With the myriad sporting events and recreation activities going on this summer, someone recently asked me how the newspaper chooses what events to cover each week in the paper.
Basically, it boils down to three criteria: which event has the most local connection to readers, are there photos of the event or participants, and how recent was the event.
The hard thing to explain is why one item runs and another is held until a later issue. The answer to that quandary is which will better fit the space available on the page. Your local sports editor would love to have every submission placed in each week’s paper, but the space is finite and is usually a first come, first serve basis.
On that note what is definable as a sport to be included inside the sports section is sometimes debatable.
Strictly defining the term according to the Merriam-Webster sitting on my desk, it means, “a source of diversion or a physical activity engaged in for pleasure.” That is a very broad limit to define something by, since there are hundreds of activities that can fit the description.
In fact, a quick Internet search for sports reveals that competitive video gaming is considered an alternative sport.
I wonder how many local schools would consider awarding a varsity letter in Nintendo baseball or a scholarship based on competitive Tetris building?
While there were studies done some years back on the improvement shown between hand-eye coordination due to video games, I can’t imagine the board of education springing for an X-Box lab at the high school, despite how many students would sign up for that elective.
I don’t think there is much argument that the stick and ball games, wrestling, track or swimming are clearly recognized as sports, but there are differences of opinions on other activities.
Cheerleading for example, meets the dictionary definition of a sport, but is left out sometimes because it is seen as more of a component of the sidelines not as its own event. Yet, the cheerleaders hold practices, risk injury and show up for games. There are also competitions and scholarships awarded for performances. The argument for including cheerleading fully under the sports headline is similar to another sideline group. So, what about the band?
According to a study released by the American College of Sports Medicine in May, marching bands show similar physical requirements to those demanded by the team on the field. Also, the band goes to every game, runs practices and camps just like the more athletic counterparts who are on the field.
Both the band and the cheerleaders are a component to a good Friday night during football season and the students in both put as much work in as the players. A little recognition probably isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Justin Poole is the sports editor for The Banks County News and for The Commerce News and is a reporter for MainStreet News. He can be contacted at justin@mainstreetnews.com.