6 sentences

[Sandon Mibut]

That's all DC United's game, which featured breaking the 2nd longest goal-less streak in league history - on the road against the best defense in the league, no less - warranted in today's Post.

Six measley sentences. I know DCU has seen its coverage go down this season since it has been woeful for a third straight year, but 6 sentences is just pathetic. Have we fallen that far?

Now, I know there is a lot going on in the sports world, both locally and nationally, but even for a sucky team like United, 6 sentences seems pretty insulting for one of the area's alleged major league teams.

What compounds the insult of this measley little "article" is that there was a much longer article on the Little League World Series, a longer article on Georgetown football, which is D-III non-scholarship bal that no one goes tol, and another article on steeplechase, for chrissakes.

I understand the Mystics getting more ink because they're in the playoffs. But, the Los Angeles Sparks got a far bigger article on their game yesterday than United did. The Sparks? Come on!

To me, this demonstrates a lack of respect for the team and it also demonstrates an inability of the club's front office to successfully deomonstrate to the Post that it deserves more coverage and respect.

I know losing doesn't help and the fact that attendance is down while the likes of the Mystics and Freedom lead their leagues in attendance and win doesn't help the team either.

To be clear, the one person I do not blame for this is our friend Steve Goff, who I know would write much more about the team if given the time and space.

I also don't question the Post's commitment to soccer. Their World Cup coverage was better than any paper on this hemisphere and their coverage of the Freedom and things like MLS Cup and the All-Star game is always top knotch.

But, lately the Post has dissed United. Yesterday's game didn't warrant a preview article and the game only gets 6 sentences. Sadly, this is not a one time incident but rather a trend.

And, even more sadly, I'm not sure there is anyone within the DC United organization who has the clout to pick up the phone and call the Post and persuade them to give the team more coverage than steeplechase, the LA Sparks, Harlem Little League and non-scholarship college football.

[Ricky_DCU]

I also was pretty bummed to see this, but was hoping that it was just a one off thing because it was an away match that the Post didn't send Goff to and there is a lot going on in other sports now.

But now that you mention it, it does seem to be a very disappointing trend. The Sparks getting more coverage than any local team seems pretty silly to me.

[DigitalTron]

Be thankful for what we do receive.

There are better times to pump DC United's exposure than now. Goff only has so many cards up his sleeve, so let him play them when he can. Perhaps showing the "other sports" is a good trend that will eventually lead to higher readership and good logic for extending United's coverage. We don't really know all that is going on over there. But, I'm much more grateful for a big pre-opening day article or a big pre-All-Star game article that may boost attendance and create more interest in the sport than I am for a review of an away game when we're one of only two teams out of the playoffs.

You make a good point, and it surely deserves more space, but at least we got into the paper. We'll get bigger articles next season, hopefully.

-Tron

[shawn12011]

What irks me is that these are not even the Post's six sentences. They are off of the AP wire. I could have written an article from watching the match on TV.

[geordienation]

Sandon,

AP staffing of MLS and WUSA games is minimal. Standard issue for games that AP staffs is to move a first lede (250 words or so, no quotes) and then an optional (400-600 words with quotes.). There were no optionals for most MLS games yesterday.

They also did not shoot half of the games yesterday, including DC/SJ. Here's everything that they took photos of:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/gallery/

Six lousy photos on the wires and only in LA and NY. Ouch.

The Post obviously chose not to staff a west coast game when United is 10 points out of a playoff spot. If you want to be pissed, be pissed at AP.

[Sandon Mibut]

Originally posted by geordienation
The Post obviously chose not to staff a west coast game when United is 10 points out of a playoff spot. If you want to be pissed, be pissed at AP.
Geordie, thanks for the insider's perspective. However, I'm still going to take exception with your employer's decision.

