Super Bowl postcard: Role of reporter

So you want to be a reporter at the Super Bowl?

It helps to have three traits: patience, comfort in close quarters and a loud voice.

The process works like this.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is brought to a podium in front of a couple hundred seats. He answers questions one-by-one as a microphone is passed among reporters.

Meanwhile, up to six players speak at separate tables.

That, to put it politely, is a free-for-all.

TV cameramen jostle with microphone-holding correspondents and print journalists. It’s a royal rumble, with the prize usually being a vague quote that’s meant not to incite controversy or give away any strategy.

The end of each answer is met with a chorus of shouted questions. The player uses his eyes to engage whichever inquisitor he chooses. Often, the query is a variation of something that has been asked before.

Some players handle it better than others. Doug Baldwin almost always has something insightful and original to say. So do Earl Thomas and Michael Bennett.

But I can see how the process would be tiring for an introvert such as Marshawn Lynch. I’ve never minded him not talking to reporters. I would rather he be honest in his silence than give a bunch of hollow answers.

Finally, a game will be played on Sunday. Until then, it’s a game before a game, with hundreds of reporters chasing stories. It will reach a fever pitch today at the official Media Day event.

Do I mind it? Not at all.

Covering a pro sporting event is a rush.

But I won’t ever complain about covering a high school sports event, where athletes are available to talk one-on-one and eager to share their stories.