What do you read to get better?

Everything that remotely grabs my interest, from online articles to magazines to piles of books. Discount bookstores and online bookstores like Half.com are like crack to me.

As a young sportswriter entering the game in the modern newsroom, rather than having much in the way of mentors like you might find in the New York Times newsroom circa 1972, I'm attempting to digest as much from the great sportswriters, influential journalists (Cronkite, Murrow, Jennings, et al) and modern sportswriters as possible.

Beyond journalism, I do have my favorite fiction writers, and I find that I'm drifting to those who are especially adept at turning a phrase. Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, Christopher Moore, and the perfect crossover author, Dan Jenkins.

 

Anything by Rick Reilly

 

I check out what Brian DePalma does with video. Writing? I get the feeling, from talking to my ME and other higher-ups, that video is far more important. I mean, who wants to read a well-crafted game story when you can watch a grainy, fuzzy two-minute video of a high school kid talking about how his favorite food is macaroni and cheese? Who wants a compelling column when, with the click of a mouse, you can see B-roll of football practice while listening to Johnny Quarterback talking about how he loves his offensive linemen and that they are the hardest workers in the conference? Who needs an in-depth game preview when you can watch a couple of minutes of shaky, poorly-framed action while sweet 1970's porn music plays in the background? Writing? What are you, 40?

 

Nice.

 

I was a major HST fan back in the day, but how does his work translate into what we do?

 

Self improvement is masturbation. Now self destruction...

 

I read a lot of stuff online to see different styles. A few magazines. Not many books. I'm sick of books.

 

Maybe your place should stop producing shitty videos.

 

I suggest you check out his book "Hey Rube." It's a collection of his favorite sports columns that he did throughout his career. You would be hard-pressed to find any sports columnist today -- or ever for that matter -- who wrote with his kind of style. You might not be able to get away with much of the stuff that he did, but that's what he was told at the time too.

Any sportswriter who is not familiar with HST's sports stuff, you better get reading.

 

I recommend reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail and Hell's Angels as well. They are great examples of how to write political analysis and news features, crafts that are sorely missed by today's writers.

I forgot about Vonnegut too. Most everyone gravitates toward Slaughterhouse 5 with him, but I am more of a fan of Galapagos and Breakfast of Champions. Still hard to miss with Vonnegut.

 

AMEN!

 

You do understand there was a large element of fiction is HST's "Fear and Loathing" stuff, right?