Despite the game being on the west coast and despite United sucking, the Post still could have lined up a stringer to write an article that was longer than 6 sentences. Obviously it is the job of the editors to know that AP's story will be crap and won't provide enough content. Sometimes in the past I've seen papers use the team or the league's game story and combine that with the AP story to provide more content of the team to its readers.

I could accept the busy sports day excuse and the lack of space excuse, but when steeplechase and an out of town WNBA game get far more space than a local team that averages over 15 thousans fans a game, well then, I'm gonna think your bosses screwed over both the readers and the team.

Again, I'm not upset at the writers in the trenches who write about soccer whenever allowed. But I'm bothered that the Post blatantly dissed United and managed to give other sports of lesser interest more ink. And, I'm bothered that United has allowed itself to deteriorate to such a point that it is so easy for the Post to justify its dissing of the club.

[Bill-DC]

This happened to the Mystics earlier this year when they didn't send a beat reporter to a few of their games and they got the AP report for the paper. My friend Andre (a big Mystics fan) was griping about this, that's how I know. Maybe Goff is on vacation, I don't know.

It happens. Right now this team hasn't done a whole lot to gain attention.

Not making excuses but I will play Big Soccer Sports Editor. Here are my top DC area stories:

Fred Funk, former UMD golf coach and local MAPGA player before he got his PGA card in '88, was leading the PGA. Tiger was in contention.

Mystics advance to conference finals.

Freedom advance to the championship

Redskins, Terrapins football in training camp

Legg Mason tennis-Agassi, Roddick lose

Orioles and baseball strike looming

D.C. United need to string some wins together.

[monster]

If they hadn't senf four people to J/K and had the best coverage bar none in the country for the World Cup, you might have a point.

But resources and space are finite and they can't be expected to break the bank for a team that has played poorly and not exactly burned up the turnstiles this year.

If anyone's the culprit, it's AP. And for that you should be pissed at the Quakes for not fostering a better relationship with their local AP bureau to make sure that their games get the respect that they deserve.

[Hezbolt]

I have it on good authority that I trust that we are not getting the press from the Post because we are not winning.

The basic statement was if you want coverage you need to win, no win = no print, period, end of discussion.

Don't blame DC's front office, they are doing all that they can. The Post's mangement has apparently decided that DC does not deserve the print if DC isn't winning. If the Post refuses to give the space, there is nothing that DC's front office can do about it.

This is not a slam on SG or in any way, shape or form a negative comment about SG. I love his work, I just wish he was allowed to do more.

Additionally we can as a group do more to get DC print than DC's front office. For example if we sent the Post's management a letter with 20k signatures on it saying we were not going to read the Post anymore unless they give DC the print and respect it deserves, they might (and that is a big might) be more willing to listen and do something about it.

Alas, I will not reveal where I got my information out of respect for them. If they had no problem with this I would be more than willing to name them.

[CHICO13]

Hell, at least it was nationally televised. Do we all want maximum exposure? Sure we do, but I think a bigger gripe is the (non?)TV deal United didn't get worked out this year. I would gladly exchange the right to see my favorite team on the tube for an article in the paper over a game that's already been played.

[monster]

Originally posted by Hezbolt
I have it on good authority that I trust that we are not getting the press from the Post because we are not winning.

The basic statement was if you want coverage you need to win, no win = no print, period, end of discussion.


They are getting print, for God's sake. They just aren't sending reporters across the country or working on setting up stringers in away cities.

Steven wrote two extensive preview/review stories in the middle of the week, focusing mainly on the disclipline of Noel Kenny and ABMOD.

Give credit where credit is due.

[Hezbolt]

I do give credit where it is due, however, the coverage has dropped off with DC 's record. I am just stating the reason I got from someone I trust.

The point is and was, If DC was winning we would be getting even more coverage. The crime is that regardless of what the Skins do they get the same coverage (it's not based on their success or failure as a team). DC's is.

Yes DC gets good coverage, but when the paper (management) has said we will give you better coverage, but only if you win, is a slap in the face.

