Covering games on your own time

i'm sorry. you are not a dick.

 

Each of my four examples was strictly about honing my craft. I answer to me, and me alone. If I think I can improve my writing skills on my own time, I'm damn well gonna do it whether you like it or not.

 

I guess it would depend on the writer.

A guy in his late 20s who has a half-decent writing voice and clean copy that could potentially move up? Sure.

A guy in his late 30s or early 40s who's still covering preps at the same paper he started at and doesn't know why he hasn't moved on yet? Stay at home.

 

I've been to two World Series, three NLCSs, two Final Fours and the Brickyard 400 on my own dime. I've written columns or gamers from all of those events. No one has had to work any extra hours while I've been gone, we've covered everything here that's needed to be covered, and the paper's gotten copy from me.

I look at it this way — I've had a chance to see some of the biggest events in sports, and had a chance to write about them.

I've learned an awful lot by doing it.

 

it's a terrible, terrible precedent

you guys keep giving them shit for free, they're going to expect it

 

The difference is, people who work for free at pro/college events do it because there is some benefit to them to do so (experience, clips, heck, even a little bit of fun). There isn't much benefit to working for free covering preps, or Little League (other than not having to hear 'you actually being paid to watch games!')

 

Those of us who covers colleges or pros for a living love to hear it called "fun."

 

Several years back, another writer at the twice-a-week paper where I work and I drove about 1½ hours to cover the Eagles playing the Browns because a defensive back for the Eagles grew up in the town where the paper is and actually knows the other writer pretty well.
The Browns personnel, even though we were there really to cover this one guy from the Eagles, were more than gracious about giving us writing and photography passes (the other guy took pictures -- he was really excited about it, and it was really cold).
The driver got mileage (can't remember who drove now, and gas was a lot cheaper then) so we were reimbursed somewhat.
It was very interesting seeing a game from that perspective, especially the post-game locker room interviews.
We swarmed in there with all the other writers, but just talked to our local guy while everyone else hit up the quarterback and receivers, etc.
But someone with a notepad and recorder noticed we were off in the corner talking to this other guy (who was smiling to the press, not annoyed at all :O ) and pretty soon there's a group of about five or six other writers gathered around us, hanging on this player's every word like he's the second coming.
Granted, covering that game was a special occasion for us. We were a two-writer staff then (not just sports, but everything) and published just twice a week, and our reimbursement was slight, but we were reimbursed.
Now, with a family and gas prices, I'd have to think long and hard about traveling that far on a day off to cover something like this unless I was getting paid full price plus mileage.
When you're young with fewer things tying you down and you need the experience, go for it. Just do the work.

 

I don't think anybody was suggesting you show up at a game, get a credential and do nothing. If the paper needs a sidebar or somebody to fill in on notes, but it won't pay anything more than what you'd make on your normal assignments, I'm saying it's not a bad thing to help out. That's all.

 

You showed them!

 

and your point?

any player who's talking in the locker room is fair game post-game. if you wanted an exclusive with the guy, you take it outside the locker room. that's just post-game protocol in every NFL locker room.

and curious how you could tell that the other scribes were "hanging on this player's every word like he's the second coming." maybe they were just interested, listening, paying attention, writing stuff down?

doing their jobs?

 

No need to be a hardass. The guy was excited that as someone working at a three-man paper that usually covers community sports, he had the chance to be in the NFL locker room and do the jobs that I assume you would call the "big boys" usually do.