Defined by many as the best sports journalist in the Knoxville region, Jeff Archer of WVLT is always focused on getting the ultimate shot.

I attended the home opener of the Knoxville Force Men’s Soccer team this weekend. The weather was perfect, and there were approximately 500 or so in attendance.  Soccer is fairly popular in Knox County, so imagine my surprise when I noticed only one other journalist there.  Jeff Archer. He was on the sideline covering the game for WVLT. The weather was perfect. The game was competitive, and the press relations staff was both friendly and professional. Yet besides me, only one other journalist was present, and of course it was the one and only Jeff Archer. Archer is viewed by many in our local media market as a hard working, well skilled, professional, top notch sports reporter. The fact that he showed up to get the TV exclusive is just more proof of that. But why no other press?

One of the challenges associated with covering soccer is that many TV stations want the golden goal, the dramatic score. Assigning a reporter to a soccer game means dedicating 90 minutes to the game that might end 0-0.  For a still photographer, we look for a “football is soccer” shot. That means look for a dramatic shot that tends to look like another sport. Here is an example…

12 seconds in (see scoreboard), and I already have this fierce photo

Covering soccer is a little extra work, but in my opinion, it is well worth it.  Plus, we need to support our local sports teams. For more information about The Knoxville Force visit http://www.knoxvilleforce.com/

Dan Andrews reporting…