Behind the Scenes on Football Game Day: Athletic Communications
November 10, 2005 | Football
Each week, a different department from University of Wisconsin athletics will be featured so fans can get a behind-the-scenes understanding of what it does for football game days. This week, in the final installment, a closer look at the athletic communications department.
Before the game
' On Sundays, athletic communications staff members work on updating the weekly football release (a.k.a. 'game notes'), a packet that includes stats, key notes on players and the team, and other pertinent information that helps members of the media cover the Badgers.
' Every Monday of game weeks, head coach Barry Alvarez holds a news conference that athletic communications moderates. Football players also are brought to the conference to talk to the media.
' Interviews for players and assistant coaches are conducted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after practice and are managed by the athletic communications department. Out-of-town phone interview requests also are taken during the week and set up by staff members.
' Credential requests are taken from summer all the way through the week of the game. Besides local media, other people that may come to games include national media (i.e. ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated), bowl reps (i.e. Capital One Bowl) and many more.
' Also throughout the week, any stories written about the team, players and/or coaches are clipped and saved. In addition, material for the game program'including feature stories, opponent information, etc.'is assembled and layed out (most of it is done one week prior). The program, in digital form, is then sent to the printing company.
' Depending on what television station is broadcasting the game, some time is devoted on Thursdays and Fridays to meeting with TV personnel. For example, ABC often interviews coaches and players (with their backdrop in the background) and airs the interviews during the game. Athletic communications staff members get the coaches and players to these interviews.
' The day before the game, the press box is cleaned and set up for the game. This involves putting name cards on each seat, posting signs (i.e. credential clearances, seating charts, etc.) and stuffing game packets (with game notes from both teams and other info).
' Up to four hours prior to the game, staff members work on a variety of tasks, such as handling last-minute credential requests, going over pronunciations with radio and TV, reviewing post-game procedures with the visiting team 's athletic communications staff, meeting with photographers about photo needs and many more duties.
During the game
' Most of the staff members sit in a booth within the press box. There, they help with stats, including participation, tackles and play-by-play. They also work on notes (i.e. important things that happen during the game) and answer calls from the outside (i.e. from the TV station).
' A staff member or two is assigned to the sideline and reports injuries to the press box.
' Interview requests are taken after the third quarter. Some staff members and the media usually head down to the field with about eight minutes remaining in the game to beat foot traffic and prepare for the post-game interviews.
After the game
' The staff splits up, with some heading to the opponent 's news conference to get quotations, some get quotations from Coach Alvarez and UW players and others stay in the press box to wrap up the game (i.e. double-check stats and then distribute).
' Players are taken from the locker room to another room where members of the media interview them.
' A game recap is written and posted on uwbadgers.com, quotations are typed up and distributed to the media, and any other lingering tasks or new demands are handled.
