Let the spotlight shine on high school athletes

Staff editorial,

Media guidelines for state high school athletic tournaments don't usually make big headlines.

But restricted media access to this year's state basketball and wrestling tournaments merit a little ink - and fans' attention.

That's because the new rules crafted by the Iowa High School Sports Network - which holds exclusive rights to most audio, video and promotion in connection with boys' state tournaments - will make it more difficult for reporters and photographers to catch hometown athletes in action.

We strongly urge the Iowa High School Athletic Association to reconsider, and to work with local media to find mutually beneficial, common-sense replacements for the new rules.

Since 2006 the Iowa High School Athletic Association has contracted with Krogman and Associates, an Iowa-based sports marketing and consulting firm now known as the Iowa High School Sports Network. This year, the firm has drafted media guidelines for tournaments that appear to be beneficial only to them.

Instead of allowing sports photographers to work from the edge of the mats during the State Wrestling Tournament, for instance, photographers will be confined to areas located behind tables, coaches, officials and other tournament participants. Reporters will not be given space to write their articles in the arena. Instead they will shunted off to another room to watch the tournament on television - via an Iowa High School Sports Network-produced feed.

Iowa High School Athletic Association Executive Director Alan Beste told sports journalists and editors in a letter this week that the changes are intended to relieve congestion on the floor, improve access for coaches and others, and to make the venue safer. He stressed that photographers at the state wrestling tournament will be allowed to do their work 'within a few feet of each mat,” and that media will be allowed to interview wrestlers in other areas off the arena floor.

We are sympathetic to the need to make sure tournaments run smoothly. So are the sports journalists we know. If there have been any problems with journalists getting in the way at high school tournaments in Iowa, we haven't heard of them.

As Gazette Sports Editor J.R. Ogden pointed out in a reply, The Gazette will be following wrestlers from 50 different high schools. Those athletes will be on the mats all day long. Being present for those matches is a critical service to our readers who want to know how their hometown athletes are faring in competition.

High school athletics are a point of pride for many of our communities. Keeping readers updated about local athletes is an important part of any local news organization's job.

As Ogden mentioned, college-level events have no issues with accommodating a large media presence on the floor. Surely, a better solution can be found here, too.

' Comments: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com