Two well-known sideline reporters made news early this week -- with one (Erin Andrews, at right) weighing celebrity vs. journalism and the other (Lisa Salters) becoming the focus for some criticism of sideline reporters in general.Chronologically, Salters' situation came first. It was brought to light by an Orlando Sentinel blogger, Tania Ganguil, who talked with Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy about the work of sideline reporters in general and ESPN's Salters in particular.
The genesis for the discussion was an in-game interview between Salters and the generally loquacious Van Gundy, when the coach seemed less than thrilled with the situation. He said in-game interviews almost inevitably pose a challenge for coaches.
"After the game's hard enough. I can take some time and compose myself and answer questions fairly rationally," he said. "Between quarters stuff ... I'm not trying to be rude to the people that are interviewing me, but to be quite honest I don't want to deal with it. I want to get back in the huddle and talk to my players. I don't want to be answering questions.
"I got nothing against Lisa Salters. I respect her work. I like her. Tat's a bad time. That's a bad time. That's like coming down trying to carry on a conversation in the middle of the game with me. We're in the game. The game is on. It's just not where my mind is at that point."
Exasperating the specific situation was the fact that former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy (Stan's brother) works as an color commentator for ESPN. He said such in-game interviews with coaches could be replaced with interviews of random fans.
In this case, despite Salters' proven track record of solid journalism and work in the most difficult job on TV sports, the Van Gundy brothers were correct. Those in-game interviews are just a series of bad things waiting to happen. News hardly ever gets broken, and they feel forced and uncomfortable -- no matter work works the sideline and for which network. But, networks keep trotting those reporters out there. While the economy has hit businesses of all kinds in the past year and a half, the sideline reporter subset seems almost recession-proof, and every TV crew seemingly has someone holding a microphone and asking questions at the wrong time.
Andrews, another proven sideline reporter (and probably the most popular and well-known of the bunch because of her looks and skill set), decided to build upon her popularity when she agreed to participate in this season's edition of "Dancing with The Stars." The ABC reality series, which airs starting in late March, features of variety of celebrities in a televised dance competition.
Ratings for the show dropped markedly last year and the producers hoped to rebound with an more recognizabel group of stars this season. The 11-member group also includes: 80-year-old astronaut Buzz Aldrin, actress Pam Anderson, reality TV mom Kate Gosselin, Olympic gold medal skater Evan Lysacek and NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
Expect the personable Andrews, a member of the dance team at the University of Florida as an undergraduate, to survive numerous rounds of cuts on the show.
Her decision to participate was not easy, though, especially in the wake of the well-publicized incident last July when a stalker posted a video of her changing in a hotel room. The video was taken without her permission in 2008, led to legal action and, eventually, the arrest of a man from Chicago. He was charged with insterstate stalking, posting them online and trying to sell them to a celebrity media outlet.
Andrews, whose father was an award-winning TV investigative reporter and who has regularly shown her own skill set as a journalist, weighed her options and said she eventually decided to participate in the program to "get my smile back."
It sounds like a nice change of pace, and she probably needs it after a rough year away from the job. Plus, there's no doubt it'll help her in her job, making her more popular and ensuring more and more assignments.