Media vs Semi Pro...Is that what it is becoming???

Brien Mitchum

From the Press Box

It is no secret that the state of “Semi-Pro” has been shaken up all over more specifically Indiana, with there being a large number of teams in the state that is spread out from Northeast to Northwest and central being the hub, hot spot for the most teams.

We can talk more about that later, but I hear a lot of talk about helping to get rid of the stigma that is “Semi-Pro” and get people to see it as Minor League or Developmental football and there are people that are trying to that within the state, with leagues that have standards and requirements to hold the teams and players accountable from the management of the leagues down to the front office of the teams, and some would even say that the saving grace has arrived and it is going to change the landscape of minor league football in the state of Indiana.

But for the media outlets and let’s face it, its semi pro just like it’s a pay-to-pay for most of the leagues around in fact 90% of the leagues in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and I am sure other states as well, are pay to play so for the media outlets, we are not getting ESPN or Fox News to cover the games, help promote the players who have the talent to get to that next level, it seems like it’s starting to become the teams and players versus the media, it comes down to for me anyways, (and my disclaimer-my opinion does not reflect anyone else’s opinions so take it for what it is worth, or don’t it’s your choice) is how you present yourself and how you market yourself, so if someone markets themselves in way were they respond to their post under a different name then what does it matter, is it the best way to do it I don’t know but if it works for that person then fine go for it. As long as the reporting is factual and not just garbage that was received from a source, not all sources are good sources.

I get it sometimes things are too much, and if the reporting is not accurate then be man enough to fix it, have I been perfect on my reporting, heck no, have I upset some people with my so-called bias for certain team in the past yeah, but I am just as harsh on that team as I am with any team that I am covering if they played like garbage then I am going to report it, if they played like superstars I am going to report it. However, if the media doesn’t get the facts or game stats or any information about the games from someone in that organization or that league, then all we can do is speculate, like I said if I am wrong I will be the first to report that I was wrong and fix it, and at the end of the day I have no hard feelings against any teams, coaches, owners, league staff or owners, I try to do my best to promote minor league football.

The bottom line is, we all need to work together teams, players, owners, media to achieve the same goal cause guess what it won’t change unless we do, and none of us are getting paid. So, if someone is over the top in how they do things then if it doesn’t affect you personally then what does it matter, if it does then that’s another issue for another time, I know that people get upset and block on social media it is what it is, and maybe there was a reason for it, but if you make a mistake be a man and own up to it. And I won’t sugar coat anything to not make someone mad or hurt their feelings, I won’t be disrespectful by any means, but I certainly don’t write this post to make people feel all cozy with rainbows and clouds, I do it because I enjoy covering sports specifically minor league football, and I hope I do an ok job and improve each time and season, but just remember at the end of the day we are all shooting for something bigger and most of us are chasing something bigger be it getting to that next level of playing or in some media members chasing that next big outlet that is looking for someone over the top, or someone that shows potential.

Good luck to all the teams going into the 2023 season there are a lot of great things to look forward to in 2023, let’s make it great. Until next time.