Disgracefull

For fan discussion of the Vanderbilt Commodore women's basketball program, games and recruiting.

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Seadog73
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Disgracefull

Post by Seadog73 »

Best I can tell, the Tennessean has not reported on a single VU women's basketball game. I just did a search and it seems the last article about our women's team was on 11/9, with CSR's comments on the signing class. Here we are off to the best start in ages, and I can't find a story about the team in the hometown newspaper. Thank heaven VUCommodores has upped its game with reporting on all sports, and for Mikeadore and others for info on this site.


VandyDan78
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by VandyDan78 »

One of the (many) reasons I cancelled my Tennessean subscription several years ago.
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MikeADore
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by MikeADore »

Seadog73 wrote: Wed Nov 16, 2022 6:56 am Best I can tell, the Tennessean has not reported on a single VU women's basketball game. I just did a search and it seems the last article about our women's team was on 11/9, with CSR's comments on the signing class. Here we are off to the best start in ages, and I can't find a story about the team in the hometown newspaper. Thank heaven VUCommodores has upped its game with reporting on all sports, and for Mikeadore and others for info on this site.
I agree with you 100 percent. It is a huge pet peeve of mine. Even the article on our recruiting class was in large part a regurgitation of the same university press release we saw used on vucommodores.com and the twitter bios of the recruits. The reporter obviously had not even spoken to coach Ralph directly.

It would be a very simple problem to solve. The Tennessean could hire a stringer, most likely a student who knows basketball and has an interest in writing, probably for $100 or less per game. Heck, just do it for home games. Even if the stories only appeared in digital format, it could still help spread the word about the program.

After the first home game against Samford, the only person who showed up for the postgame press conference was the reporter from the school paper, The Hustler. Coach Ralph had Marnelle Garraud and Ryanne Allen with her, and it felt a bit awkward. The young reporter obviously wasn't prepared to run a press conference all by himself, and at the beginning you could hear coach Ralph saying, "We could just have a conversation if you want to." They did that for four minutes. This was the same reporter who was the only one to show up yesterday, but this time, to his credit, you could tell he was more prepared. Coach Ralph spoke to him as if he was had flown in from Bristol, Ct. on an ESPN charter for the interview. Good for her.

Here is Bryce Smith's story for The Hustler. He does a nice job. Unfortunately, the student newspaper's reach is extremely limited: https://vanderbilthustler.com/2022/11/1 ... ince-2014/
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abvandy
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by abvandy »

There is a reason I call it the uTennessean.

Almost every day there are two or three articles about how heupel is a shoo in for national coach of the year, AND the vols are going to win the Heisman, AND the vols will go to the final four, AND the vols win the national championship. Titans are covered periodically, and the Predators are mentioned rarely.

It is sad indeed.


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Seadog73
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by Seadog73 »

And still, even after an in-state game against Austin Peay, no article, no nothing from the fish wrapper. Very glad I finally cancelled a few months ago.
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by charlestonalum »

Seadog73 wrote: Wed Nov 16, 2022 6:56 am Best I can tell, the Tennessean has not reported on a single VU women's basketball game. I just did a search and it seems the last article about our women's team was on 11/9, with CSR's comments on the signing class. Here we are off to the best start in ages, and I can't find a story about the team in the hometown newspaper. Thank heaven VUCommodores has upped its game with reporting on all sports, and for Mikeadore and others for info on this site.
Email Aria Gerson, the woman covering all VU athletics. She should be ashamed. Or is she just that lazy.
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abvandy
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by abvandy »

Not sticking up for Aria Gerson at all, but it's always possible that the editors in knoxville (lower case on purpose) reject any articles that don't cater to the big urange scourge.

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Re: Disgracefull

Post by moxiedore92 »

I seriously doubt that the 20-something beat reporter -- who I find really sharp with her baseball coverage, VU's marquee sport -- has anything whatsoever to do with the lack of coverage in the Tennessean. She takes assignments, doesn't make them, right?

It is not that unusual for two struggling hoops programs to get paltry coverage until college football season is over, especially given the VU has had two straight SEC wins. I like the idea of hiring a stringer until then, but that's certainly not Gerson's call.

I wonder if UConn football has the reverse problem, "Why don't we get any coverage? It's all women's basketball!" I have no idea, just know this isn't a new problem at Vanderbilt. Competition for limited resources. Back during the early 90's, when Heidi & Co. were on campus, things were BUZZING and the *national* media were covering the wbb team from the start. I'm sure Dinardo hated it. LOL Homecoming Queen? Hello! But this is an entirely different landscape. Things will improve once football season ends.
got moxie?
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Re: Disgracefull

Post by AuricGoldfinger »

Given the brutal and massive cost cutting occurring at all Gannett newspapers, I also doubt it's because Aria Gerson simply chooses not to cover the games.
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