Those Pesky Newspaper Reporters

This past week, sports columnist Jenni Carlson of the Daily Oklahoman apparently had some negative things to say about the Oklahoma State football team's quarterback. She questioned his toughness and posed this question: " ... Does he want to be coddled, babied, perhaps even fed chicken?"

None of this would have been all that newsworthy in far flung places like Iowa, except that on Monday the Oklahoma State coach went into a press conference tirade that is now being broadcast several thousand times an hour on You Tube. Coach Gundy "... blasted Carlson the entire time, calling her column 'fiction' and the newspaper 'garbage.'"

Sometimes the relationship between newspaper writer and subject matter can get a little hairy. Believe me, I know. On January 30, 1990, I wrote the following editorial column for the University of Northern Iowa's Northern Iowan:

"Rarely are events as memorable as the hype that proceeds them. This is especially true in athletics .... The UNI-Iowa [basketball game] was an exception. Perhaps in this case the game WAS the most exciting aspect of the evening.

"As a result of UNI's stunning victory, a new level of success has been reached in Panther athletics. Panther fans could carve a big notch in their bedposts and proudly chant, 'We're number one, we're number one.'"

"UNI 77-Iowa 74. I think its universally recognized that Iowa men's basketball is vulnerable this year. Many prognosticators pick Iowa to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten. The same crystal ball lists UNI as runaway AMCU champions. So, UNI wins at home, in the dome, for the first time in 75 years. Impressive, maybe so."

I went on to suggest that UNI fans should avoid getting too big for their britches, the league it played in was inferior, and that "we should realize we have a good team and be proud of what it does. But, don't dream of what it can't do. National championships are not around any corner on this campus."

"Don't let the thrill of a little success fool you. Enjoy Panther basketball for what it is -- in-state athletes using their talents for a few more years. Thank them for the entertainment they provide, support them with pride. Don't belittle their success with talk of greatness."

As football commentator Keith Jackson would say, "Whoa Nelly!" That column, written 17 years ago, got me in heaps of trouble. The basketball team captain called me up and volunteered to rearrange my face. Threats from large male students plugged up my dorm room voicemail. Letters to the editor piled up (a rare occurrence for the Northern Iowan). I even had a sit-down with then-head basketball coach Eldon Miller and head football coach Terry Allen.

Was what I said true? Some parts were. The University of Iowa Hawkeyes went on to have a dismal year, finishing low in the Big Ten. UNI went on to have the best season in its history (at that point), even winning an NCAA tournament game against Missouri. The Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU) was kind of a rinky dink outfit. It has changed its name and team lineup many times since 1990, and UNI is no longer in it. In 1990, it was rare for UNI to beat Iowa or Iowa State University in any athletic competition, let alone men's basketball (the gap has narrowed in recent years). UNI has not won a national basketball championship (it has never gotten past the second round of the NCAA tourney).

But, was what I wrote inflammatory? Yep. Not intentionally, but obviously.

Was Ms. Carlson of Oklahoma trying to be inflammatory? I don't know. Here's my guess though -- she is paid by the newspaper to write about sports, in a way that both sells newspapers and accurately reflects the truth. Since the job of an opinion columnist is to express their opinion, you can imagine that others may disagree from time to time. Carlson suggested that the QB in question is "soft." Coach Gundy, at least in a public forum, has a different opinion.

I wonder who is receiving the brunt of criticism in Oklahoma this week -- the quarterback who lost his starting job, the reporter who tried to explain why, or the coach who lost his cool in front of the world.

And the beat goes on ...