This week, fans were treated to the rare opportunity of attending a pair of Colorado football practices to get a firsthand glimpse of the new-look Buffaloes.
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Members of the local media, typically barred from attending CU football practices, also were invited to observe the workouts. Not that anyone would know about it.
The guidelines established for the practices — first on Tuesday, and again Thursday — have gone viral for their unusually strict and borderline paranoid parameters.
Not only were members of the media forced to relinquish any packs or backpacks, but they also were required to leave all phones and other electronic devices outside the practice field gates.
“The open practices were on background. They were designed for the media to get a sense of the team, the student-athletes and the players, without going on the record,” CU Athletics spokesperson Steve Hurlbert said. “I think that’s going to help inform their coverage of our team, while maintaining the competitive advantage that we have to have. College football is super competitive. This allows us to keep that competitive advantage while also giving the media and our fans a chance to get a sense of our team.”
CU issued passes (free of charge) to 300 fans for Tuesday’s practice and 200 for the Thursday practice. Those fans also were required to check in their cell phones and electronic devices, but otherwise the university’s usual clear bag policy was in place.
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The media, however, couldn’t even take in pens and notebooks for note-taking purposes. A lengthy list of “don’ts” was emailed from CU to its media contacts saying any information reported on personnel, injuries and formations — among other items — could lead to the revocation of media credentials.
That part of the policy isn’t without precedent at CU. Men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle has always allowed the media to observe practice, as has women’s basketball coach JR Payne, as long as similar inside information — particularly regarding injuries and tactical sets — doesn’t make its way into the public.
However, neither basketball program requires phones, other devices and even backpacks to be left at the door.
“This is pretty consistent with not only with other Power 4 schools, but certainly consistent with what we’ve done in the past,” Hurlbert said. “The fans had to leave their phones, too. It wasn’t just media.
“This was really done as a way to engage our fan base and get them excited about the football coming up this fall.”
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