Last month, I attended my first ever Burlington Royals minor league baseball game. The Royals are located in Burlington, NC and are a rookie-level team.
As I walked up to the historic stadium, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But as a young reporter, what I received was a lesson that will stick with me.
At Elon, covering athletics has become somewhat of a convenient task. The Sports Information department helps set up our interviews and provide reporters with a print out of statistic sheets after ever game. Before the game, we’re showered with media guides, team rosters and player statistics.
We sit comfortably on press row or a nice press box. There’s a seat designated for each and every reporter with a name tag. To put it simply – our jobs are made easy.
When I walked into Burlington Memorial stadium, there was no need to have special media credentials. (I did talk to the Assistant GM before the game and let him know that I was coming.)
Someone directed me toward the press box and I didn’t realize the treck I was about to endure. I walked up a few narrow stairs at the top of the bleachers. Then walked horizontally across the roof (and I’m terrified of heights) of the stadium and found my way into the press box.
While in the press box, I found a beat up folding chair and squeezed in with several members of the Burlington Royals staff and a reporter from the Burlington Times-News.
During the game, there weren’t any statistics printed out for me. No media guide given to me and no roster sheets. I was on my own.
Since I was doing a feature story, I didn’t need to keep all my own stats, but did keep some of a few select players. Keeping my own stats reminded me of when I first began reporting in high school, covering high school sports.
After the game was over, there wasn’t any one from Sports Information making sure that I got the interviews I needed, I was on my own. I waited outside of the locker room hoping not to miss the player that I wanted to interview.
I got the interview I needed and was on my way out of the stadium for the night, but not before I had a serious reality check.
Covering collegiate athletics for me has been convenient and a lot of times, hassle free. For reporters who aren’t as lucky, their jobs could include: keeping their own stats and running down players after the game.
I have it pretty good covering athletics at Elon. I can count on my name being at a spot in the press box and stat sheets being handed out to me after the game. These are luxuries that I have taken advantage of over the past two years at Elon.
It took a trip to an old stadium and a rookie level baseball team to remind me how fun covering stories can be when convience isn’t an option.
Now when I take my seat in the press box during Elon football’s home opener against Davidson on Sept. 5th, I’ll smile and be remember that even a little name tag is a luxury.







Pam’s Pitch: A health care overhaul is needed
August 10, 2009 by pamrichter
I don’t know a lot about the new health care bill that’s on the table in Washington now. I’ll admit it.
But there’s one thing I do know for certain – the current health care system in America cannot last in the current form. I never understood when people said we were in a health care crisis.
I have good health insurance. I’ve attended every doctor that I have needed and received all the proper treatment. So, when people talked about the health care crisis, it was far from my understanding.
This was until a family member of mine has been denied good treatment because of her insurance. An insurance company, decides whether or not her treatment will continue. The members of this insurance company have never seen her or examined her. From miles and miles away from an office, they decide the treatment she should proceed with.
It may seem a little far off, but shouldn’t the doctors be the one who decide whether a patient’s care should continue? When you call a doctor’s office, the top priority should be treatment, not how much money you have or if you can afford treatment.
To me it doesn’t seem fair that insurance companies across the country are determining treatment options of patients. I guarantee that most of these insurance buffs didn’t go to med school. But, yet they are making medical decisions.
For the first time, I’ve realized the health care crisis is alive and well. A new health care bill needs to be signed immediately to prevent insurance companies from making even more medical decisions.
It’s time to put the cost and budget aside. When it comes to human lives at stake, there should be no cost too great as to saving human lives. Let’s take the power out of the hands of the insurance company and stop them from putting a monetary value on human lives.
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