Usually I try to avoid "media" tables at events. It's better to sit with, meet and hear the real people, who are organizing, involved with or otherwise supportive of the event I'm covering. But yesterday, at the "Welcome Home" luncheon for the Washington Redskins -- owner, manager, players, coaches, fans -- I was thrilled when I learned who my tablemates would be: some of Washington's best journalists (and a couple from beyond the Beltway), a group of sports writers and broadcasters. They are very real & interesting & entertaining.
On my right was Grant Paulsen, the Redskins beat reporter for 106.7FM, on my left was John Keim, who has the same beat, formerly with the Washington Examiner, then briefly with The Washington Post, and now with ESPN.com. One over from Keim was Mike Jones, who has the Redskins beat with The Washington Post (and came there from The Fauquier Citizen and his native Warrenton, VA., where, btw, my family lived since 1968). Also at the table was Washington Post sports columnist Jason Reid. And others: Zac Boyer of The Free Lance-Star, Michael Phillips of The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSN, and Joseph White of the Associated Press. I link to their twitter feeds because if you follow sports you should follow them.
I enjoy reading sports reporting and listening to sports talk radio. I'm a sports journo fangirl. The writing usually is colorful, clever, smart, funny. The sports beat is a writer's field, more than any other beat with the exception maybe of TV and film criticism. It's "breaking" and "live" news, but not about the world falling apart. The men and women who cover DC sports don't appear to have consumed any of the town's Kool-Aid. Their skepticism is intact. It's also the last bastion of authentic American journalism that hasn't been compromised by wanting to be invited to parties. It's the story, the story, the story ... and a little bit of each other, too. They are competitive but also a bonded band.
From the moment we took our seats they were each on their devices, updating their twitter feeds with bits of new Redskins news. Interestingly, the only reason any of them attended the lunch -- or so they told me -- was because Robert Griffin III was scheduled to speak and when that happens they have to be there. He may not say anything, but generally even when he doesn't say much it is still news. And none wants to be the one who wasn't there. Also, the chance coach Mike Shanahan might drop something relevant. And it turns out he did with some variation of "anything short of a Super Bowl is a failure." Defining and intrepreting what he said has become a twitter debate among some of the writers.
Our table was right beside the aisle where each team member walked after being introduced. I stood to take some photos and was up close with each athlete. Impressions? So young. So fit. Some so tall and some not so tall. In the air was the fact that of the approximate 90 as many as 40 will be cut before the season opener on September 9. Still, the luncheon was a celebratory pause before the action begins. It was also essentially the same for the sports reporters. They will all be in the press box at FedEx Field and traveling with the Redskins to away games -- from now until, well, whenever our season may end and hopefully that will be in the play-offs and beyond.
With all the attention that is given to the book "This Town," which is about DC's media "elite" -- the people who report on politics, the establishment and each other -- someone should write a book about the city's sports reporters. They're cool. It's a lively story, a variation of "the boys on the bus." (If you're a literary agent, I volunteer!)
The luncheon, an annual event, was held at the National Harbor convention center and was hosted by the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and the Redskins Alumni Association, which meant the crowd included a lot of team legends, such as Charley Taylor, Mark Moseley and Rick "Doc" Walker.
You can caption this photo on washingtonian.com, where I have a brief story about the luncheon.
Do I need to add that no mention was made from the dais about the team name controversy? This was not that crowd.
Emmy-winning CBS News producer, talk show guest wrangler, published author, host of The Q&A Cafe, print & digital journalist, filmmaker, photog, and former saloon owner. 
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