Football and basketball media coverage

I have been a football coach for 38 years.  I have loved every minute of my coaching career.  There is one thing that nags at me though.  I do not appreciate the coverage other sports receive in comparison to football and basketball.
I have also served as an athletic director for 32 years.  As athletic director, I am concerned for all sports.  I like to see all the student-athletes succeed.  I learned a long time ago, the more success sports have in a college or school district; there is increased enthusiasm in the entire student body and community.  
I’m proud to say our Cove newspapers gives good coverage to all sports but I was saddened to see both the boys and girls soccer teams’ results in the area newspaper sidebar last weekend.  Both teams played good matches against Shoemaker High School.  The girls won their match.      
I also noticed the sidebar for the baseball team, which was a disgrace.  The baseball team had a great weekend in tournament play.  They tore up their competition.  They will receive excellent coverage in the Cove papers.  
There was not an article about the girls’ regional power lifting results.  They had regional competition and three of the six girls qualified for state.  It is such a shame all the student-athletes do not receive the same recognition.  This gives football and basketball sports a black eye.  More people need to call the media and demand better coverage of their sport.
It is not always to your benefit as a coach or team to receive lots of media coverage.  Sports receiving the most coverage or publicity become hated.  It is similar to the kids game “King of the Hill”.  When you reach the top, people want to pull you down.  It is human nature.  People become jealous of success and successful people.   
If  you were to glance through the newspaper sports section the probability of reading about spring sports like baseball, softball, tennis, swimming, golf, track and field and soccer would be low.  There are clearly contrasting arguments on both sides of the debate about why football and basketball receive more coverage than other sports.  Those for equal coverage argue sports other than football and basketball are just as good and are just as interesting to watch.  In contrast, those against equal coverage argue the exact opposite.  
A popular argument is other sports besides football and basketball are not as popular, therefore based on simple supply and demand they should not have equal coverage.  However, on the opposing side many argued that increasing media coverage of other sports is needed first in order to increase their popularity.  This could eventually lead to more interest, more viewership, even more gate revenue for other sports besides football and basketball.  
There clearly is an interest and demand for more media coverage of other sports.  The problem is it will take an outcry by the public to demand more coverage.  In Copperas Cove, we are thankful for the Cove coverage and hope area newspapers will see the light.
Thought for the week, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”  Confucius