April 19 Notebook
April 19, 2005 04:07 PM | General
April 19, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There used to be a time years ago when you could fit a college football media guide in your back pocket. In those days the media guide was just that -- for the media or press as they were then called.
 |
||
| West Virginia University's 2005 football media guide was 368 pages. A new proposal to be voted on next week would reduce the size to 208 pages beginning this fall.
WVU Sports Communications |
About 30 years ago media guides expanded in size to 8 x 10 and then later someone (most likely from the SEC) got the bright idea to add hundreds of pages to it. Presently, the 2003 University of Texas football press guide approached 600 pages and weighs about seven pounds.
It is easily college football’s equivalent to Saddam Hussein’s master bathroom. I’d hate to be the mailman that had to deliver it to someone’s house. Worse yet, can you just imagine poor old Beano Cook trying to get the thing out of his mail box.
In the Texas football guide you can read all about the ‘Texas Angels’ -- a collection of Farrah Fawcett wannabes whose job it is to serve as liaisons for Texas football recruits and their families. Among their duties are such wholesome things as preparing scrapbooks for seniors and being mentors for the freshmen.
Senior scrapbooks?
Freshmen mentoring?
You can see a picture of Mack Brown’s administrative associate (the artist formerly known as secretary) as well as administrative assistants for the other coaches on staff. There are photos of the team’s three doctors as well as pictures of President George W. Bush, Troy Aikman, Willie Nelson, Kevin Costner, Spike Lee and the entire ABC and ESPN television crew, including basketball commentator Dick Vitale.
One photo caption describes Longhorn benefactor and World War II hero Frank Denius rarely missing a Texas practice. It is interesting that “Longhorn benefactor” came before “World War II hero” in the cut line. Wonder if Frank would have made the book if he was just a World War II hero?
There is assistant coach Mike Tolleson doing an Elvis impersonation during a bowl function as well as a photo of a shirtless Longhorn fan being passed up the student section under the caption ‘Awesome Fans.’
You can read biographies about all of the former Longhorns now playing professional football as well as former players now coaching in the NFL.
There are sections on ‘Explosive Power’, ‘Mack’s Magic’, ‘Community Involvement’, ‘Fantastic Facilities’, ‘Super Stadium’, ‘Big Time Competition’, ‘Red River Shootout’, and of course, those ‘Texas Angels.’
Academics make its first appearance 154 pages into the book. The actual media guide stuff doesn’t start until page 307. By page 552 we’re back to ‘Fantastic Facilities’ and the book finishes with a photo montage of Texas football.
Tolstoy couldn’t possibly have come up with something this long.
The back of the book shows lightning striking the University of Texas Tower – the same tower Charles Whitman used to kill 17 people and injure 31 more in a sniper attack on the city in 1966.
This publication is certainly a sight to behold.
That’s why last year there was a movement to limit the size and cost of producing media guides. One proposal that never came to vote was to do away with media guides completely and simply publish an online brochure for recruits and media.
A viable alternative was advanced last week when the NCAA Division I Management Council approved Proposal 2003-32, which limits printed media guides to 208 pages for all sports.
An amendment to reduce the size to 240 pages failed.
The council’s proposal now moves forward to the NCAA Board of Directors, which meets on April 28. It is expected that the Board of Directors will approve the proposal.
West Virginia University’s 2004 football media guide was 368 pages or “about average size,” according to Sports Publications Director Joe Swan.
“We’re not extraordinarily big,” he said.
Swan and WVU Sports Information Director Shelly Poe were aware of the pending legislation and have begun making the appropriate modifications. Because production of the 2005 media guide is already well underway, Swan says he has plans for a 300-page book and another book paired back a third in size to meet the 208-page mandate.
Swan says there are other things that can be done to reduce the size of the book including changing font types and eliminating photos.
“We’re going to try and pick up some space that way,” he said. “You can do things without sacrificing a lot and that’s the approach we’re taking.”
Because there are possibly 168 fewer pages in this year’s media guide, Swan admits there will be items that must be removed if the measure does pass next week.
“Most of those items will be things that you can get in other places like the University web site or our web site (MSNsportsNET.com),” he said.
Swan doesn’t have a problem with regulating the size of media guides but he does think it could have been done incrementally. Under the current measure schools could still produce 500-page media guides but would be prohibited from giving them to prospective athletes – which is essentially the point of producing a 500-page book in the first place.
“I think this is a little too extreme,” he said. “Because so much is being cut out it opens the door for schools to produce two publications: one for the media and one to mail out to recruits. I think 300 (pages) would have been a reasonable starting point.
“Where you are really going to lose is picture wise,” Swan said. “There are not going to be as many action pictures of players.”
As difficult as it is for Swan to cut 168 pages it is much, much easier for him than his counterpart at Texas having to free up 384 pages.
So, do you think the ‘Texas Angels’ stay or go?
Note: The views and opinions expressed here aren't neccessarily those shared by the WVU Athletic Department, the Mountaineer Sports Newtork or West Virginia University.
