Page 88 of Hockey 101

I stare at the fat pile of papers in his hand. I have not.

He passes me the documents and I begin reading. It’s a collection of letters to the editor, each one protesting my departure. I can tell by the flowery prose that the first one is from Mehmet.

Andy Robson is a towering inspiration for myself. For the very first time since I arrived in this new country, I am fully a part of the Monarch community, one who can generously give as much as he takes. She enabled me to share my passion for wrestling with the entire student body. And, as an editor, she has aided me in improving my written English in a practical way, which enhances my lessons in the classroom.

I flip to the next letter. It’s moronic to get rid of the best fucking sports editor the Messenger has ever had. Easy to guess what grouch wrote that, although I worry about how much spellchecking went into that brief submission.

My former deputy C.J. wrote, I don’t think that ‘inclusion’ is a word that is often used to describe a school newspaper. Too often, we cater to the best students from the humanities, people who already edited their high school newspapers or who write for online resources. Andy worked hard to discover people who have a real passion for sports but need help reporting. After her unjust departure, it became clear how much extra editorial work she had been doing.

Some notes are from readers who don’t even know me:

The sports section was never better. People other than the hockey team could see themselves here, but not anymore.

What happened to the hockey analytics? Now we’re back to the basic game coverage we had last season, and it sucks.

Are we back to ignoring women’s sports again? Sexism at its finest.

I leaf through the other letters without fully taking them in. All this support for the work I’ve done—no, the work my whole team did. It’s incredible.

Oh, wow. It’s all I manage to say, since I’m so touched that I’m nearly speechless. Needless to say, editors seldom receive praise—if our work is done properly, the whole point is that readers would never know.

Professor Pullman noisily clears his throat, so I put down the letters and give him my full attention.

As a rule, I don’t interfere in the running of the newspaper unless something significant is brought to my attention. And in this case, I was informed that a large number of complaints—roughly fifty letters to the editor protesting the recent changes in sports coverage—have been ignored completely. That is strictly against the mission of the newspaper as a conduit of student information and opinion.

I sneak a look at Jaz, who must have been the one who gathered up the letters and made the case to the faculty advisor. She’s wearing her poker face.

It is within the purview of the editor-in-chief to determine whether letters should be published or answered, Bryce replies smoothly. I determined that most letters were written at the behest of certain hockey team members, which makes the whole campaign a sham.

Are hockey team members not a part of the student community? Professor Pullman asks, one brow raised.

An extremely entitled subsection, yes, Bryce admits. In fact, I was visited by two members of the team after the dismissal of the sports editor. They threatened me, but I did not budge. I understand your concern, Professor, but I can assure you that there was a valid reason for Andy’s dismissal.

The professor tilts his head. Indeed. What was it?

Bryce squares his shoulders confidently. She was, or is, in a relationship with a varsity hockey player. Which constitutes a conflict of interest. I believe Andy herself would admit that.

Wow, he’s really relying on my personal integrity here.

Professor Pullman turns to me. What are your thoughts on the matter, Ms. Robson?

I take a deep breath and channel my inner high school debate champion.

I have three things to say. First, I was supposed to be the opinions editor but was reassigned to sports editor, without consultation, in what I believe was an attempt by the editor-in-chief to make me quit the newspaper. Second, while it was challenging, I discovered that sports reporting turned out to be an opportunity to do things in a new way. I motion towards the stack of letters. A way that a lot of people seem to appreciate. And third, while I admit that my personal ties to the hockey team might affect my impartiality in the case of a serious issue, a less vindictive leader could have figured out a different solution to the issue.

Such as? Professor Pullman asks.

Well, if there was a major story, I could pass it on to the general news department and recuse myself. News reporters are better equipped to cover controversy anyway. I’ve had enough time to figure out easy solutions that any reasonable manager could have come up with.

And why do you imagine that Mr. Myrtle holds vindictive feelings towards you?

We once dated. Recently, he admitted that he was offended by my refusal to get back together. He used the words ‘petty and resentful’ to describe his own actions.

Bryce winces. The only time all semester he’s been emotionally honest and it’s coming back to bite him in the butt.

The professor shakes his head and mutters something about hormones. Far too much of this matter seems to pertain to Ms. Robson’s personal life.

I disagree, sir, says Jaz. None of this would have been personal except the EIC has made it so. Andy shouldn’t have been made sports editor without expertise in that area. However, once she made a success of the appointment, there was no reason to dismiss her unless she did something wrong—which she did not.

---