Rant: Professionalism

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A few weeks ago… in the first rant of the season… I criticized fans – and even coaches – for going after those working in game management for simple mistakes or not being quick enough on the draw.

I basically said that unless they were doing the job, back off.

This time, I am going to say a few things about some of those game management people. But I am not going to criticized them for the job the do… rather… for how they conduct themselves professionally.

I am in my 11th season as a public address announcer… and from my seat I have not only seen a lot of things… but also heard a lot of things.

I have announced primarily for Goucher College – my alma mater – and those working the table are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner.

That doesn’t just mean how they dress…but how they act… or should I say, don’t act.

But more and more I am seeing students and other game management personal either come to the sports and recreation center – or attends their own home games at other gyms – without the first thought of professionalism.

Now maybe I am old-fashioned (though I am certainly not old), but since when is the table the same as the bench?

The steadfast rule at Goucher has been that no matter what happens on the court, what calls are being made or not made, or how the fans, coaches, players, or referees react… we don’t!

Plain and simple.

We are there to do a job and we are to express no particular bias either way.

(Yes, for those of you wondering, there is an argument about public address announcers – we will cover that some other time.)

But in the last few years, from my seat next to the visiting book or others representing the visiting team, the conduct is more of a fan or a member of the bench than one of a professional.

Applauding the team or a player after each basket or great play…
Cheering on the team when they need to come up with a big play…
Vocally disagreeing with a referees call…
Clapping when a good thing happens for them… pounding the table and cursing when something goes badly.
I could go on… and on… and on… but I think you get my point.

I believe in what the first sports information director I ever worked with believed in. Kevin Fillman used to preach (and even had written on paper for everyone to read at each seat) that at no time would non-professional behavior – similar to what I gave as examples – be tolerated.

And that also went for how we dressed.

I wear a button-down shirt… dress pants… and a tie to each and every game I am at – whether it is a game no one is at… or the n-c-a-a playoffs.

The reason is simple… I am representing the athletic department… and in turn the school.

And that includes on the road. When I was a student traveling with teams for the sports information office… my attire was the same.

However, now-a-days it isn’t that surprising to see the person in charge of visiting team’s official book… wearing warm-ups and a t-shirt.

I am not saying everyone needs to dress up in a tie – even for their own home games – but, how about dressing at least in a way that represents your school appropriately.

This also goes for your behavior.

Don’t cheer your team on…
Don’t swear when something doesn’t go your way…
Don’t even clap or pound the table when the urge is there to do so.

You are working for the program… representing your school and athletic department… at what is supposed to be a working environment.
This means you are representing your school not only to fans who might be visiting your institution… but to those you are traveling to compete against.

This might be the reason people have trouble with some schools game management either at their facility or when they travel.

If they aren’t presenting themselves seriously or in a professional manner… why should anyone expect them to conduct themselves the same way.

Next time anyone reading this comes to Goucher and doesn’t present themselves in the same way the rest of the table does… don’t be surprised if the public address announcer turns to them and says something about it.

Where will the pieces fall?

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Today’s announcement of a new league being formed is just the first of what is likely to be many changes in conferences over the next year or so. Legislation is on the table at the upcoming NCAA convention to allow conferences to change membership without resulting in the loss of an automatic bid. (Currently, even if the members remain at seven each year, there’s a danger of losing the automatic bid if the number of consistent members from year to year falls below a certain level.)

The three MAC football expatriates, who will be playing football in the Liberty League or Centennial Conference and everything else in the “Interstate Eight” — we can call it that for now — got it started by leaving the MAC back in October, ending a period of speculation that had teams moving to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, to the Centennial, from the Capital and the like.

Villa Julie to the CAC is a lock, just waiting to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. Hood is a natural, although the MAC is pursuing them as well. Wesley is going to be a strong CAC candidate as well, after getting turned down some years back. Frostburg State is locked into position in the AMCC until the summer, when the school will be looking for a new president, but could be a candidate, if the private schools in the league are willing to consent to take on another state school.

