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Best and worst of sportswriting

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by micke77, Jan 17, 2009.

  1. micke77

    micke77 Member

    that No. 2 on your "downs" list, yep, we have gone through that. i get the freelancer, then the higher ups fuss about paying for something that needs covered.
     
  2. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    Won't do a list, but I used to love the writing, and now I really enjoy editing that makes a writer's work better without him even knowing anything was done.

    I never particularly loved the reporting -- which is why I stopped writing. You can't really be great at one without the other.

    To this day, though, I'm still completely unjaded about seeing my name on something, or even knowing that something I've done is front and center.
     
  3. micke77

    micke77 Member

    the love of writing is a recurring theme here, friends.
    guess that's why most of us got into this profession.
    that and all of the groupies.
     
  4. highlander

    highlander Member

    That's better then filing a month's worth of freelance requests in advance that total 210 bucks and getting turned down because we are not going to pay any freelancers in January.
     
  5. I Digress

    I Digress Guest

    Here's one, perhaps an underappreciated skill* that I honed as a sportswriter... the ability to move through any crowd, with ease. Pouring through unseen cracks, like water moving through rocks. Finding open areas that didn't exist until you were there, kind of like smoke. Getting from here to there, when no one else is moving.

    * Skill greatly hampered by presence of spouse/child.
     
  6. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    All I know is that no one putting "pay/benefits" in the Worst section had better be from my shop.
     
  7. The Granny

    The Granny Guest

    Best: Everything.

    Worst: Nothing (and no, I'm not some starry-eyed cub, just some gal who loves what she does, no matter the pay, lack of 401k and layoffs. Sorry, I love what I do, screw you if you don't.)
     
  8. micke77

    micke77 Member

    The Granny.....this profession needs more people like you. honest.
     
  9. BEST
    This has all happened within the last week
    1. The fact the everyday is different. In the last four days, I have seen a kid score 41 points, then 30 points in a game and also saw a team blow a 16-point third-quarter lead. Tomorrow, I get to go to a press conference where I will be treated to a five-star buffet and will not be required to write a story because it is not a newsworthy event.

    2. Talking to a Division I assistant coach, who hands me his card and tells me to call or e-mail him whenever I want.

    3. Just got off the phone with a head coach who is the classiest person I have ever met. He called to give me one of his player's phone numbers, who is the top-rated sophomore in the state, and we stayed on the phone for 20 minutes talking.

    4. Having a weekend trip to my old college paid for because I was covering a basketball game there. Free food, free gas and loads of memories.

    WORST
    Right now, I cannot think of anything. Call me naive, but I am 22 years old and have been out of college seven months, but I am blessed to have a job. No matter how bad the industry is, I still get a paycheck and tons of memories. Do the hours stink? Of course. Is the pay paid? Certainly. But this is what I have wanted to do my whole life and I would not trade it for a high-paying corporate gig or a 9-to-5 job as a claims adjuster.

    God bless and lets say hello to the 2009 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals
     
  10. Best

    1. Sports
    2. Writing

    Worst

    1. Sports
    2. Writing
     
  11. crimsonace

    crimsonace Well-Known Member

    Best ...
    1. The people. I really enjoyed the people I covered, and getting to know some pretty fascinating folks -- from the guy who made a career playing hoops in a wheelchair to the local kid who graduated from a prestigious college, hooked up in the NFL as an undrafted FA, and ended up parlaying it into a long career and a Super Bowl winner.
    2. Big games ... and that goes as much for high school softball championships as the NFL Playoffs, both of which I've had the opportunity to cover.
    3. The rush after you've nailed a story.
    4. Semi-flexible hours.
    5. I get paid to spend time around sports.

    Worst
    1. The pay
    2. The hours -- I always felt like I was on the job, even when I wasn't.
    3. The days when you feel have nothing, and yet you have to pull a story out of your @$$.
    4. Dealing with idiot parents.
    5. Dealing with idiot management -- that probably drove me out of the business as much as anything.
     
  12. jfs1000

    jfs1000 Member

    Hmm, you know what's missing? Where is the women who you can't wait to get home too, or is dying to see you? How about your friends who I am sure are having a good time too? Ready to miss their wedding to cover the state championships? Where is your vacation home? Where are you traveling for fun, and at 7 months, have you started to pay your student loans back?

    I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, you seem excited, but it gets old. I just realized this late this year. I was on the road and I had the opportunity to do a story on a local kid who plays in the NBA. I went to practice and interviewed the player who was cordial. Now, I am a huge NBA fan, err was, but around all these stars I felt nothing. I wanted to get my story and go. When I was asked if I wanted a credential to the game later that night I declined. I went back to do my work. It is a good story, and I am a professional, I rarely go to games if it is not for my story.

    But, I can remember how excited I was for my first NCAA tournament. I stayed a day after the team was eliminated to soak up the atmosphere. Now, last time I went I booked the first flight out to get home and beat a snowstorm.

    Alas, I can't watch college hoops anymore. It's just bad basketball.

    After 8 years, do you realize how much you lose? I don't get excited seeing the great all-star or superstar. It doesn't faze me to have an assistant give me their number. That's just part of the job.

    So you know what the good part of the job is?

    1. You get to write.

    The bad part?

    2. You have to write.

    3. You are not there as a fan, and your view of sports will change for the rest of your life.

    I miss being a fan, that's all. I still get a rise and a kick out of sports, but I get more excited about a good story than a good game.

    That's a fundamental change.
     
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