Press box envy

It’s gonna be a cold night for high school football, but I am excited. It’s been unseasonably hot for many of the games I’ve covered this season. I’ve spent quite a few Fridays sweltering in a wooden box, but tonight I’ll be thankful to have the shelter of the press box while the sky spits drizzly rain like my 10th grade history teacher.

That’s one perk I love about being a sports writer. You get the best seat in the house. OK, so high school press boxes are not much more than plywood death traps hanging from the top of the bleachers, but for state championship games, the view is much more plush.

I’ve had the good fortune to sit in the MTSU and Vanderbilt press boxes for state championship games, and the Titans press box for the Music City Bowl. All I can say is, it’s tough to go back to the cheap seats when you’ve reached the pinnacle.

I went to Auburn for a game last weekend, and instead of trying to peer through the tinted glass of the luxury boxes, I was longingly staring at the press boxes to my right. The ESPN banner was set up at one end, and rows of overweight guys who look like they’ve never played football a day in their life filled seats in the open air box. I was green with envy. I want to be there one day. Most people long to have the money to buy a luxury box; I just long for the other side.