If you could cover a non-sports beat ...

Ma ali-ali Nepali bolchu.

 

Wish — Crime. Basic "regurg-facts" stories and police reports write themselves, while the truly riveting ones are as much fun to write as any sports gamer. Lends itself to creativity, clever writing, and you're never want for something to write about. Especially rewarding if you have a hand in the headline writing and design, which again lends itself to more creativity. Can be hectic, though.

Never — Education. Doing that now along with sports duties (see, "Podunk, SC Twice-weekly Blues). Hate it. Boring. Weekly expose on government inefficiency. Same issues repeatedly. Same shitty standardized test results. Same budget shortfalls that never get resolved. That said, I do realize my case might be the exception and not the rule. Some folks could have wonderful education beats. Not in Podunk, SC, though. Can't wait until I'm done with it.

 

... I'd work at Wegmann's instead.

 

I have done two news gigs. The breaking news was fun. Routine stuff, not so much.

 

I currently cover crime and water issues in addition to my sports beat. Crime is intriguing and fun. Some of the shit people do, and whether a motive is ever established in some cases, makes for riveting stuff. I covered a murder case and discovered the killer had done the same thing 20 years prior in another state. Made for a great piece.
Water, meanwhile, is the most important issue in the West (I believe), yet is boring as hell. It's almost like covering national politics because of all the bull you have to deal with through federal entities and the vicious attacks coming from all sides.

 

I still do on and off coverage of the entertainment beat covering red carpets, movie reviews etc. I like it but sports is something you really need a passion to cover.

 

Schools in a heartbeat. I have a Masters and taught for 16 years, so that helps a lot.

Cops is a great beat, as is the military beat in a Navy town.

 

Planning and Zoning Board!

 

Probably crime and courts.

I really surprised myself at how well I did as a business reporter for a magazine some years back, considering I knew next to nothing about the stuff. But I could always ask the tough questions that no one else asked and could sniff out when someone was trying to BS me.

 

Video games and tech

 

Probably provincial or federal politics. I wish I could say court, but it scares the shit out of me. The only beat that does.

 

I spent 5 or so years away from sports a while back managing our communication system. One of my jobs was to do the radio newscasts from our office that ran on the local public radio station. No routine sports in any of them, and heavy on politics, local government and business. I really enjoyed it because it forced me to broaden my knowledgebase. I found out quickly that because it was on public radio, lots of "important" people listened. Got a call one day from one of the local U.S. representatives just to say he listened when he was in the area.