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Philippines, 22 Nov 2024 |
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: DO THEY KNOW OR EVEN CARE? PhilBoxing.com Wed, 01 Oct 2008  I was one of the few fans who paid to watch the fight card last Saturday at the Home Depot Center. In fact, I elected to see the fight instead of the Chivas USA football game. But even if I was a last minute ticket buyer, I was sold a ticket in a fairly decent section but high up next to the broadcast booth. I can not complain as there was nothing I can do about it. Besides, after seeing the place less than three-quarters full, I decided I will just move to a better seat when the main event occurs (I did). Truthfully, the early fights where not that interesting and since I was new to the venue, I just decided to walk around, buy me a beer, check out the place and talk to fellow boxing fans. I chance upon a bunch of guys with huge camera lens and an ID hanging on their necks. I did not find out until later they are the people from the ?press?. Their ID says ?auxiliary media?, what ever that means. What strikes me most was the fact that even when there was lots of empty seats, they were in assigned seats that would have been better if they were given as a rest area for the vendors selling water and soda. That was all they were really good for. I say this because from where they stay, it would have taken a super camera that can see thru metal for them to do a decent job. They were behind one of the four huge metal posts that holds the make shift roof and the TV lights. No one can shoot through them. Perhaps not even a gun. Come to think of it, when Shane Mosley knocked out Ricardo Mayorga for the second time, it happened exactly at the corner of the ring where the post would have blocked their view if the photographers kept the place assigned to them. That would have sucked. isn?t it? But you know what? They did not complain. But they have an opinion. ?It?s so bad that people issuing the credentials are not photographers. They should have scouted the venue prior to issuing the credentials so they can see for themselves the seats they gave us.? Said one fellow. ?They have no concept how important it is for us to be seated where there are no obstructions.? One other guy said. ?We can handle any distance with our equipment, but we have no way to deal with obstructions such as the huge posts that hold the ring roof and the lights.? During our conversation, I found out that the press people get the fight for free. They also get a food courtesy of the promoters. In big fights like at the MGM and Mandalay Bay, they get served a full course meal before the fight. But at venues like Home Depot, they got a voucher that was good enough for a hotdog and a soda. It?s no small wonder why they never complain loudly when they are given lousy spots to shot their photos from. They get in the fights for free and they were fed. How about those photographers at the ringside, I asked. ?Oh those spots are given to large news outlets like the AP, Reuters, Los Angeles Times etc... Others like small publications and website photographers are given the spots we are now in. Sometimes however, that is not followed. Those with ?connections? get a ringside spot even if they do not have a large media company to work for. Some are just independent photographers.? ?It really depends on who is issuing the credentials, so we just cross our fingers and hope for a good spot.? Hearing these people speak made me ask myself loudly. Do the people issuing credentials know where they spot these photographers? Better still, do they even care? Watching these photographers maneuver their huge cameras and move around just to get a fairly decent shot is really pathetic. And, I felt so sorry for them. I wonder, what is the role of these people in the propagation of information that helps the promotions? Do they help generate enough positive advertising for the promoters, thereby helping in many other future events? I guess if they issued them credentials, these photographers have a value to the promoters. But how much? Would it then be fair to assume that their value to the promoters is equal to what the promoters get form them? Following this assumption, from where they were given a spot to shoot from, these people do not mean much to the promoters. That, to me sucks! From my perfective, these people are extremely valuable and should be given preferred spots so they can shoot quality photos. After all, no matter how small is their publication or website, they help generate free advertising for the promoters. Now-a-days, ?media? is not only about newspapers and the large news outfits. There are many website that publish news, photos, and what have you about boxing. It is for these reasons, that I, for one do not buy newspapers anymore. I just browse the web and get all the information I need. That is why I think even the smaller outfits like the ones represented by the people I spoke to at the Home Depot should be taken cared of properly by the people that issue the credentials. These people are worth a second look, I think. What will it cost the promotions for a few seat high up on the very last rows that have mp obstructions. Perhaps even the seats in the front of the huge TV cameras, which are normally unoccupied, will do. I am sure they will not interfere with the TV cameras. Giving them a decent place with unobstructed view is the least they can do for them for what they do for the promoters. These photographers are not asking much for what they give back to the promoters in terms of promoting boxing. You can place them anywhere and they can handle it. Distance does not matter to them, a clear view of the whole ring does. I asked one of the photographers to take a shot of the ring from the spot he was assigned to. Attached (above photo) is the photo he sent to me. Tell me, based on the photo, am I justified in calling the attention of those people that issued press credentials for the Home Depot even last Saturday? Ps. When the two co-main events started, the photographers moved to open spots in the arena where they had a better view of the ring. But they were able to do that only because the fight card was sold out. What if it was not? Serafin Reyes  |
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