ATTN: Ignorant Sports Anchors

[Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh]

Let me enlighten you...

"The Saints" and "Hurricane Katrina" do not belong in the same sentence.

It's ignorant to do so.

There are people who were devastated by that natural disaster... people who still don't have homes, a place to sleep, food to eat, money, etc.

The Saints' head coach, as announced by Joe Buck, just bought a brand new Ferrari. It's in Miami.

The Saints' know nothing about loss.

Except today.

Losing to the Bears was the best thing that could have happened to that team. They learn that the Saints' aren't blessed by God. They may be America's team, but they aren't much more than that this year.

And next year, everyone will forget about them.

The media... yes, we... made them out to be superheros. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't smart. Of course, the people in N.O. aren't that smart either to connect Katrina to a football team.

So please... do us all a favor, and stop linking the Saints and hurricane Katrina. There's no comparison. There are people on the streets tonight with no where to go who don't give a ***** about football. Those are the people affected by the hurricane. The Saints don't give a rat's ass about it. They lost and they're going home to their mansions and winter homes.

Stop sounding stupid, and have some respect for the people who were truly affected by hurricane Katrina.

Anyone who does otherwise is a self-interested, pompous ass... and has no clue about what's real and what's not.

Sports are great, and there are some great stories out there. The Saints, as a team, overcame more obstacles than most any team has ever had to do.

But now they're done. It's over. Treat them like any other team that would be finished this time of year... like the Pats.

I think they drive nice cars, too.

[kmfdmatt]

And in the interest of racial equality, could we stop bringing up the coaches' race?

[adam & doctor drew]

I don't think you have to worry about people in general, much less "ignorant sports anchors," talking about the Saints now.

[Consider This]

How incredibly fitting that you'd use the word 'ignorant' to title a diatribe illustrating so much ignorance.

Certainly the people of New Orleans have greater concerns than the outcome of a football game. We all do. But if you talk to many of them you'll hear how much the Saints mean to that city. Even before all the FEMA trailers arrived, the possiblity of the Saints abandoning the New Orleans dismayed and dispirited a lot of people. Everything else had been taken, they said, and now you want to take our football team too?

The rebuilding of the Superdome was a symbolic rebuilding of the city. I shouldn't have to point out why that was. Rooting for the Saints in the team's once ravaged home could give them hope that things would one day return to normal for them too. Hell, if the Saints could actually win games then perhaps miracles were possible in their lives too.

Unfortunately, Katrina belongs in the same sentence with everything connected to New Orleans. It looms over every aspect of life there. And will for a long time.

[The Thrill]

Exactly. One of the most amazing things to come out of Katrina was that even with a lower population, and city-wide devastation, the people looked for something to grab onto...and found the Saints.

After all that, they finally sell out season tickets at The Superdome...a stadium that wasn't originally supposed to be habitable for humans again until halfway through the '06 season?

The Saints mean PLENTY to the Gulf Coast region.

[Run's House]

To the original poster:

A Loss? Not to Saints Fans in New Orleans (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2738832&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1)
Saint in the true sense of the word (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/16503769.htm) City’s spirit is a mirror of football renaissance (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/front/16509337.htm)

[ January 22, 2007, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: Run's House ]

[Ferrycrossthemersey]

You know, I like St. Patrick's Day as much as the next guy...well, actually MORE than the next guy, due to my perfect-paddy-pedigree, but...I really must protest the overuse (and incorrect use) of the term, "ignorant." So there.

[Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh]

Originally posted by Ferrycrossthemersey:
You know, I like St. Patrick's Day as much as the next guy...well, actually MORE than the next guy, due to my perfect-paddy-pedigree, but...I really must protest the overuse (and incorrect use) of the term, "ignorant." So there.Another ignorant mick.

Main Entry: ig·no·rant
Pronunciation: 'ig-n(&-)r&nt
Function: adjective
1 a : destitute of knowledge or education <an ignorant society>; also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified <parents ignorant of modern mathematics> b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence <ignorant errors>
2 : UNAWARE, UNINFORMED

[foxravens]

This poster's opinion of "ignorant sports anchors" is well documented.
Consider the source.

[Tripe Face]

Originally posted by foxravens:
This poster's opinion of "ignorant sports anchors" is well documented.
Consider the source.Isn't "ignorant sports anchors" redundant? Like Dumb Blonde? Narrow-minded Republican? Evil Dictator? Genius Producer?

