Bad news for me and other sportswriter types: the ACC Football Kickoff, the midsummer return to college sports journalism normalcy, is going to be virtual this year.
Yeah, we kind of had to know it was coming, but even so, getting the official word is a bummer.
Going virtual means we get to watch the videos like the rest of y’all, which is actually fine.
We’ve all come to rely on Zoom and Otter to get through our days the past few months.
The thing you miss not being on scene is: OK, come on, it gets you out of the house.
And for college sportswriters, you’ve been looking for that since the end of basketball season.
Most college sportswriters give at best scant attention to the spring season.
That’s mainly because most college sports fans give at best scant attention to the spring.
At least for those of us whose primary focus is UVA Athletics, you have lacrosse and baseball, which have been strong on Grounds the past several years.
Even if baseball goes all the way to Omaha, you’ve still got a month to kill until football practice starts.
And for most, it’s been three months of recycling old stuff and coming up with listicles.
The Kickoff gives you at least a couple of weeks of material from the interviews.
It gets you out of the house.
They always treat you so well at those things.
Fed like a king, you get to hang out with coaches, players, administrators, broadcasters, fellow writers.
You get to pick up on things you wouldn’t otherwise.
For instance, at last year’s Kickoff, Scott German and I watched the UVA duo, Bryce Perkins and Bryce Hall, hold a cornhole table for more than two hours.
Competitive kids, those two, was the takeaway.
No cornhole this year.
No Carolina barbecue, no endless free bar.
Yes, I know, wa-a-a-a-a.
I’m not saying, feel sorry for us.
Just, this is something that you look forward to.
As I said, we knew it was coming, that this year was going to be virtual.
Because when you think of it, sportswriters, not the healthiest group out there.
Years of getting fed like kings and spending endless hours in press boxes watching games aren’t good for the ol’ tickers, sugar levels, the rest.
Sitting and standing inches away from a bunch of other unhealthy people isn’t recommended in the present time.
So, we’re watching with you.
We’re probably going to be watching games with you, too, but that one is still to come.
Story by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
