FORT BENNING, Ga., (Sept. 25, 2013) -- A homer?, Well, maybe.
I have never been the type of writer to be what many call a "homer."
Journalists, after all, are supposed to be unbiased, even when reporting on the teams they cover for a living.
But, after spending eight years reporting on a football team as a sports editor, it sure is good to be able to write about winning again.
In those eight years, the high school football team I reported on was a combined 21-59 -- or 2.6 wins per season. That is a long time and a lot of games to find different ways to write about losing.
Writing about the how and why a team loses all the time takes a toll on a writer -- especially if he or she expects to keep a certain amount of rapport with coaches.
The one thing I learned? When writing about winning, write as long as you like. Losing? Keep it short and focus on the stats.
Fortunately, I have many teams I can choose to report on at Fort Benning, and with rare exception, I can always find a winner to write about.
This week, all three of the teams I covered won … starting with the Cobras Saturday morning, the Bengals later in the day, and finally, the Doughboys … all three winners.
I believe no matter what I have to cover, I can always find winners in Fort Benning sports whether it is intramurals, Child, Youth & School Services and even teams that compete in downtown leagues … and that makes my job a lot easier.
The other thing that makes my job easy is the amount and availability of sports opportunities on post.
Having coached many years on post back in the 90s, I can say without a doubt there are more opportunities to get children involved in athletics than most other places. I also realize how difficult it is to try and meet everyone's needs and the cost involved.
At my last position before coming back to the Bayonet and Saber, the county I covered always struggled to keep children involved in sports and other physical activities … Fort Benning does a great job with the resources available. If you don't believe me, move to one of the rural counties in Georgia and find out the hard way.
Parents at Fort Benning have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to sporting activities for their youth.
So, if you want to call me a homer, in this case I will accept that as a compliment.
When it comes to sports, just take a look around at all Fort Benning has to offer. Who knows, maybe you are really a homer too, and just don't want to admit it.
Like mama used to say, and still does, if you don't have something good to say … well, you know the rest.
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