Biggest story in town
I've worked in other sports-obsessed towns - San Francisco and Oakland, just to name two.
But never have I lived in a place that lives, breathes and dies by its pro teams like Buffalo. Which, as a journalist, makes me see sports as a whole other category of news.
Traditionally, sports news lands in the (wait for it ...) ... Sports section. That is unless something HUGE happens like an earthquake shaking up a ballpark (it happened in San Francisco) or a team gets sold and moves in or out of town (too many cities to list, but hopefully not ours).
In Buffalo, sports is News (with a capital N) and often lands on the prime real estate known as Page 1. Especially when a team, like the Sabres, are the hottest news of the day (and week and month, and probably, year).
What we've realized around the newsroom is that the craving for stories about the Sabres is insatiable. And our efforts to feed the hunger has ratcheted up significantly. Yes, there are the medallions and posters, but also reported, staff-written stories that provide information important to fans - such as how not to get ripped off getting a playoff ticket. Or even if it's humanly possible to still get one.
Is this great investigative reporting? Uh, no. Does it reflect what's important to this community? Without a doubt. And that's what drives our coverage.
The best news is local news, and the Sabres in the play-offs is not only big news to sports fans, but it also has a direct impact on City Hall, local businesses and schools as well as every media outlet in town.
For those who say we use up too much space covering the Sabres, I say this: We are happy for the chance to finally report some good news. And here's a link to today's front-page story.
The same can't be said about the Bills, but who knows what the next football season will bring.