[Produce man]

Humble anchor?

[s'news]

It may be overstated, but the concept is correct. A football team does not constitute a metro area.

[imported_Mr. Vengeance]

You're not from Chicago.

[WalMartNation]

Whatever you feel is "overstated" just consider that a lot of people still alive down there are fans of the team and probably have been for a while. If winning some games made citizens down there happy for one second... I can't see how that's a bad thing or something that a sports anchor shouldn't point out. Can the story be re-hashed too many times? Sure... so can any news story nowdays.

Just one of the things I think about when you mention Saints and Katrina.. from a sports only standpoint.. is how last year this same franchise played all over the map to get a season in. Games in San Antonio, where they were rumored to move to, I believe some games at the LSU campus.. and the Saints also were also gift wrapped by the NFL early in the season to play a "home" game against the Giants in the Meadowlands, giving NYG 9 home games and helping them to the playoffs.

When Katrina is mentioned, I'll always remember the horrible vid I saw on TV, the dead bodies sitting on freeway overpasses, the botched effort by local, state, and the federal governments to evacuate and then to save survivors by treating them like animals. But as a sports person I also think about the Saints and the Hornets being relocated for the year and wondering if the Superdome would ever even hold a football game again let alone another Super Bowl. (New Orleans has been a popular SB site for those who don't know)

So call me an "ignorant" person, you wouldn't be the first and won't be the last.

[TJAB 23]

This is quite possibly the most ignorant/racist thread EVER.

It's irresponsible to ignore the fact that an NFL team's home city was devastated by a storm, to the point that the said team couldn't even play a single game at home in 2006. On year later, that team is playing in the conference championship - geez, kinda sounds like a neat story.

I suppose if the poster found a car on the side of the road with a flat tire, he/she/it would do a story on the four godo tires...

What a joke...

[news rookie]

to the first poster;

you wrote all that, and this is what i took from it.
apparently you have never been to new orleans. because then you would know what is it like to have the saints do so well.

apparently you didnt do your homework. because you would have known that before this year the saints never made a conference championship game. pair that with coming off that horrible last season where we never got to play a single home game because of the state of our city, and suddenly, a little football success in a town that has lacked football success for so long, seems a lot better.

if you've been there, you'd know. i was in new orleans watching the game on tv last weekend - we left to run home quick during half time - and there was not a car on the roads. the place looked like a ghost town. in fact - it looked like i remebered it right after i returned from katrina. only; it was because of football this time. figure that.

and as for payton and his ferrari; good for him. he worked hard, he earned, and he saved his money. then he spent it on something he wanted. whats wrong with that?

you must be an eagles fan.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Originally posted by Produce man:
Humble anchor?Evil NewsDirector! graemlins/cheers2.gif

[buckpasser]

Originally posted by news rookie:
to the first poster;
you must be an eagles fan.We have a winner!

[jama]

Originally posted by news rookie:
to the first poster;

you wrote all that, and this is what i took from it.
apparently you have never been to new orleans. because then you would know what is it like to have the saints do so well.

apparently you didnt do your homework. because you would have known that before this year the saints never made a conference championship game. pair that with coming off that horrible last season where we never got to play a single home game because of the state of our city, and suddenly, a little football success in a town that has lacked football success for so long, seems a lot better.

if you've been there, you'd know. i was in new orleans watching the game on tv last weekend - we left to run home quick during half time - and there was not a car on the roads. the place looked like a ghost town. in fact - it looked like i remebered it right after i returned from katrina. only; it was because of football this time. figure that.

and as for payton and his ferrari; good for him. he worked hard, he earned, and he saved his money. then he spent it on something he wanted. whats wrong with that?

you must be an eagles fan.Good post.

[almostlive]

Originally posted by Produce man:
Humble anchor?Produce man?

