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How Much Coverage Is Too Much Coverage?

The Hot Corner

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: May 10, 2008

It's mid-May, the 2007-2008 school year is nearing an end, and the final two active springtime sports – baseball and softball – are in the midst of crowning their new state champs.

One would think that with only two prep sports still actually competing, all local media attention would be focused on the diamonds. Other than the random blurbs of off-season coaching changes or new college commitments, there's really no cause to take heed in much else.

Essentially this is indeed the case, but with a little twist that's becoming ever-more-popular added in – football coverage.

That's right, high school spring football coverage. Perhaps it should be accompanied by online countdown clocks, too. Only 111 days until the Aug. 29 Kickoff Classic folks!

Granted most of this spring reporting is rather basic and not extremely in-depth, but is it really the correct direction to steer toward? Just as with the players being analyzed, media outlets are constantly competing to get a step ahead of their competition. What that means is that there may be no end in sight in regards to how far they are willing to go to supply readers' "insatiable" football appetites. I put the term in quotations because that perceived notion is the driving force behind beginning this premature coverage in the first place – something I'm not overly convinced is even true. Is it the case for college football? Yes. The NFL? Duh. But high school? Eh, not quite.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy covering the game in-season and spotlighting quality guys and stories when they arise. I also think it is fantastic when I see people coming out in support of hometown schools and taking interest in the area's top talent.

But there's a time when that interest can just get taken too far at this level, and it seems that envelope is being pushed once again. Seriously, what's the necessity to know a high school team's focus this early on? Did miss the memo? Has fantasy football finally made the plunge into preps?

As far as I know, that is not the case. Well, at least not yet. I wouldn't exactly bet my life against it.

So let's forget about the gridiron for a little while and put it on the back burner. I know the NFL draft just went down. Everyone got all amped up, only to have the cold, hard reality of the season being months upon months in the distance slap away the delirium, but I promise it will be OK.

Now is when we all should be catching up on some baseball and taking a little break. August will be here soon enough.

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