Sports columnist, Sun Sentinel

Agreed.

Especially if you want to work in any major Sun Belt market, you have to accept that attendance is going to be somewhat cyclical because half the people are from somewhere else. That's really irrelevant to someone in our line of work anyway, because unless you are emotionally 9 years old and have a LeBron poster on your bedroom wall, the big game isn't the one you are watching. The big game is the one you are personally involved in -- which is how you and your newspaper stack up against the other newspaper(s). If you have competition, it is a great sports town. If you have no competition, it sucks as a sports town no matter how many people are in the stands. I was working in a market when it went from three papers to one. No matter how much you try to keep up the intensity, the real game is in some other town and you are well aware that is the truth if you are honest with yourself.

When I worked in Miami, there was no MLB or NHL team and I still thought it was crazy intense as a sports town. And that had nothing to do with the fact that the town had Shula, Marino and the UM criminals -- it was because a lot of the people working on the region's sports sections were obsessed with their products. It's the only place I've worked where the daily sports budget included a "Competition Report" -- an honest self-appraisal of how we actually compared, in writing, every day. That's what made it a great sports town. For us, as journalists.

 

I would like to say that Frank Ridgeway's post is one of the best I have ever read here. Really nails it. It was a blessing to work in a two-newspaper town where sports sections competed. Hell, it was better for my karma, and I believe for my work, to be on the staff of the scrappy underdog.
When they told us, shortly before they told me sayonara, that the Herald shouldn't think of itself as competing with the Globe, I knew the fun was over.

 

Frank and Michael are correct. The problem is that the Sun-Sentinel doesn't want to compete. It hasn't made one personnel move --- among editors or writers ---- in years that indicates it wants to compete. From what I can see from afar, the Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald are far more energetic in editing and management.

 

Miami has long been a hot bed for sports. It is also regarded as one of the better areas of the country to cover sports way before LeBron James and Chris Bosch knew what South Beach was all about.
The area has many social issues that won't be answered in your lifetime. Anyone who go goes down there not thinking about this is fooling themselves.
It's a good gig at a decent paper in a troubled chain.
Good luck to the winner of the sweepstakes.

 

Many of you don't know what it is like to compete against another paper. It makes you better and is one reason why this business is going down. Michael, Frank and a few others along here remember what its like to be in area with three or four competing papers. Those were the good ol days.

 

Times have changed Junkie. The meek have inherited the business.

 

Well said. Very true, but don't journalists seem to go for jobs these days that maybe they would have passed on five, six years ago? Hmm...

 

Thanks to those who have already submitted resumes and clips. If you're interested in this one, please get your info to me ASAP.

 

Tim, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would like to take their talents to south Florida.

 

Question for Moddy or playthrough, etc.

I noticed this thread had 72 posts last week, then 69, then 68 ... just curious about the shrinking total. Not sure I've seen that before.

 

Ah, how 'bout that. Thanks, Moddy