The MAC has to be worried. It sent out feelers to six schools and two of them must have football. Even Gallaudet, whose football program is club status, is getting looks because of that, and Misericordia has expressed an interest in adding the sport as well. Some say three schools from the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference are on the six-school list, though sources disagree on which ones aside from Misericordia.

Even the Atlantic Women’s Colleges Conference, which I had given up for dead about six months ago, seems to be breathing. The conference watched Hood and Chestnut Hill add men and saw Mary Baldwin latch up with the USA South and did nothing with its membership for more than a year, putting it in danger of losing its automatic bid (and it still could, for a year or more). But salvation might come in the form of St. Elizabeth, an all-women’s school in New Jersey, and New Rochelle, in New York. That’s a mission worth saving, and with a little more action a year ago the conference would be in better shape now.

There’s already shuffling in the Northeast, with Western New England talking about moving out of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The Commonwealth Coast Conference, North Atlantic Conference and GNAC could all see changes in membership since they are large enough to spawn other leagues and gobble up more automatic bids.

Beware.

In the Southeast there is talk of a new league forming involving Maryville (Tenn.), LaGrange, Piedmont, Huntingdon, Mississippi College, Louisiana College, and Oglethorpe. (Someone also told us Trinity (Texas) was looking at this league as well, but we took that with a grain of salt, as did our source.)

While we haven’t heard much rumbling from other parts of the country, the SCAC still has a stated mission of expansion on the table, after Rose-Hulman announced its pending departure for the HCAC this offseason and Austin College came in. Much of that movement could be football-related.

We’re in for an interesting few months. This “Interstate Eight” deal came together in a month or so. More will follow.

Getting my groove back

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I was unable to travel yesterday for D3football.com. Usually I’d be at one of the national semifinals and I was tentatively planning to be at Rowan/Mount Union, with a chance to see Wittenberg at Wooster last night.

However, I was able to catch the Wooster game broadcast online last night, and I tell you, I feel more pumped up for basketball season than I have in a long time. There’s nothing like an exciting game called b a strong broadcaster and last night fit the bill.

I can only imagine what it would’ve been like if I had been able to attend.

Obviously there’s more to cover, such as the news on the front page from Saturday and today’s upset of No. 1 Millikin by Illinois College. But those are my immediate thoughts on the weekend. Yours?

Immediate thoughts on Thursday’s games

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This is Take two, as my initial post was eaten by the “back” key on my web browser. That’s what I get for gloating about initially writing about Super Sleeper St. Thomas ‘(say that fast) upset win over Gustavus on Wednesday.

It was a nice night for buzzer beaters…Ryan Flynn of WPI got his second in a row as the Engineers have shown a knack for pulling out close games late. Carroll (Wisc.) and Salve Regina also got nice buzzer-beater wins over Concordia (Wisc.) and Rhode Island College respectively. Salve’s win is a credibility victory for the CCC over an RIC team that some have told me is going to pretty good this season. Great individual performance by Salve’s Matt Grendal (25 points and a school-record 24 rebounds), whose putback at the horn was the decisive shot.

Anyone out there see this Tufts-Plymouth State game? 100-97 win for the Jumbos. Must have been a good one. Middlebury tied its best start in school history by rolling Johnson State. Apparently it’s not just a hockey school any more. More on the Panthers next week.

I’m not terribly surprised that Richard Stockton beat Catholic on the women’s side. I saw Stockton lose to Springfield last season and was impressed with their depth and caliber of play. The Ospreys seem to have the inside track in the NJAC this year. Top performance came from Notre Dame’s Catherine Vecchioni, who had 30 points and 22 rebounds in a triple-overtime loss to Goucher. Vecchioni has had a knack for putting up good numbers in big games. She had a similar such effort in last year’s AWCC title game loss to Chestnut Hill.

Yes, we cover women too

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I just thought I would throw this out there because I know people are thinking it. We do still cover women’s basketball. Although our traffic runs about two-thirds men’s basketball to one-third women’s, we try to feature more of a 60/40 split on the front page. We’ve had a run lately of men’s stories but it’s just a coincidence.

Meanwhile, I would hope more Division III women’s basketball fans become more active supporters of te coverage on our site. Let us know what you think. You’re a very silent group, but we do care about you.