In the past week, I have received several queries from college sports media staffs stating that a sports information director or athletic director is limiting access to athletes – and, thus, are trying to control coverage. In one case, a college staff was told it could never speak to college athletes, only with coaches. Not only is that rule absurdly idiotic, it also begs to be challenged as a free speech issue.
Bottom line: Do not back down from these fights no matter how much you believe covering games is essential, otherwise you’ll rarely get what you want, need or even deserve to share with these athletes’ fellow college students in the future. It’s sad when it is easier to speak with college administrator than with college students who happen to play a sport on campus.
Anyway, there are many (many!) things you can do instead of covering college games, which can both improve your overall coverage and make your athletic program feel – justifiably – uncomfortable.
In many cases, you might want to continue some of these practices even if you gain better access to athletes. Good luck.
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