Your presence in the locker (changing) room is worth more than your presence in the newspaper or on television.

While you may perceive some value in being noticed by the TV camera or the newspaper writer, there is a far greater value in your being available to the players and coaches surrounding the competition’s beginning and ending. Watch as the coaches and players during pre-game preparations and as they leave the locker room or the field and pay attention to their emotions. You might be in perfect position for a very important conversation or to just sit with them in silence.

There have been several instances where the privileged information that I had would have made a real scoop for a sportswriter or television reporter, but to leak the story would have violated the trust I was building with the coaching staff and competitors. It would have also put me in the worst possible situation with the writer or reporter. They’d begin to view me as simply a source for information or stories and not as a part of the support system to those for whom I profess to care.

Let the media get their stories from someone else, you’re here for the sport participants. Avoid the temptation to be seen as the person with “inside information” or “the friend of the program.” Those designations are usually ones assigned to privilege seekers, influence brokers and athletic wannabes. You must keep your focus on the needs of your coaches and athletes.