A sportswriter on vacation: Watching sports

The so-called Busman's Holiday in effect

From press row to the stands. I recently traded my seat at work to sit among fans.

I attended an NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in OKC.

So why would a sportswriter end up apparently doing something similar to work on vacation?

One word: Fun!

My view of the Pistons-Thunder game from the stands. (Photo by John Naughton.)

My typical road trip vacation involves eating things I can’t get at home, visiting National Parks and museums, hitting up attractions and events. And you might find me in the stands of a sporting event that I’m not covering.

This is known as a busman’s holiday: Doing something that seems like your job, but you’re not working.

For me, I didn’t have to take notes, interview players and coaches or file a story on deadline when the fans had gone home.

A lot of sweet travel memories have involved sports: Attending a Stanley Cup NHL match between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, watching a Cubs-White Sox game at Wrigley Field, exploring the nightlife in Arlington after a Rangers’ game and touring Lambeau Field in Green Bay or the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The scoreboard shows the final score: OKC beats Detroit 107-106. (Photo by John Naughton.)

Let me say that I’m not a good fan in the traditional sense. I may not wear attire in support of a franchise or college; I won’t applaud or cheer for the home team as most fans do (they beat that out of you in journalism school and at work) and I look at sports as a social event.

It is a refreshing take. I can enjoy a game instead of working it.