Sideline Etiquette: Why It Matters More Than Ever

By Scott W. Coleman

Me photographing a Texas A&M football game — Photo courtesy of Joe Southern

If you spend any time on a football sideline, you learn one truth quickly: the smallest mistake by one person can affect all of us.

I’ve seen it play out. A parent with a camera sat too close to the field during a high school game, distracted by her phone. A tight end chasing a first down and a linebacker chasing the tight end plowed right into her. She was knocked unconscious. Her camera was shattered. One player limped away injured. She left on a stretcher with a concussion. A stark reminder that sidelines aren’t safe havens. They are active work zones, and everyone there has a responsibility to know the risks and act accordingly.

Why Etiquette Matters

Want the quickest way to lose your credential?
Do something boneheaded that endangers an athlete.

Sideline etiquette isn’t just about being polite. It’s about safety, professionalism, and protecting the access we need to do our jobs.

At the high school level, most people on the sideline are volunteers, parents, or hobbyists. They may not have insurance, training, or much awareness of the dangers. But when someone makes a bad decision — blocking an official’s path, standing too close, setting up a tripod where players or referees are running — the consequences fall on everyone.

Injuries, lawsuits, or just annoyed administrators can lead to stricter rules that limit access for professionals and amateurs alike.

As the levels rise, so does the risk. College and professional athletes are bigger, faster, and more valuable to their teams and sponsors. An errant photographer can cost someone millions — and get themselves blacklisted from a league.

Real-World Incidents

The sidelines at a college football game can be chaotic. (© Scott W. Coleman)

This isn’t theory. It’s history.

• In 2019, a University of Georgia photographer was carted off the field after a collision with a player during an Auburn–Georgia football game. She later shared the last image she took just before impact.¹

• In 2015, LeBron James collided with a photographer under the basket in the NBA Finals, suffering a bloody cut from a camera lens. Not long afterward, the NBA restricted how many photographers get seats on the baseline at NBA games.²

• At the University of Oklahoma, a sideline collision led to new rules banning monopods on the sidelines.³

Each time, one incident reshaped policy for everyone.

The Basics of Sideline Etiquette

There are unwritten rules every photographer should know before stepping on a sideline. Some are common sense. Others are learned the hard way. Together, they keep us safe and protect the access that lets us work.

• No fixed objects. Tripods, stools, or chairs don’t belong on the sideline of a football game. They can cause injuries to players, officials, or other photographers. If you must use them, clear it with security and stay well back.⁴

• Know your lines. Football fields often have multiple markings — soccer lines, TV crew zones, photographer boxes. Learn which ones apply to you. Stay behind your line, and in absence of a clear line at lower-level games, stay three yards or more back from the boundary. And don’t drift into spaces reserved for TV or game officials.⁵

• Stay low and aware. Most pros kneel to shoot. It gives better angles and keeps sight lines open. If you approach another photographer who’s sitting or lying down, make sure they know you’re there. If a play is barreling toward you, move — fast. Don’t block someone else’s escape path.

• Minimize your footprint. Keep your gear tidy. Three cameras sprawled across the turf create hazards. Limit your space and don’t force colleagues or others to trip over your equipment.

• Share the space. No one owns the goal line or pylon corner. Unless spots are marked (like in the CFP playoffs or Super Bowl), everyone has equal right to work an angle. It’s usually first-come, first-served. Except TV crews. They get priority — don’t fight them. Work around it and respect your colleagues.

• Be courteous. A tap on the shoulder or a polite heads-up goes a long way. If someone’s rude, don’t escalate. Move on and stay focused.

• Obey security and officials. If an official or security staffer tells you to move, then move. They’re in charge in the moment. Arguing won’t help your cause and may cost you future access.

• Remember the cameras. At major college and pro events, video cameras are everywhere. If you break rules or act recklessly, it will be noticed — even if you don’t hear about it until your next credential request is denied.

⚠️ Top 8 Rules of Sideline Etiquette

1. No tripods, stools, or chairs on the sideline
2. Know your field lines and zones
3. Stay low, stay aware
4. Minimize your gear footprint
5. Share the space — no one owns an angle
6. Be courteous to colleagues
7. Obey officials and security, always
8. Remember: cameras are everywhere

Learning the Ropes

Everyone wants to jump straight to NFL sidelines or NBA arenas. But without the basics, you’ll be overwhelmed. The game moves faster. The athletes are elite. The workflow is intense.

If you can’t frame clean images or edit quickly at a high school game, you’ll be lost at the professional level. A season might only give you a handful of games to learn. Use them to hone your technique, speed up your editing, and practice good etiquette. That foundation is what prepares you for the jump to bigger stages.

Why This Matters

Sideline etiquette protects more than just photographers. It protects athletes, officials, colleagues, and the access that makes coverage possible.

Every time someone gets careless, it puts the rest of us at risk. Every time someone argues with a referee or blocks an official, it chips away at trust. And every time someone endangers a player, it jeopardizes the future of sideline access for all of us.

As photographers, our job is to tell the story of the game. To do that, we need to respect the field, respect the athletes, and respect one another. The camera is powerful, but professionalism is what keeps us on the sideline.

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This article updates a blog post first published in 2015. It has been revised and expanded with new examples and current guidelines.

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Footnotes

1. Montgomery Advertiser, “UGA photographer carted off field during Auburn–Georgia game” (Nov. 16, 2019).

2. USA Today, “LeBron James crashes into cameraman in NBA Finals” (June 2015).

3. Athletic Business, “OU changes sideline policy following player collision” (Sept. 2015).

4. NCAA Football Photographer Guidelines, updated 2022.

5. University Interscholastic League (Texas), Sideline Photographer Guidelines, updated 2023.