[adam & doctor drew]

Originally posted by jama:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by news rookie:
to the first poster;

you wrote all that, and this is what i took from it.
apparently you have never been to new orleans. because then you would know what is it like to have the saints do so well.

apparently you didnt do your homework. because you would have known that before this year the saints never made a conference championship game. pair that with coming off that horrible last season where we never got to play a single home game because of the state of our city, and suddenly, a little football success in a town that has lacked football success for so long, seems a lot better.

if you've been there, you'd know. i was in new orleans watching the game on tv last weekend - we left to run home quick during half time - and there was not a car on the roads. the place looked like a ghost town. in fact - it looked like i remebered it right after i returned from katrina. only; it was because of football this time. figure that.

and as for payton and his ferrari; good for him. he worked hard, he earned, and he saved his money. then he spent it on something he wanted. whats wrong with that?

you must be an eagles fan.Good post.</font>[/QUOTE]I liked it too, except for the part where he called the team "we."

oh, and it wasn't Payton who had the Ferrari in Miami.
it was Thomas Jones of the Bears. (http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/01/22/sports/pro_sports/cdc06606aeb46ddd8625726b000ddc19.txt)

[DoneThatToo]

Originally posted by adam & doctor drew:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by jama:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by news rookie:
to the first poster;

. . pair that with coming off that horrible last season where we never got to play a single home game . . . .Good post.</font>[/QUOTE]I liked it too, except for the part where he called the team "we."

oh, and it wasn't Payton who had the Ferrari in Miami.
it was Thomas Jones of the Bears. (http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/01/22/sports/pro_sports/cdc06606aeb46ddd8625726b000ddc19.txt)</font>[/QUOTE]Oh but you just don't understand the depth of the Saints fan. WE are the TEAM. The TEAM is US!

[news rookie]

adam and doctor drew..

ya know, i didnt think it was payton with the ferrari... but i figured that the first poster may have done SOME homework before that post; so I went with it..

and for the record; who says i'm a he?

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

Originally posted by news rookie:

and for the record; who says i'm a he?bad assumption on my part.
sports-related debates on here usually involve men.

so why DID you call the team "we"?
are you on the team?

[news rookie]

Originally posted by adam & doctor drew:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by news rookie:

and for the record; who says i'm a he?bad assumption on my part.
sports-related debates on here usually involve men.

so why DID you call the team "we"?
are you on the team?</font>[/QUOTE]no worries on the bad assumption - i found it funny... which is why i called you out on it.

and 'done that too' covered my ground in calling the team WE. no, i am not on the team, but as a fan, they are my team. However, I am a Saints fan. Win, or lose. They are my team. I didn't think its out of the ordinary to call 'your' team, by we. I'm sure you've done the same, for example, your college team.. provided they had a program worth talking (bragging?) about.

and while I wish I was on the team, last I checked there's no ladies on the roster. smile.gif

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

I went to a large SEC school but never once called them "we."

I wasn't on the team.

[news rookie]

Originally posted by adam & doctor drew:
I went to a large SEC school but never once called them "we."

I wasn't on the team.oh man, lsu?.. florida?. alabama? come on now; the SEC is a team full of fighters, and you're tellin me that when some schmuck from the other team got into it about why or why not nick saban's a jerk, or why florida deserved their bowl bid, you didnt fight back about why your school, your team, deserved it?

if that is the case, then, my friend, how can you call yourself a sec fan? i am not an lsu fan, but i live nearby, and football is like a religion down here.

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

I am totally a fan but sorry, the team is "they," not "we."

I'm also a fan of certain bands and TV shows, as I'm guessing are you.
do you consider yourself part of the bands or TV shows you like?

PS, Nick Saban is a jerk.

[ January 29, 2007, 11:50 PM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[DoneThatToo]

Originally posted by adam & doctor drew:
I am totally a fan but sorry, the team is "they," not "we."

I'm also a fan of certain bands and TV shows, as I'm guessing are you.
do you consider yourself part of the bands or TV shows you like?

PS, Nick Saban is a jerk.So when sitting at the bar and asked who won the game what is your answer if the team from the school you attend(ed) won?

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

"(fill in school name here) did."

[ January 30, 2007, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[news rookie]

no, you can't argue that. you twisted it all around. i attended the school, therefore i affiliated with it. i have no affiliation to the tv shows or bands that i like. that is; unless the tv show airs on the same affiliate i work for in which case i could say that WE air my favorite show. (for the record, we do not. ABC does.)

perhaps you just have commitment issues in affiliating yourself with anything. typical guy. ;)

oh, and how do you know that nick saban is a jerk? you know him personally? (two can play at your game!)

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

You guys(and girls) are taking sports WAAAAAAYYYYYY to serious. Who gives a crap if you reference your hometown team "we"...I do, call me wrong...but I do, and not even a coach could tell me not to. If anything, I'd say I don't want HIM on MY team. Take away the fans, you have a bunch of guys running around on a field....try selling that to Gatorade or Budweiser!

