Earlier in the year, I was able to attend a Vegas Golden Knights game as a journalist for LVA Accolades. I got to see what it is really like to be a professional sports journalist. 

To start off the experience, I had to arrive at T-Mobile Arena two hours prior to the beginning of the game. I was met at the security checkpoint by Nate Ewell, who is the Vice President of Communications and Content for the Golden Knights. He gave me a tour of the entire arena and even took me down to ice level where I was inches away from the ice. He also gave me my press badge and took me to the employee dining hall. I sat down and ate with Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun. These were the two reporters I would be shadowing for the night. They talked to me about what it is like to be a professional reporter for the Knights. They told me about the travel restrictions that were in place at the time, and how because of this, they couldn’t go to away games in Canada. I also asked them about writer’s block, and the best piece of advice they gave me was that you don’t have to write an article from start to finish. If you think of the middle first, then write the middle first.

After dinner, Ewell came back to get me from the dining hall and took me to the top floor of T-Mobile Arena. This is where the press box is and where I would be sitting during the game. In the press boxes, there were different offices where the commentators, television coordinators, and jumbotron operators sat and worked during the game. There was also a very impressive snack bar where unlimited complimentary snacks and drinks could be found. After this, I was free to roam the arena as I pleased. With my press badge, I could get into the main arena as well as the restricted sections of the building, which made me feel kind of like a spy. Between each period, each reporter was given a stat sheet of the period. It contained information about each player’s time on ice, shots, goals, and roster for the game.

Lastly, after the game, I went with Gotz and Emmerson to the media room for the post-game interviews. This was, perhaps, the event that made me feel most like a professional because I was able to ask the head coach of the Golden Knights, Pete DeBoer, a question about his plans for the future of the team. This interview can be found on the Accolades website under, “Golden Knights Continue to Lose.” After the interviews, it was time to leave the arena.

All in all, it was a terrific and educational experience. Even though the Knights lost, I had an amazing time and got all the insider information about professional sports journalism and the Golden Knights media experience.