Spring Break
No cheering in the press box
Scott Richey/Online Editor
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Sports
I don't know if the cheering man was a professional reporter or not, but not cheering in the press box is a standard of sports journalism.
Sometimes, there are even announcements made before a game begins. When Eastern played Purdue in early September in West Lafayette, Ind., an announcement was made in the press box at Ross-Ade Stadium that security personnel would remove anyone cheering in the press box. That was enough to keep me quiet.
The Racers' fan was not the lone member of the Murray State cheering section in the press box. There was another man-a professional journalist-that cheered on another big play by the Racers.
I could not understand then, and I do not understand now, how a professional journalist would think it was OK to start cheering in the press box. It may be an unwritten rule, but there definitely is a standard. The press box is a working environment. The people there are credentialed to do their jobs.
I can almost understand cheering in the press box if the person doing so was not a journalist. Football is an exciting sport, and big plays can stir emotions in a heartbeat. The question remains, however, of why they would be in the press box in the first place.
Regardless, I have no respect for a journalist cheering in the press box. Leave the cheers at home when you're working. Professional, student or otherwise, there should be no cheering in the press box. If you want to cheer, buy a ticket.
Sometimes, there are even announcements made before a game begins. When Eastern played Purdue in early September in West Lafayette, Ind., an announcement was made in the press box at Ross-Ade Stadium that security personnel would remove anyone cheering in the press box. That was enough to keep me quiet.
The Racers' fan was not the lone member of the Murray State cheering section in the press box. There was another man-a professional journalist-that cheered on another big play by the Racers.
I could not understand then, and I do not understand now, how a professional journalist would think it was OK to start cheering in the press box. It may be an unwritten rule, but there definitely is a standard. The press box is a working environment. The people there are credentialed to do their jobs.
I can almost understand cheering in the press box if the person doing so was not a journalist. Football is an exciting sport, and big plays can stir emotions in a heartbeat. The question remains, however, of why they would be in the press box in the first place.
Regardless, I have no respect for a journalist cheering in the press box. Leave the cheers at home when you're working. Professional, student or otherwise, there should be no cheering in the press box. If you want to cheer, buy a ticket.
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