Game day for a sports writer is a long one. It most often involves covering a pregame practice, showing up several hours before the game begins, writing throughout the game while updating social media, then close to two hours after the game to get interviews, update the story and publish it.

There is also one very overlooked and underrated element of a game-day experience for a sports journalist: the pregame press meal. No matter the sport, time of day or event type, the press meal is vital for any sports writer before a game. It’s the fuel that gets him or her through the long hours ahead of breaking down the action into a story for his or her readers.

Press meals come in a variety of forms. Some teams have their arena or stadium restaurant or kitchen cook up and serve food while some choose to have it catered. Major sporting events like college football or basketball or professional teams’ games often offer up a full meal, while if you’re covering a nonrevenue college event, the only question is: Where did the pizza come from?

Some teams will serve a different main course and sides every night, but have some staples that are always there. The Carolina Hurricanes, for instance, vary up meals with main courses including a variety of pasta dishes, fried chicken, fish, brisket and a few other options. The team always has out a soup and salad bar, a tray of chopped pork barbecue from the arena and a soft-serve ice cream machine that can end any meal with satisfaction.

For some events, the meal does not end when the game starts. NC State football serves up what is always a well-cooked meal before the game. At halftime, however, is when some of the real treats come out, with snacks including popcorn, nachos, chicken wings, cheese and crackers or meatball sliders and desserts including cookies, brownies or ice cream.

Catering is never a bad option either. Wolfpack basketball normally outsources its meal from somewhere local, and has brought in some good options. For noon weekend games, breakfast is often the way to go, with Flying Biscuit being one of the best options the team has brought in. For dinner at evening games, the best catered meal has far and away come from Moe’s Southwest Grill. The spread includes a burrito bar with various meats, cheeses and veggies, along with some of Moe’s chips, salsas and of course, its world-famous queso dip.

Whether it’s cooked, catered, includes staples or is always something different, the pregame meal is a vital part of any sports writer’s gameday work. A good or bad meal can set the tone for the rest of the night, and might be what gets the writer through a long game. A good press meal can be what makes for a good night at the ballpark, rink, court or field.