So lemme tell you this, you need to know when to dress professionally and when you can just be casual.

I always thought that was obvious until I went to Nashville last weekend for the College Sports Media Workshop where I was able to learn from the best sports writers and broadcasters in the business.

Everyone there pretty much had the brain to realize that this was a time for professionalism and not a time to wear street clothes.

Now I’m not talking about wearing a suit and tie, some people did, but most just wore polos or sweaters and button up shirts.

Then there was the one yahoo who decided it was a good idea to wear a Slayer T-shirt to the conference.

For you as a reader, not even really knowing too much about what happened at the conference, can you see how that might not be good idea?

No one was going to walk up to this him and call him out on it, but man did he stand out in a crowd of freshly dressed college students.

Not to mention in front of Buster Olney, Karl Ravech, and Lee Jenkins just to name a few.

When it comes down to it that probably won’t effect his future in the sports writing or broadcasting business, but it did look bad on his part.

I have attended one of these workshops before.

Last year it was held in the Nashville Predators stadium (Bridgestone Arena), and this year was in the Tennessee Titans stadium (Nissan Stadium).

Even for my first time going, I knew that I should dress professionally.

This kid in the Slayer shirt really stood out and didn’t make a very good impression I could imagine.

There is a time for him to wear that T-shirt, and that time is any time but at the Sports Media Workshop.

He could wear that anywhere and no one would think anything of it, but the fact that he wore that surrounded by people dressed up, it was weird.

Now I’m not trying to make fun of this guy or even say he would make a bad sports writer or broadcaster.

I’m just using him as an example to show that there are times to be professional and casual. Maybe someone did say something to him, and he will know for next time.

I mean me personally, I wear a lot of Dave Matthews Band shirts, but I will never wear one to a conference or when I cover any sporting event on campus for The Daily Eastern News.

I’ll wear them all around campus, but when that game rolls around or any other special event, that shirt comes off and a polo comes on.

That is the thing I want all of you to learn from this, if you did not know before. There is a time to dress however you want, and there is a time to dress professionally for the event you are going to attend.

Wear that Slayer T-shirt somewhere else, man. I hope your weekend is better than mine.