Saving My Strings

I have started to stick with a general strategy when it comes to keeping track of story materials.

When the story idea first pops into my head, I’ll pull up the “Notes” app on my iPhone and jot down just a brief description of the idea. I’ve learned to write the description instead of just two or three words from experience because I have ideas still on my list whose meaning I am still unaware of.

Then I make two separate Google Doc folders. One is the document that has the transcript of any interviews as well as links to relevant stories or videos about the story topic. If there are key pieces that I need to seek out for the first document, I’ll leave a sticky note on my laptop background with keywords to look for in case I forget. I’ll normally transcribe entire interviews even if I think certain parts are irrelevant, because more than once I’ve used something I initially thought was a mere throw-away quote.

From there, I just transfer the necessary information from the first document into the second document as I write. Writing in your classes has converted me to using Google Docs, and at this point I swear by it.

Questions about FBS teams scheduling FCS opponents

My topic would be about FBS football programs scheduling non-FBS teams.

In recent years, the importance of playing a top-tier schedule has never been more important due to the College Football Playoff, which puts a lot of value in a team’s schedule. As a result, a debate about playing lower-level opponents such as teams in the FCS has become more prevalent than ever. There is one side of the argument which says playing FCS schools is unnecessary and a weak exploitation of teams that need the money. The Big Ten Conference, for example, has made a rule outlawing FCS opponents.

On the other side of the argument is the FCS programs who need the six-to-seven figure deals to play FBS programs and subsequently pay for other athletic endeavors. There are also FBS head coaches, such as FSU’s Jimbo Fisher, who argue that playing FCS teams can help the sport of football altogether.

My questions would be:

– How long have FBS programs been scheduling FCS opponents?

– How many times have FCS schools defeated FBS programs?

– Had the frequency of FCS opponents been going up prior to the College Football Playoff?

– During the BCS era, was there any correlation between an FBS team’s success on a national level and the number of FCS opponents they played in a given year?

– What is the budget of the average FCS team that doesn’t schedule FBS opponents compared to those who do?

– How often had the Big Ten Conference’s teams been playing FCS opponents compared to the other Power 5 conferences?

– Jimbo Fisher said there is a trickle-down effect that helps FCS and Division II programs generate needed revenue. How accurate is that statement?

The complexity of college football schedules

Something that continues to confuse me is the disconnect that surrounds FBS college football teams’ non-conference schedules.

The major issue lately has been the controversy surrounding playing FCS teams. On one side, you have the Big Ten Conference, which has banned playing FCS schools, while on the other is Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, who argues that playing these games leads to a trickle-down effect of money that keeps FCS schools and Division II programs afloat. I’m of the mindset that playing perhaps one team on the FCS level each year is acceptable, especially when there are local ties such as when Georgia played Georgia Southern when the Eagles were still in the Southern Conference.

An unusual story yet one that needs mentioning is the decision between Wake Forest and North Carolina to play each other in non-conference games in 2019 and 2021 despite the fact that, you know, they’re both members of the ACC. The FBS level of football now has 128 teams, which means there are 126 other teams in the top classification alone that these teams could have chosen. I think this could set a precedent that could keep marquee matchups from happening in favor of playing games against fairly common opponents.

If going so far between games is an issue, why not get rid of divisions, like what SB Nation writers Jason Kirk and Bill Connelly suggested this summer?

A look back at the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State

I don’t remember exactly how I heard about the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State, but I know I immediately took notice of the situation.

As a lifelong college football enthusiast, Penn State has always been considered one of the premier programs in the nation, and their longtime head coach Joe Paterno one of the sport’s most revered coaches. To have any situation cloud the program means it’s something to keep your eye on.To have this happen at the hands of someone Paterno kept on staff for over 30 years was a horrifying fact, even before it became painfully apparent Paterno knew more than he let on.

There was more than just one fact that jumped out at me from these stories. One that was certainly eye-opening was that the former district attorney who was involved in the case, Ray Gricar, had been missing for seven years and considered legally dead. Also, the fact that there was a sting operation involving Sandusky in 1998 that yielded some evidence but not enough is disconcerting to say the least. This turned out to be a string of what Ganim calls “missed opportunities” in which people had the chance to take down Sandusky but, for various reasons, were not able to follow through.

Vox Card Reaction: Gun Violence

Since gun violence continues to be a pressing issue in America, I chose to look through the cards on this issue.

The second card regarding the United States’ gun crime rates compared to other so-called “rich” countries was a jarring one. With 29.7 homicides by firearms per 1 million people in 2012, the chart revealed the United States has more such crimes than Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada combined.

I was also surprised by the fact that there are more gun suicides in America than gun homicides, going back as far as 1999. It’s a lot more common to hear about homicides when the issue with guns comes up, but I think this is a good glimpse into how gun control isn’t such a simple issue. This brings into the factor that mental health in this country should play in regards to this issue.

I think it’s important to also note that the angle with these cards isn’t necessarily for or against guns, although one can take away that gun violence in the United States is undoubtedly an issue. I bring up this point because of the third card, which stated that gun homicides — as well as all homicides — have declined starting in the 1990s. Other facts included may make people who are pro-guns believe these cards are purposefully learning toward gun control, but I think that would be an unfair claim to make.

Journalist I Admire: Andy Staples

Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples is a writer I admire for a number of reasons. I really became a fan of Staples last fall when he took time out of his day during the football season to talk to me for our Grady Sports social media class. I also really admired his tact during SEC meetings this summer concerning the story below.

Jeffery Simmons: Mississippi St.’s punishment too light

Staples was one of the main writers who went after Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin for the Bulldogs’ decision to only suspend defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons for one game.

His thinking to compare this suspension for beating a woman to the same suspension given for targeting was simply genius. He also did a good job of fairly comparing Simmons’ situation to that of Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, who was suspended for the entire 2014 season.

Staples also gave Stricklin credit for answering questions when most A.D.s would have cowered behind their desks.

FSU football: Jimbo Fisher urges to help West Virginia flood victims

This was a short but well-done story on Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher helping high school football squads who were flood victims back in his home state.

The part that really jumped out at me was included information about a flood that happened in Fisher’s hometown in 1985. That fact is followed up brilliantly by the quote from Fisher that, “They said that was a once-in-a-hundred-year flood. Well, we just had another one.

This story is informative, but I also think it’s helpful that it ends with a way for readers to help these flood victims by providing an address in case any high school coaches want to donate equipment.