It's a day when a journalist, from any locale in Japan, should be given as much time as possible to, well, do their work. For a league that's so spread out, there are rare opportunities to speak to as many people in the league at one time, especially since the league to this day refuses to set up weekly, twice-monthly or monthly press teleconferences with a rotating cast of coaches and players and other key figures (which can be done for free using technology such as Skype). I've made this request on several occasions, by the way. Never once has the league suggested it will even consider setting up something like this that would benefit the league and its media and, ultimately, the fans.
Instead, after the game, which tipped off at 5:10 p.m., and ended with a chaotic scattering of players and coaches -- no organized function with players for the gathered press -- the press room was literally a mad frenzy for those scrambling to get, in some cases, multiple stories written before being kicked out of the press room at 9:30.
Where's the respect for journalists' deadline? For a reasonable amount of time to get their work done in a comfortable fashion? Adding this extra burden of getting done at that early of an hour before going elsewhere to do one's work was ridiculous.
Sure, Saitama Super Arena isn't the cheapest venue to book, and the league has bills to pay. But it also owes it to the gathered journalists, those chronicling the league's history and doing work that educates the public and gives more fans a reason to care about the league, to set closing times that meet the standards of common decency.
Sunday's post-game get-outta-here deadline was not decent at all. It caused extra chaos at a time of night with media deadlines approaching.