It's kinda like the fairweather fans out there, only interested if you are winning.

[Freestyle2000]

I'm surprised by the lack of a stringer article - isn't SJ where SoccerAmerica is based? Didn't we used to have Ridge or someone else writea stringer article when DC went there?

RS

[monster]

Originally posted by Hezbolt
I do give credit where it is due, however, the coverage has dropped off with DC 's record. I am just stating the reason I got from someone I trust.

The point is and was, If DC was winning we would be getting even more coverage. The crime is that regardless of what the Skins do they get the same coverage (it's not based on their success or failure as a team). DC's is.

Yes DC gets good coverage, but when the paper (management) has said we will give you better coverage, but only if you win, is a slap in the face.

It's kinda like the fairweather fans out there, only interested if you are winning.

If you would like to be taken seriously when you use phrases like "source I trust," be very careful about using phrases like "no coverage" when there were two long articles earlier in the week.

They are a business. They are still staffing home games. They are still staffing during the week. I don't know all the reasons about not using a stringer, but they aren't providing "no print, period, end of discussion" like you said.

Plus, once United starts selling out like the Skins, you can bitch about comparative coverage.

[CHICO13]

First and foremost, this has been and always will a 'Skins town. Period. To compare United coverage to the Redskins isn't even relevent. People around here are starved for Redskins news year round( as are we) but we'll never get the press they do. What irks me is the Post treat the Orioles like a hometown team and they go out of their way to screw all baseball fans in DC and Va. Go figure....:rolleyes:
All in all I'm happy with the coverage we get from the Post. Ask fans in other MLS cities and see what kind of coverage they get.

[Hezbolt]

Originally posted by monster

but they aren't providing "no print, period, end of discussion" like you said.



This as I said was not an exact quote, if you are going to slam an interpertation use the whole thing

"The basic statement was if you want coverage you need to win"

Also those were 2 token articles, nothing like the past when DC was winning all the time. Before I moved here 2 years ago, and when DC dominated the league, the coverage was drastically better. However since we have had less than stellar seasons our coverage has dropped. I remember coming to the area to visit people, being able to pick up a Post and finding 2 or 3 articals and not on a saturday. Now we get one or two a week

The part you quote is my interpertation. I have no problem with you or anyone not interperting things the same way I do. We are all different, and see things differently.

If the way I wrote it was misleading my apologies, it was not intended.

As far as the comparision to the skins goes, that is based on the fact that the Skins could go 0-16, not score a point the entire season and still get the same coverage they get now.

.Additionally the individual I got this info from is very involved in the situation and someone everyone here thinks highly of.

[Hezbolt]

Also if we were talking in person I might be willing to say. But not here in the forum, where I (as in me personally) don't really know who is reading this.
I recognize "names" here, but that is all they are... nothing personal to anyone. If I did offend by any chance then I apologize.

[Topo]

I think a several game scoreless/winless streak does kind of keep you off the front page.

I would rather not read about our terrible offensive woes that much.

Still, six sentences is kind of short.

[monster]

Originally posted by Hezbolt
The basic statement was if you want coverage you need to win, no win = no print, period, end of discussion.


I don't see much room for "interpretation." No = no and there certainly is more than "no coverage." No road coverage, yes. And as someone who's been involved in decisions like these on a much smaller basis, the Post is making the same inf decisions every newspaper in America makes every day.

The funniest part for me is the inability for some people to connect the fact that the Post isn't covering road games like they used to during the same year when they shipped four people to Korea and japan for unparalleled coverage of the World Cup.

Yes, it would have been nice to have a story by a stringer, but they decided to go with AP, who let them down. Complain to AP's bureau out there, not the Post.

[Hezbolt]

Monster, the way I wrote it left room for misinterpertation

Instead of using a comma before no win= no print

I should have said "which to me basically means"
or something to that effect. which would have prevented any misinterpertation.