Question about Sports Xchange

Got burned back in the day, wound up getting about 25 cents on the dollar I think, in installments, after some lawyers untangled everything. Have to admit, that was better than getting zero on the dollar, which is how it would have gone if I'd been the one stuck chasing the legal remedies.

Sports Xchange the Second Generation paid on time but the amount wasn't enough to continue doing the work. No matter how much you tell yourself, OK, I'll limit this to 15 minutes and then it will be worth it to me, you end up --out of professional habit-- spending a half hour or 45 minutes on some daily b.s., which effectively halves or cuts in third your pay.

Plus you know, deep down, that whatever you're getting paid for the work, the Sports Xchange brass is getting more for it. They're taking a cut off the top, and not knowing whether that cut was 10 percent (a $2.50 commission with $25 going to me) or 100 percent (paying me $25, selling my work for $50) began to annoy the hell out of me.

The quotes attribution stuff? Let's face it, that's a mess all over. As a beat guy, though, I would have a big problem with someone lifting my original work to resell for their mad money. I would, without hesitation, confront such a slug directly.

 

The time/pay factor is big as well.

I made the mistake a few years ago of taking on almost half the conference I cover, and filing weekly reports on Sundays. Figured it couldn't be that bad. WRONG!!! It was sheer torture, and I couldn't wait until the season ended just to get out from under all the extra work I'd created for myself for what, at the time, seemed like an OK amount of money.

They called me the next year to ask if I'd want to do the same thing again and I said basically, hell no, I'll do my team but that's it, that the money they were paying me wasn't near worth enough the amount of time I'd put into those reports to do them right. The guy chucked and said, 'Yeah, I don't blame you.'

 

I had one of those nifty bags with my first initial and last name on it. It just arrived out of the blue, which was rather nice.

 

Joe, we've clashed, but I'm with you 100 percent on that.

And Norman, that was exactly what my experience was. It was too much.

 

There are definitely times where I've wondered if it was worth it. But I'm not really in a financial position to turn down the extra dough. It's just enough to make it worth it.

 

I have filled in on baseball and found it to be appropriate money for the work .

 

The old TSX was great for me, but I was on to other things by the time Cooney bailed and things got ugly. The current management is psychotically ethical. If they knew quotes were being lifted, it would be an unhappy day for the lifter.

 

Just to be clear, Cooney's the one who revived it after the first version went bust, right? And he still is involved?

 

My understanding is that Cooney started it and sold it. The guy he sold it to let it go tits up and then Cooney took it over again. But again, I am not certain. Been a long time.

 

Glad we're all in agreement then.