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| Chris Erway and Sean Adams in the Hilton Stamford Ballroom |
The Greenwich Old Timers Awards Dinner has come and gone.
Congratulations to the honorees and may we do it again next year.
Despite the hustle at the last minute to pull everything together, I think -- think -- it went well.
My first time as master of ceremonies went sort of smoothly, but perhaps I'm just having a foggy memory.
I considered it a huge honor to stand there and I was reminded more than a few times about the shoes I was stepping into.
The goal for me is to make everyone happy, especially those who put me in this position. Based on the reactions I received, I think we did OK.
Having Sean and Chris Erway there was a nice touch, with Chris sitting on the dais and Sean in the audience.
I enjoyed meeting new faces and reconnecting with faces I hadn't seen in weeks, months, years, or even days.
Reviews were kind and I'm grateful.
The one thing that I think helps me is that I'm hellbent on keeping an event moving. Attendees appreciate that. I'm mindful that people begin to squirm and get uncomfortable and I've been to some marathon Old Timers dinners.
Another thing that needs to be done is to get the crowd to quiet down. Whether it's business people in San Francisco or townies in Greenwich, it's essentially all the same. In those moments, I get to be a bit of a wise guy as I try to subdue the noise.
In the case of opening the ceremonies, I did something subtle. After several efforts to silence everyone, I simply introduced the color guard. Nothing like marching policemen carrying the American flag to get a crowd to pipe down.
Seconds later, we had peace, followed by the Melody Men singers performing the National Anthem.
From there, the night went about as well as it could.
At least I still think so.
It was a huge honor and I was still buzzing a bit when Chris, Sean, and I stopped by a Stamford watering hole to toast a successful night.
I think I earned another shot next year.
*****
What was Charissa Thompson thinking?
Was she just trying to be funny?
You see, it's 2023 and the media is pretty heavy scrutiny, if you haven't heard.
The past several years have seen a collection of heavily biased reporting. Those calling themselves journalists are often too focused on being first versus being accurate.
Combine those things and it's a nightmare for those of us who still try to maintain dignity and integrity.
But then there's Charissa telling a podcast that, as a sideline reporter, she would make things up.
Here's the quote: "I would make up the report sometimes because the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up.’
A simple Google search of Thompson's will not only produce a list of stories about this but also the level of vitriol she is receiving today.
It's extremely damaging to the sports reporting business but it's especially damning to women broadcasters for reasons that shouldn't need explaining.
But, especially as sideline reporters, women are looked at (unfairly) as "eye candy" producing reports to little value. Look, I think in-game reports are largely useless but they're not going away. Coaches tend to loathe them. We've even done them on WGCH and HAN back in the day.
Returning to the women in the business who have done sideline reporting, I can name quite a few who are actually fantastic. Holly Rowe, Doris Burke (who used to do sideline hits), Pam Oliver, Meredith Marakovits, and Michele Tafoya (before she quit to jump into political commentary) are among those I think of, but there are so many more.
And I'll put Suzyn Waldman's reporting instincts right up there as well.
Erin Andrews was once at the top of the profession and has returned to a high standard, working on the top team with FOX Sports.
There are others, of course, and I'm certainly not trying to diminish anyone.
Look, I know part of Thompson's thing is being quirky and funny. She does a humorous podcast with Andrews that humanizes both of them. That can be a good thing.
But, in this case, it was bad because it hurt the industry.
There are enough people in this industry with low standards and zero integrity. Thankfully we occasionally weed a few of them out.
Thompson will do some kind of damage control (and likely so will her employers) but the blowback has been fierce.
It's bad for women.
It's sad for all of us.
*****
Maintaining whatever shred of integrity I can maintain, I'm going back to Mahopac today, on the call for two New York State Regionals.
- Haldane and Burke Catholic at 4 p.m. in Class D.
- Somers and Averill Park at 7 p.m. in Class A.
It will be nice to be back at my old high school. The video broadcasts will be on the NFHS Network.
And the audio only will be where you expect to find it.
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