There seems to be a a brewing beef and disconnect between UNLV "official media" and UNLV supporters on X. Why is that? Just saw Cofield (I think thats his name) call people out for predicting the depth chart. Did something happen?
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- Thread starter Hoopsnstuff
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It's been like that for a minute. The mis-reporting by people on X during the UNLV bball coaching search only fueled the fire.
the local writers are terrible on their coverage of UNLV sports and that void is being filled by morons on X.
I think that’s a big part of it.
Traditional media has been chiseled away over the years. And anyone can jump into that void and make things even more murky. And when I say anyone, I do mean anyone.
I think to way back early internet, very late 90’s/early 2000’s. I know myself, this site, was problematic to SOME, not all local media and it wasn’t my fault. They weren’t really on the Net back then, they still relied on print and that would happen at 5 am or so. So we were “first” with a lot of stuff through no fault of our own, it was just technology. I remember Bayno’s firing. Well, we had it at 9 pm or whatever it was. The print didn’t have it until next morning, so it was “old news” to anybody on the internet. I know it caused issue at the time.
Plus, we had a wider allowance, we had no guardrails and they did. We could openly discuss rumors and such. We had access to so much more than they did in our niche, like telephone numbers and video of recruits, national contacts with people who had first hand knowledge. And if you were able to establish a decent relationship with a staff, you just had much more stuff.
And no, even though we were “media” for awhile, I really didn’t consider ourselves that. I mean I did, but it was different and I wasn’t at all comfortable with the label. The press box stuff was cool and all, they treated you well, UNLV was cool with us, never had issues. But the elite club of “real media” rubbed me the wrong way. Some I got to know were super cool and very helpful showing the ropes, but many were just snobby and had resentment because I wasn’t “real media”, I didn’t care but it was an atmosphere I didn’t like. And then there’s the whole professionalism, you can’t cheer for your team, which is absolutely a good rule - but I had trouble sticking to it, especially when the BYU media openly cheered and it was “ok” more or less. There was too much elitism, too much hypocrisy … I just didn’t mesh with it.
But now anybody, no matter their age, their level of knowledge or experience, their work ethic and level of personal standards … can get a following and say what they want, no guardrails. Citing “sources” when there are none, they’re just guessing, they can get away with it. A lot of times it ends up becoming a pissing contest and there’s bad blood to start with anyway.
I’m not knocking it necessarily, it’s just the way it is right now and for the past decade or so. I can understand where the salaried media working for a real outlet has problems with the others, “termites” as one journalist used to call them/us. Makes their job more difficult, more frustrating. Remember, it used to be a job held in higher regard, some level of nobility, media that is. And it’s been completely wrecked beyond recognition.
Like a pilot now being nothing but a bus driver! 😁
Not so much the media landscape which I agree with your statement there but more specifically recently during the BB search… a journalist that covers unlv for the lvrj was on vacation, another one phoned in a list and doesn’t refer to any unlv athletic teams as the rebels and who cares about or follows the others.
All that led to ****ing Graney of all people to break the news that UNLV is going to have Pastner as the HC. So when that happens fans are going to get their unlv fix elsewhere (X).
Yeah I experienced sort of the same thing when I was with KVBC (back then Ch.3) and launched the website around 2000. The TV side thought the internet was a joke. They routinely refused to do things like promote the website on air, refused to do things that are normal today like extra story footage available online etc. There was also the fact that I was doing web sponsor deals with local advertisers, and they viewed it as taking away from their TV ad revenue. They laughed when I setup an online chat with Cuzzy to discuss UNLV football. The internet was the enemy. Now look at things lol.
I remember about 15 years ago when the local TV stations started to cut sports coverage, and only really ramped it back up when the professional teams moved to Las Vegas.
I did like being up in the booth, but I hated not being able to cheer for my team. Maybe if I was not invested in the team, it would make sense. As far as “traditional” journalists, most of them would make it out to the last 10 minutes if practice, then carve out some BS a piece on the development of the team.
It was a cool experience for a few seasons, and some of the people I met were awesome. But I get what you mean about beat writers “looking down” on you. It didn’t matter that I was actually there from warm ups to the coach talk. It changed a little bit when I started working in tech for a national media brand. But by then I had been out of “the journalism” side of it for a few years.
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Pretty much same as my experience. I don’t want to crap on them all because there were some that were cool guys, regular people. But man, the snooty type - it’s like who in tf do you think you are? That’s why I tell people here all the time - your viewpoint, your opinions, for many … your analysis of what you see - is absolutely valid whether people agree or disagree and it holds every ounce of merit that a journalist has. They aren’t “smarter” than you, they don’t see things you don’t …. They have a pen and a platform … that doesn’t make them better. They can be condescending about it but they know it’s true, they just don’t like to admit it’s true - and that’s part of the clash you see … once highly regarded, now they are one of millions and the credentialism doesn’t hold water except among lame brain common people that hold them in a higher regard because of tradition.
Random aside, but they lumped me by Rebel-net in the press box. I think all of you were in the crowds rather in the booth (which is what I ended up doing after a couple of seasons), but I was always hopeful to meet more people from here. The ones I have met so far have been awesome.
I had a reserved spot in the booth. I never went. I just used my media pass to hang out on the sidelines with the team during the games, way more fun.
This!
My roommate was the men’s basketball manager and because of him, I got access to the team in ways that was incredible to be a part of… I should write a book! Lol
If you stuck around for the press conferences, I would have been there. I also randomly went down on occasion.
