggie Bush was getting. BAM!!!

Answer 7

Sportwriters love USC

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