What makes it worth it to you?

Oh, shit. Where's Write-brained? ;D

 

After 38 years I have come the this conclusion:

How many jobs are there where everyday you can hold in your hands the tangible results of your work -- the stories you've written, the headlines you've writtnen, the pages/section you've designed -- and also know that thousands of other people are also seeing those results.

 

[blue] All the Super Models who throw themselves at sports writers![/blue]

 

I believe "overweight" is an extraneous word in that sentence.

 

I just love what I do. It's that simple. I love developing relationships and sources. I LOVE sports. I love doing whatever I can to provide a service to sports. I'm extremely blessed and lucky to be where I am. I could be working a 9-to-5, sitting at a desk all day. But instead I'm meeting new people every day, learning more and more about athletes and sports, and I get to cover games on top of that! I don't care how bad it gets with all the stress, it's worth it because I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

 

It's something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I was 12 when I decided I wanted to be sports writer. Sitting at a minor league baseball game, taking score, and then I figured why not write a gamer about this for fun. 10 years later, I enjoy to hold in my hands what was crafted. Few other professions can enjoy the thrill of seeing their product in a tangible means. There are carpenters, laborers, bricklayers, house builders, etc. You ask those people about what brings them to the job site every day, I bet you will get many of the same answers. They enjoy seeing what they created. I would also consider myself a people person and I like to create relationships and be able to tell the stories of those who usually wouldn't have the option.

 

This is a good question that's becoming more and more difficult to answer. Right now I can't get past the doddering reader who can't understand why we don't put satellite channels in the TV listing, being denied a promotion because the ME didn't think you were "management material," deciding between ramen and mac and cheese for dinner, or telling a co-worker to hold on to a check for another pay period.

 

Or denied a raise because, well, what were going to do about it anyway, punk?
Hit the job market? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Now gimme that gamer, that sider, some audio, a little video and don't forget to blog from home later.

 

i've been out of the business for years now but the basic thing that motivated me was that i could go up to anyone at any time and ask them stuff.

in our society people don't just start talking to strangers. tell 'em you're a reporter and it's like magic: they will open up to you.

there are plenty of exceptions, of course, but that's what i loved.

i also loved the rush of beating the competition, knowing stuff before the public did (because i was writing the story as it happened) and knowing that i was deciding what and how much the public would know.

 

That's why I didn't pursue a broadcast job at ESPN. I decided to go the print journalism route because of the gratification I got when I saw my byline and my work in print. To this day, I still get a little rush when I pick up the paper or open up its Web site. Hopefully that'll never fade.

 

the thrill/joy/anxiety of putting one word after another, hoping that someone, anyone likes the story.

 

even after 29 years in the biz, it sure beats workin' for a living. i live in a town where ALL our friends have more money than we do, sure. but i'm the only one of our friends who doesn't mind talking about his/her job because THEY want to talk about it with me. that's gotta count for something. 8) 8) 8)