It's funny how many people abuse press passes. My Dad's boss had one for Playboy and in the 80s he used it to get us into the best fights. Saw Leonard/Duran I in closed circuit, Leonard/Hearns, Leonard/Hagler, a few of Holmes fights (Witherspoon, Cooney), Bobby Chacon vs someone.
This is the best kind of abuse, manufactured access! Lol
I ended up tossing that to TE instead of myself. He had a background writing for a small paper, he was comfortable in the role. I did it for the first few years of Rebel Net, some on the road as well.
But I wanted to cheer, really didn’t want to hob nob with some of them.
Some were over the top kind to me when they didn’t have to be. Because the internet was a “joke” … yet they still recognized that I knew a little bit about Rebel hoops … they had me on some shows, Dasco with radio, Futrell with some TV and in studio radio … then there was the couple years where I was able to sidekick it with Tark on his radio show, last couple of years of his life … which was really cool for me. Felt very insecure talking hoops and with next a Legend and somebody I idolized … I’d whisper to myself, you’re in a bar having a beer, just shooting the shit with Tark, no big deal.
I was able to see all of the fights in the 80's at Caesar's Palace. I usually either worked them sitting people or was able to get a seat at the fights, and also at the F-1 races. Didn't hurt to have a dad that was a VP that was in charge of operations, which included setting up of all sporting events. It was a great place when Harry Wald was President.
I HAD A PRESS PASS IN THE LATE 70'S EARLY 80'S AS A COMMUICATIONS MAJOR COVERING SPORTS FOR THE CLOSED CIRCUT NEWS PROGRAM WE BROADCAST AROUND CAMPUS AND ON CHANNEL 10PBS. THE COACHES WERE ALL REALLY COOL WITH INTERVIEWS. THE BEST WAS TARK. HE WOULD TAKE QUESTIONS AFTER THE GAME AND TREATED ME THE SAME AS THE REST OF THE PRESS. MY FAVORITE MEMORY OF HIM.
They got all the big fights most of those above was Caesar's. I remember the closed circuit was the MGM. MGM got a number of big fights too but they were later like the late 80s on. So were you there when Poncho Gonzales was the tennis pro? Evel Knievel. They had all the big names.
Nah I was there a little after that. Around the time when Nina Radetich was the hottest thing in the 702.
Evil Knievel was in the 60's way before my time. His son jumped the fountain in 1989, but that was after my dad had left his job! Poncho Gonzales was there from early 70's to late 80's, I remember the name, but I never really paid attention to tennis! i do remember meeting Wilt Chamberlain a few times, and once talked to him for about 15-20 minutes, really nice buy, but you get a sore neck looking up at him, and he was really thin! Also met a lot of other celebrities good and bad through the years and different jobs while I worked there during high school and part of college.
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Oh right I was thinking of his son. Pancho was a Wimbledon winner I played a lot of tennis and was there with Agassi when we were very young getting lessons.
My job was to set up all those Caesars events. I started there in 1972 and the allen king tennis was the only sports we had. Pancho's main problem was he couldn't stay away from Andre's sister and she was way to young
Oh really that’s crazy she must have been like 10 back then. Andre was like 8 when I saw him there and then he switched to Wimbledon not long after.
Bonanza dropout?!! He lives near me at those outta level high rises near the Suncoast.
Graf goes shopping at our Albertsons all the time.
Because Image is EVERYTHING!!!
I don't think she was that young but I know she was under 16. I believe they ended up having a kid and getting married. First time I saw andre he was barely tall enough to look over the net but you could tell he was going to be good. one of these days I'll have to get rid of all the memorabilia I have.
He was married to his older sister for about 5 years. I think he was about 30 years older than her.
The place on Spencer in between Flamingo and Twain?
I took lessons there, as well. I’m guessing I was around 9, him 6 or 7 when I first saw him beating the hell out of the ball.
When he became pro, my mom, who played a ton, loved him. I hated him and his “image is everything”. The mullet and worst, his style of play (I liked McEnroe, Cash, Edburg, serve and volley guys, couldn’t stand Lendl, Borg, Connors - style matters …). I did come to appreciate baseliners later in life.
Bumped into him on the Strip when he we were having a bachelor party for a friend, we tried to razz the hell out of him, but he was super cool, good natured, fun … wasn’t pretentious at all, didn’t fit the image of him in commercials or his flamboyant play. Then later in life, giving back to the community in a very genuine way, not looking for notoriety at all. I really misjudged that one.
I didn't remember that they built the track over as far as the Castaways property (Mirage/whatever it will be now), but that is very possible. If you did work on the track and the boxing stadium, then you most likely worked for my dad.
Her and Pancho Gonzales got married?? She was two years older than Andre right? I forget. Everyone knew who he was I know I was 10-11 at the time and he is two years younger than me. For a few months we were in a group lesson with him but it was just he and my sister and I.
Yep that was it. Funny we must have crossed paths there too. Everyone knew who he was because of how good he was at that age. My sister and I did a small group lesson with him.
I loved Connors when he was big but tennis was great then. Andre is actually a really good guy, my Mom worked with his Dad a number of years at the MGM so she saw him all the time. Then later when he had his fundraisers they were at the MGM and my Mom assisted VIP's who participated so she met him again several times. Down to Earth, will talk with everyone, not full of himself and happy to help others. Unlike Barbara Streisand who he had a short fling with. We were at the TGI's on Flamingo for breakfast a few days after he won Wimbledon and he walked in. Everyone cheered for him when he walked in which was cool but it tells you all you need to know about him dude wins Wimbledon and he goes to TGI Friday's lol.
True!
I knew his cousin Suzi, she played on the women’s tennis team when I was at UNLV. I met Andre through her, they were both very cool!
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