[JimmyChitwood]

http://czabe.com/daily/archives/picoday_bears_katrina.jpg

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

Originally posted by news rookie:
no, you can't argue that. you twisted it all around. i attended the school, therefore i affiliated with it. i have no affiliation to the tv shows or bands that i like. that is; unless the tv show airs on the same affiliate i work for in which case i could say that WE air my favorite show. (for the record, we do not. ABC does.)

perhaps you just have commitment issues in affiliating yourself with anything. typical guy. ;)

oh, and how do you know that nick saban is a jerk? you know him personally? (two can play at your game!)good stuff, news rookie.
I think it's lame for someone to call a team "we," but you think it's ok and that's fine.
we disagree and can still be internet pals.
I admire your passion.

I probably am a typical guy by the way...
and yes, I do know Saban.
good coach.
also horribly self-absorbed and a liar.

[news rookie]

Originally posted by ISTHISTHINGON?:
You guys(and girls) are taking sports WAAAAAAYYYYYY to serious.i dont know about nick sabans pal there, but i wasn't really taking this seriously - more of a playful banter.

and i'm stumped at how you know him; unless you're sec school you've failed to name is in fact LSU.

it's okay to be a typical guy. i'm a typical girl - picking fights and drawing them out. tongue.gif

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

had many media dealings with him in college and NFL.
not a nice guy.
probably why he's a good coach.
that's a cold business..... worse than TV (but when you get to his level, it pays a lot better).

PS, I also found it be fun banter.
nothing serious here.

and if you can pick fights and make people like you at the end, that's a gift. graemlins/cheers2.gif

[ February 01, 2007, 12:37 AM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[news rookie]

haha - what can i say, i'm slick like that. now i need something new to banter about..

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

how you feel about VJs?

there's 30-40 threads about that going on.. graemlins/face_banghead.gif

[Kace]

My favorite Nick Saban highlight was from his days at LSU when the Tigers beat Kentucky in the Bluegrass Miracle. Immediately after, he's interviewed on TV and instead of revelling in this great miracle victory, he appears unhappy at the fact that his team had to win in that fashion, referring to it as luck. I have this weird feeling that the football players' good spirits were dismantled once they all showed up in the lockerroom.

[news rookie]

Originally posted by adam & doctor drew:
how you feel about VJs?

there's 30-40 threads about that going on.. graemlins/face_banghead.gif well... i am one, and i dont really think it's so bad. people always offer to help me carry stuff - and i just joke with them that i'm canceling my gym membership because of it. maybe it's just me, but in college i learned more than just about reporting, but how to shoot and edit too.

in fact i like it. you dont have to rely on your photog to make sure he gets the shots you want - and you write to video you know you've got.

i'm not saying that there aren't times when its nice to have a photog - but it's not always necessary. its all about how you work it i guess.

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

interesting.
were you a photog who had to learn to report?
or vice versa?

as someone who's living it every day, what do you think about the VJ system?

[news rookie]

i was a student who learned both. broadcast journalism major, responsible for getting my own stories. occasionally the broadcast production kids would team up with us - but most of the time we were on our own. we took a production class where we learned all about the cameras, as well as lighting, linear editing, technical directing, audio, etc etc etc.

and we were using some very old, big cameras. which in its own strange way helped me out too. one day when we were complaining about the ancient cameras, our teacher said to look at it this way. if we could master using these old things - we will know how to handle pretty much any camera out there. needless to say, he was right. got to my new job, was an expert on their cameras without anyone telling me anything.

i really don't think its that bad. then again, i am a recent grad who landed a very sweet job in a market thats not for starters. i'm just happy to be here and for the opportunity. yea, its frustrating sometimes when you see the other stations out with their reporters and photogs, and you're lugging it all around in heels, but hey, i figure if i can handle it now - its only going to get better.

i think its good to know how to do everything, you dont have to rely on anyone else to get your story shot and to air. if it doesnt make deadline, it's all on you.

plus - having all that experience has been great, at my new job, i have proven to be a great asset because i know how to do so many different things, whereas many of the more experienced folks have no clue how to edit their stories, or troubleshoot the cameras.

