VIP Pass to Meet Sports Players?

stardustx

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I'm playing with ideas and plotting for a short story involving a baseball player. I need some clarification on something. Is it at all possible for someone, perhaps a relative or a girlfriend of a baseball player, to get a VIP/backstage pass in order to get cleared by security to visit the player in the team's clubhouse? Or is this just a Hollywood notion when they show scenes of this in TV shows or movies? If it's at all possible, what does someone need to do in order to get such a pass? What does the process involve? Can a player request for such a pass for someone they know? I don't mean a VIP pass that comes with a ticket from a VIP ticket club. I mean something that someone who isn't the press can obtain to get "backstage," so to speak, at a sports stadium.

Thank you to anyone who can help. :)
 

cornflake

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Players' families, gfs, whatever, yes, can absolutely get into the clubhouse/lockerroom, but most don't, unless it's like, the first major-league game the person has played, or it's the person's first time to watch them play, because otherwise, why would you? You get tickets and most family hang out in the family lounge/bar after the game, or during, depending, heh and the players meet them there. Depends on the arena/stadium, but it's usually a wristband or a pass like a media pass, depending on the place, whether it's for the season or a one-off or whatever.

Player just gives the name to mr/pr.
 

cornflake

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Sorry, media/public relations. Some teams have mr people that handle that, some teams may have specific pr people that do, but mostly mr, because they make passes and spend so much time with the players, it's easier to just ask them when you see them, presumably, as you see them all day.
 

VeryBigBeard

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Yes you can absolutely get in. I've done it a couple times via a relative who plays pro sports.

It's kind of a chore, and so not worth it if the person's immediate family. I only see my relative when I'm in a town where he's playing. I'm not sure exactly what he goes through on his end, though I know he has a team rep who he can ask for tickets. I think he gets a certain number comped for home games but pays for road tickets.

From my end, it's usually a hassle with security. They're supposed to have the name of anyone coming down to the player gate from the players, though depending slightly on the venue these areas are sometimes semi-public, if down in the innards of the building. I usually just try to find the gate and if there's a security guy I tell them who I am and hope they have the name. I've never actually used a pre-approved wristband situation but I think they do happen. Sometimes you do get a pass when you talk to the security guy. The couple times I've done this the whole thing has felt very, very ad hoc.

One thing to bear in mind, especially for baseball, is that the team is likely travelling out pretty shortly after the game, especially if they're on the road or play on the road the next day. The athletes don't always get much time to chat if the team bus is leaving for the airport.
 

cornflake

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Tickets are one thing -- wristband (or pass) gets you into the family lounge/bar and the clubhouse / past the runway, basically, and that's really not a 'name on the list' situation because there are different ushers all over the place, who move around. This is at the player's home venue. At an away venue, this isn't really happening unless it's like a championship game, MAYBE.

Good point about the baseball thing. If you want the person to go in the clubhouse though, they are in there after a game, obviously.

Oh, and if this is playoffs, stuff changes, depending.
 
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VeryBigBeard

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I have never done the family bar thing and I've never done it on a playoff game.

The bar can really depend on the team. Not all venues have them and some teams are more/less willing to accommodate player's families.

One thing you get sometimes is teams doing a parents day or even a parent's trip. Big in hockey. Never been on one of those either, but I do know some people who have. I think the teams try to have them during a quiet stretch of the season. Families tagging along can be distracting and it's not unheard of for players or the coach to elect to stay in a hotel even when playing at home, especially in the playoffs.

Also, there's always the possibility the coach/manager is going ballistic on his players post-game and they won't be available. I used to cover college sports for a paper and there would be times standing in the tunnel and it was fairly clear nobody was coming out for awhile.
 

cornflake

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I've never heard of parent's day or trip in hockey, though god knows some people hang around. Never noticed a team without a family lounge either, but I haven't been to many baseball stadiums; I can be bored at home. ;)

Coaches can go nuts all they want, within their time limit. Locker room is going to open, players are going to be there, thems the rules.
 

stardustx

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Alright, thank you. You've both given me more than enough for me to know in order to write the scene. I appreciate it, and am glad that someone knows something about these things! ;) Thanks again, that all helps. :)
 

VeryBigBeard

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I've never heard of parent's day or trip in hockey, though god knows some people hang around. Never noticed a team without a family lounge either, but I haven't been to many baseball stadiums; I can be bored at home. ;)

Coaches can go nuts all they want, within their time limit. Locker room is going to open, players are going to be there, thems the rules.

The trips are definitely a Thing. The Maple Leafs do one every year. They're not the only team. Maybe it's a Canadian thing? All tied up in the crazy macho mythos we have around hockey? There are American teams do it (I follow the Red Wings pretty closely and they've done them) but given how many NHLers are Canadian, it could just be cultural.

The locker-room thing is complicated and can vary heavily not just by sport but by league. Players are governed by certain rules regarding speaking to the media. There are also traditions. For instance: MLS (soccer) allows reporters directly into the locker-room post-game. This isn't done in soccer in other parts of the world--it's a marketing stunt by MLS--and foreign players often have a difficult time adjusting. A team that doesn't allow reporters in within a specific time gets fined by the league.

NHL teams allow reporters in based more on tradition, and the teams control the process much more heavily. Teams banning reporters they don't like is fairly common. They're very restrictive about who gets access. This is part of why you see such softball interview questions to hockey players and why hockey players are always terrible answers.
 

cornflake

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Locker-room access absolutely varies by league, but it is not based on tradition, it's based on rules, and teams don't control the process. In hockey, the PHWA and the league come to an agreement that is to be upheld. If it's not, the shit pretty immediately hits the fan, as most cities have a rep right there because they're usually beat people. That's not to say no coach has ever kept the door locked to throw shit around, or no team has ever tried the 'oh, sorry, everyone is getting treatment or is in the shower right now la de dah' thing, but it isn't tolerated. There are rules. Doors open after X minutes (depending on if we're talking game or practice [game day or off, or where]), at least X number of players shall be made available within X minutes, coach shall be made available, etc. When the rules aren't followed, the rep gets up in the head mr person's face, and files a complaint with the league, and it's just not usually worth it to be dicks. Fines can be given out, etc.

Teams banning reporters they don't like is also going to cause a stink, as, see above, a legitimate reporter will call their local rep and yada yada siss boom bah.
 

VeryBigBeard

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I knew there was a deal with the PHWA. Wasn't sure as to its extent, but it's interesting it's that detailed. For the major media who have bought TV rights from the league to the tune of billions of dollars, that's not surprising.

Beyond the confines of PHWA, though. Unternet media, even legitimate sites, have much less access. Some of the writers I read have had various issues.

Basically, the PHWA-NHL relationship is pretty cozy, and I suspect that works both ways. PHWA writers get an All-Star vote, for instance. Obviously the league benefits in exposure and has an incentive to keep teams in line.
 

WeaselFire

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All players in every sport, pro or am, can get a pass for their relatives, girlfriends, whatever. It's at the player's request. Getting one without a player asking is a little more complicated, but valid press credentials get you pretty much everywhere. What does the story need?

Jeff
 
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