Being a Courtside Reporter: How It's Like?

"She is one of the respected courtside reporters right now in the PBA" that's how Migs Bustos introduced Denise Tan to her podcast.

From being a former volleyball player for the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) to being a volleyball analyst and now, a courtside reporter in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Denise Tan has come a long way in her career in the field of sportscasting. 

Off the Record with Migs Bustos returned with another interesting episode on Friday as Migs Bustos got to chat with PBA courtside reporter, Denise Tan from the PBA bubble. Friday's discussion revolved around Tan's journey and primarily, how it's like being a courtside reporter in a sport that is dominated by male viewers. 

While Denise shared the adjustments she has to take while inside the PBA bubble in Clark, Tan shared what are the things that people don't usually know about how a courtside reporter actually works. "What others really don't see is the work that comes along with being a courtside reporter. A lot of them would always say 'Oh! She's pretty', that a fan would think that that's (being pretty) what needed (in being a courtside reporter)" she began. Tan continued, "It's really a lot of work. We go to the (game) venue like two hours- some of us three hours before the game. We would fight to get videos Talk to each and every player, sometimes even the ball boys. Sometimes, we chat with the family (of the players). We look at the stats before, after, and during the game. There's a lot of discipline and work that comes along with the job that people don't see," 

Tan also reiterated the importance of having a good relationship with the players. "You can't always talk to them about stats. You need to be able to have them open up to you on a personal level. because at one point, the audience will get weary of listening (the stats of a player). They (the audience) all know that. They would want to hear stories about human interests. It's also better if the players are comfortable with you and you will be surprised that there would be a lot of stories that players are sharing with you that they've never even talked about with other writers," She also shared that being a reporter, "Even if you want to ask certain questions, you have to learn not to ask it or, use different terms not necessarily to put it nicely all the time. You have to work your way around the question,"

Being a courtside reporter in these trying times is difficult but if you're someone like Denise Tan who loves what she does, the job becomes easier. For someone whose first reporting gig in the PBA during the Manila Classico in Christmas 2017, Denise Tan continues to bring interesting soundbites that are interesting for the Filipino viewers.  

Screenshot is from pinoyliga.com Facebook page