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

what's a typical day like for the 1-person crew?
do you have 1 story to cover or is it a series of VOs and VOSOTs?
do you have to shoot and run your own live shot?

is your station all VJ or are there just a few 1-person crews?

[news rookie]

this is like 20 questions. gees.
we are a new operation - so right now its a lot of hard work coming from everyone. and we dont have live shots right now because our live truck got fried thanks to lightening. frankly - not a huge deal we need to make sure everything else continues to go technically right adding more technical difficulties.

typical day - go in, call my beats, participate in morning meeting. get assigned different things for the day. generally a package and plus we'll get other vo/sots. we dont have tons of photogs (right now at least), or reporters, so everyone has to work together to make sure we cover our ground. lately i've been getting a package, and a vo sot, sometimes more - but i'm the one who's been editing most of the show because, like said before, a lot of the more experienced folks dont know how to edit. so lately i've been getting my pkg, then goin back and editing the national stuff, as well as local vo sots. very hectic.

our station is both. junior reporters are one man bands - most of the time. sometimes a photog gets sent out with them. senior reporters have photogs most of the time. on a rare occasion they may go out on their own.

i take it you're not (and perhaps haven't ever been) a one man crew? what is your typical day like?

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

Originally posted by news rookie:
this is like 20 questions. gees.I didn't mean it to come across that way.
I'm curious, that's all.
if you don't feel like discussing it, I understand.

[news rookie]

no no no not at all, just thought it was funny.

i dont mind.

[news rookie]

.. what happened to playful fun you?

just thought i'd drop a line on the fun one man bander. went to a suspect walk tonight. everyone else had to walk around in the grass - not me, i got to cut through the building. its really not so bad. tongue.gif

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

wow, the glamorous world of news!
reminds me of an old Seinfeld routine. (http://www.seinology.com/scripts/script-12.shtml)

does seem like a lot of pressure though.
15 seconds, right?
and if you miss it, you're probably in trouble.

what's the worst story you ever missed?

[news rookie]

to be honest; while i'm sure theres stories our station as a whole as missed - like my log in name, i'm still a big time rookie. we launched our news not long ago.. before this, for about three months, i was working for a pre recorded cable show that focused on the good stuff going on in one of the areas near here..

so to answer your question... i'm not sure there's been much - though surely my day will come!

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

one of my former stations had a rape/robbery occur in the station parking lot, which was pretty much open to the public.

some woman walking thru got attacked.
our station was the SECOND one on the scene.

(and we found out about it by someone looking thru the window of the newsroom, seeing police lights flashing and saying "hey, what's going on out there?")

[news rookie]

ahhhh; that's brutal!

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

hey rookie, was Anna Nicole a big story in your city?

please don't say they had you go do "local reaction."
graemlins/sleep.gif

[news rookie]

nope nope. it was big in the newsroom - we were all shocked with all kinds of nuts questions, but it wasnt a big story.

we had our own stuff goin on in town. i did a story today about mardi gras preps.... we had some other good local storys. weren't hurting like the networks squeezing her for all thats left, we mentioned it, and moved on.

since we're an nbc we did mention at the end to stay tuned to entertainment tonight; only because they requested it and apparently had the last exclusive with her..

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

they're doing Mardi Gras?

total outsider here but it seems like a tough spot those people are in.... I'm sure they'd like to forget Katrina and move on but if they move on people like me will assume everything's OK again, which I'm guessing it isn't.

how bad's the city look to you now?

[ February 08, 2007, 10:45 PM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[news rookie]

dudeeee.

they did mardi gras last year. that city will not ever let mardi gras be skipped.

for the record, i dont actually live in new orleans right now, i am near by and do visit a lot.

the city is good. the outskirts are devestated - but i am willing to bet if you came to visit, everywhere you'd go, is basically back to normal. Bourbon street is fun, the casinos great, superdome is open.

Don't get me wrong - there is a lot that is still in need to help, but its not a ghost town or anything like that.

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

I know you're new but have you done some stories there?
what are some interesting things or people you encountered?

[news rookie]

I interned there. I got to go out on a lot of fun story - like on Fat Tuesday, and cover the mayoral elections - there were 23 candidates!.. Also went on a lot of katrina related things, toured the levees that crashed, talked about rebuilding.

It was all a great time - and awesome learning experience. some of the stuff we saw after katrina was unreal - just like the extent of deserted houses, etc. I wasn't there during / immediately after, I got back in January..