Sunday, April 19, 2009

Capel never thought Arizona?

Coach  Capel put rumors to rest by resigning with Oklahoma after newspapers reoirted he would leave for Arizona. Photo taken from Oklahoma News 9.

In this day and age of modern media the general public can find information any time, anywhere, from a multitude of different sources. 

The problem with this informations is that it is not always correct, or in some cases, couldn't be further from the truth. In the case of Jeff Capel, one false report from a newspaper in Phoenix proved publishing a story on a hunch can get out of hand in a hurry.

According to the East Valley Tribune, Jeff Capel had already interviewed to become the next head basketball coach at the University of Arizona, and sources said he was the leading candidate. The problem? The interview never happened.

"I talked to Capel last week," Bob Barry Jr. said. "He said that he was sitting on the couch watching ESPN with his wife when they reported he was in Tuscon interviewing to become the next Arizona head coach."

The University of Arizona has moved on and hired Sean Miller as their new head coach. Miller, previously the head coach at Xavier, had just come off his fourth consecutive NCAA tournament with the Musketeers.

Friday, April 17, 2009

OKC sports writers know jobs are thin





Oklahoma City has not felt the pains of the economic crisis quite like the rest of the States, but even in Oklahoma people in journalism are losing jobs for many reasons.

The current economic situation has run it's toll on the news business in Oklahoma, and now even sports journalism is suffering. Jobs are being cut and students are beginning to realize they could be trading their journalism dreams for work in another field. Add this to the fact that newspaper readership is down for Americans under 40 (a major segment of the sports journalism target market), and you have a recipe for disaster.

But, there are some sports journalist in the field who are still looking out for graduates trying to break into the newsroom. And the jobs might not be plentiful, but the advice is.

"Sports Journalism has really taken a hit and it's getting hard for kids to find jobs," Channel 9 Sports Anchor Dean Blevins said. "[Journalism students] should be looking to intern anywhere and everywhere, because I won't even hire someone who doesn't have a significant amount of experience."

When and if the economy levels out the jobs are likely to increase, but newspapers will still be down. And although newspapers will never vanish, Blevins said that most students should stay open to whatever jobs are available for the time being.

Monday, April 6, 2009

UNC clearly the favorite after taking down the Sooners and Wildcats

A picture of the FedEx forum in Memphis where North Carolina knocked off Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament. Photo by Taylor Bullard.

Tyler Hansborough and the North Carolina Tar Heels seem to be the clear favorite to take home the NCAA tournament crown after handily beating the Sooners as well as the Wildcats of Villanova.

Last Sunday the Sooners met the Tar Heels in Memphis, and outside of a brilliant game by likely Naismith winner Black Griffin, the Sooners were outmatched and outplayed.

The Tar Heels continued their dominant run Sunday, taking down the Wildcats (83-69). Villanova had previously been one of the hottest teams in the tournament, but Sunday it seemed like they were never in the game.

"Blake was a tough competitor," UNC's Tyler Hansbrough said of Griffin. "He's one of the best athletes we've faced all year."

North Carolina will tip off against the Spartans of Michigan State tonight at 9:21 P.M. ET to decide who will take home the tournament title. The Tar Heels are heavily favored, but Michigan State beat two #1 seeds to make it to the finals and are practically playing a home game in Detroit.