Preferred Beats

The NBA is no walk in the park when you go from preseason to NBA Finals ... more than 100 games, rarely more than a day-and-half in one town on a road trip, flying in shitty winter weather in more than 1/2 the country. It can burn you out in no time.

Baseball is just as bad although at least you can sit down in a city for mostloy 3 days at a time... of course, it's also 162 games (OK, no one can possibly do every game any more) instead of 82.

Beat writing can be great but it can become a grind in a hurry.

 

And don't go thinking you're going to get an NFL or even a college beat right out of college. That probably happens for about five percent of college grads.

Be prepared to be covering high school sports at a smaller paper. And train yourself now to take stats during a game and be ready to do it all.


Too many times there have been stories of how college newspaper writers don't prepare themselves for actually having to work as they work their way up (ie: taking stats at games, working every angle to get a story, etc.).

 

I am on my first year of a D-I college beat, all aspects, and I haven't minded it thus far. I enjoyed covering the basketball teams and I still have some legs on a few stories as the season wraps up. I have additional responsibilities along with the college beat, but so far, all the players have been accessible and the people are gracious at the university.

 

P. G. A.

 

I'm finishing up my fourth year on a college beat (football school), and other than the condescending coaches, worthless SIDs, shitty access, players who say the same shit all the time and fans who expect you wave the pom-pom right along with them, it's great.

Not sure what I'd rather cover. Definitely not baseball. I've been around enough ballplayers to know they're the dimmest of dimbulbs (since few of them went to college) and have the highest sense of entitlement (since they've been treated like Gods since age 10).

I've often wondered what it would be like to cover a school where they're actually serious about basketball, somewhere you're more or less guaranteed to get 2-3 NCAA tournament games every year. At least the scenery would change often enough.

 

Oh, I don't expect to land a college or pro beat right off the bat. You're right about the stat thing. I'm definitely spoiled by having stat trackers and PR people handing me box scores before or during post game interviews. What's the best way to keep track of stats for hoops and football. I've done running box scores for baseball

 

yeah, I don't really agree with that original thought. It probably helps to some degree if you ARE a big fan. I know of one husband-wife sports writing tandem and they love sports. It's their true love of it all that helps them through the downtimes. I'd say if you are a marginal fan, that's when a particular beat can suck.

 

I think they're probably spoiled by having all the stats, play by play, etc. done for them at games that they don't try to do their own stats. Then when they have to do preps, they're like fish out of water.

When I've done college football and basketball games lately, I try to do my own PBP so I can feel like I'm ready if I have to do my own stats.

 

For hoops, just draw three columns on a sheet of paper. Keep one team's scoring plays on one side and the running score on the other. Put the time in the middle. If you're more ambitious, track shots, rebounds, blocks, assists, etc., on a separate sheet (though most decent prep teams have someone on the bench that keeps that).

For football, just do a running play by play with down and distance, yardline and the time each possession starts. Like this:

Podunk High (12:00)
--------------------
1/10 P20 --- 25 run, 15 yards (FD)
1/10 P35 --- inc pass
2/10 P35 --- 7 pass to 23, 4 yards
3/6 P39 --- 7 pass INTERCEPTED by 14 at 50, return to 35

Crosstown Rival (9:58)
----------------------
1/10 P35 --- 16 pass to 6, 11 yards (FD)
1/10 P24 --- 9 run, -4 yards
2/14 P29 --- 9 run, 29 yards, TD
XP --- GOOD (35)
Crosstown Rival 7, Podunk 0 at 7:51

Then add up the stats at halftime and after the game. (Big school teams will keep their own stats, which will ALMOST ALWAYS) be different from yours. Use your own judgment as to if you trust them.

 

When I edited the Sunday edition of my old paper, I was able to watch about five college football games all season. And I love college football.

Truthfully, the perfect beat would be high school sports, if it paid anything. You probably are not going to have a vested interest in any high school, and when a player you have covered for a few years does well at the next levels, you can enjoy it a little.

You do your readers a disservice if you root for the team you cover.

 

nfl beats are the best -- high profile while wreaking the least havoc on your personal life.

covering baseball used to be every kid's dream, but the reality sucks. all that travel, all those night games. no wonder the divorce rate is so high. also no wonder that, generally speaking with obvious exceptions, baseball writers are the most, um, self-important, loathesome creatures i've come across in the biz.

also, respectfully disagree with moddy's premise. don't know how anyone survives a major beat without being a huge fan of the sport. but agree you shouldn't be a big fan of a TEAM that you cover. that will cost you something precious.