Week 10: A serious note and then back to the fun stuff.

Familiar face missing at Beaver Stadium

I don't really feel like writing about NFL stars and their ditzy, reality TV wives today.  I know everyone is sick of hearing about Coach Paterno, but I really want to ensure everyone knows the whole story.  My inner desire for truth and justice has been struggling these past few days.

I'll just say one little thing and be done: I understand getting justice for the victims is the most important thing and that is underway.  But only firing Coach Joe and not punishing the other coaches and witnesses is an injustice.  How about I just post some links and if you want to know the truth, you can, and if you want to live in ignorance, you can do that too.

Link to court document of Sandusky grand jury report

Link to ESPN coverage of Penn State scandal

Link to Penn State's news website


Wedding Bells

Mr. and Mrs. Kroy Biermann

Mr. and Mrs. Kroy Biermann.
Courtesy of Tom Briglia/FilmMagic.

Reality television and the National Football League are united in marriage yet again.  On Friday, Atlanta Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann married Kim Zolciak, of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame.  They have one son together, Kroy Jagger Biermann, Jr., who was born on May 31, 2011.  The couple met at a charity auction and instantly clicked... probably because their names both begin with a K.

Biermann was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Falcons and played college football for the University of Montana.  I don't know how the new Mrs. Biermann earned her reality role, but a couple of years ago she attempted to be a recording artist by releasing a single entitled, "Tardy for the Party."  Maybe we'll see the happy family on their own reality show some day!

Mr. and Mrs. Ochocinco

Chad Ochocinco and fiance Evelyn Lozada are not going to be one of those couples who are engaged for five years.  They hired a wedding planner and have narrowed the date down to... Summer 2012.  OK, so they haven't decided on a date or location, (or anything else yet) but they have taken the next step toward walking down the aisle.  I wonder if the wedding planner knows how to convince Ochocinco to change his name back to Johnson.

Bibs & Burps = Babies

For someone who (unsuccessfully) tried hiding their baby bump with sweatshirts and large handbags, Jessica Simpson sure can't stop talking about it now.  Every tabloid is covered with the future Mrs. Johnson's food cravings, feelings about being a mom, etc.  The important thing is she's doing well and planning on getting married after the baby arrives.  Simpson is engaged to former NFLer Eric Johnson, who played from 2001-2007 for the 49ers and the Saints.

One of my favorite Vikings recently became a dad!  Minnesota's sack leader Jared Allen and his wife Amy brought home a little girl named Brinley Noel.  She arrived on October 29 and her devoted dad missed a couple days of practice to be present at her arrival.

P.S.  If you're watching the Cowboys game today, look for me up in the 400s.  I'll be the one in the pink Cowboys T-shirt!!

Week 9: My pals Suzy & Michele

The woman's role as a NFL reporter

As a journalism major in college, I shirked from any sports reporting because... I was afraid.  My excuse was that I didn't know the lingo, even though the AP manual has a whole section dedicated to it.  Sports reporting was the only type of news writing I wasn't forced to learn and I regret that I didn't force myself.

A scene from "All the President's Men," a film that
inspired me to study journalism.
Courtesy of influence-film.com.

This is unfortunate because sports news seems to be the only genre that is gathered in the traditional way I was taught in college.  Like the good ol' days, sports reporters actually attend the games in the press box, conduct interviews, do "stand-ups" in front of the stadium, and write stories for the "wire."  We still watch football games like we did in 1960 - camera shots accompanied with a commentator for the play-by-play (there are improvements, but you get the idea).

Those old fashioned methods are what I love about journalism - the textbook method of conducting an interview or attending a city council meeting and then informing the reader of something important that could affect their daily life.  The traditional news method that has almost disappeared except when it comes to sports.

Suzy Kolber at the Pro Bowl.
Courtesy of suzykolber.net.

Sports reporting is so traditional, women are still only featured as sideline reporters on all of the major networks.  I don't know if the male viewers pay any attention to these ladies besides their looks, but I most certainly do.  I think it would be exciting to collect bits of news along the sidelines, interview star quarterbacks, and get to be on the field during the games.  I understand it must a tough job being away from family in a different city every week and having to endure hours of hair and makeup while trying to prove yourself as a professional journalist in a man's world.

I'm definitely not a feminist (and I don't believe women should be in the locker room), but female journalists are definitely capable of more than sideline reporting and daytime ESPN variety shows.  I would love to see Suzy Kolber at the desk alongside Mike Tirico commentating during Monday Night Football.  Suzy and the other female sideline reporters like Michele Tafoya, Wendi Nix, and Pam Oliver all have degrees in journalism and years of experience.  Some of their male counterparts have "earned" their TV jobs from just having played the game for a few years.  Just because you played or coached pro football doesn't mean you're qualified to be a commentator - and that means you, Jon Gruden.