Am I just a wuss, or are there others?

[CarlSpackler]

Two or three years ago, I used to come to this site all the time. Heck, even last year. Multiple times a day.

Now, I might log on twice a month. The reason? Because every time I come onto the site, it gets more depressing than the last time. Reading these stories about all the papers shuttering and the jobs being lost, I get sick to my stomach. The whole thing is just mind-numbingly soul crushing. And I have a job that theoretically seems quite secure, at least comparatively.

People have told me "You've got a job. Don't worry about other people's problems. Just worry about yourself and everything will be fine."

I just don't know though. It seems a bit too narrow-minded to think about yourself when everyone else's world is crumbling. Even when you're on prime real estate, how long before the ground crumbles beneath you?

But I am just wondering if anyone else out there finds themselves frequenting the premises, well, less frequently, as a result of knowing that no news you'll see around here is good news. Maybe it's a bit childish to try to insulate myself from reality, but it seems like the only way to stay sane.

 

[lono]

It's damned hard to avoid depression when you're seeing the industry you love die and so many of your friends losing your jobs.

 

[buckweaver]

Yeah, that advice is dumb (the original, not lono's -- sorry, got beat by a post there.) As a journalist, your first job is to keep your eyes and ears open (and that includes about news within the industry).

I don't click on all the layoff threads anymore, especially the ones where I don't know anybody. We had that discussion on mustang's thread last week about whether it's worth it to compile all the bad news in one place, which I think -- at least for me -- makes it easier to digest. I get numb clicking on the Lexington thread, then the Atlanta thread, then the Houston thread, then the Rocky thread, then the P-I thread ... and on and on and on.

That said, I tend to follow Satchel Paige's advice here:

"Ain't no sense in worrying about things you can control; if you can control them, there's no sense worrying about them. And ain't no sense worrying about things you can't control; if you can't control them, there's no sense worrying about them."

Easier said than done, of course.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

When he pitched for the Astros while they were involved in their first serious divisional race, Joaquin Andujar said he wasn't worried about Atlanta or Los Angeles or Cincinnati. He said the only thing you should worry about is staying alive, "because if you're dead you can't do anything." You gotta love pitchers and their philosophies.

 

[buckweaver]

When he pitched for the Astros while they were involved in their first serious divisional race, Joaquin Andujar said he wasn't worried about Atlanta or Los Angeles or Cincinnati. He said the only thing you should worry about is staying alive, "because if you're dead you can't do anything." You gotta love pitchers and their philosophies.

Hey, youneverknow.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

The most important word in the English language.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

I follow buck's approach. If I might know someone or it's a well-known paper, I'll check it out, but it's too depressing to click on every thread. You have to be aware of what's going on around you and in the industry. You just can't let it worry you sick. But that's definitely not easy.

I definitely find that I'm spending more time on the Sports/News and Anything Goes boards these days.

 

[lono]

When he pitched for the Astros while they were involved in their first serious divisional race, Joaquin Andujar said he wasn't worried about Atlanta or Los Angeles or Cincinnati. He said the only thing you should worry about is staying alive, "because if you're dead you can't do anything." You gotta love pitchers and their philosophies.

A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.

 

[mediaguy]

It's not like work is all rosy and happy until you stumble onto this site. Every day it's a different paper, until it's your paper, and potentially you. It's morbid, but not coming here isn't going to change much ...

 

[The Granny]

I come to watch the fiddlers as Rome burns. (Insert your what-a-cliche groan here.)

 

[Babs]

Yes, to answer the original question, I avoid coming here due to all the doom and gloom. Most days I have enough of problems of my own that I don't need to pile on.

 

[HejiraHenry]

I stay off the Politics threads. Has probably extended my lifespan.

I come around less these days, mainly, because I spend more time on Facebook.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

I click on them all, because I want to know all of the pertinent facts about the business I love. Including the negative. I don't find the discussions on the other boards to be nearly as important or interesting. More fun, yes. Certainly not as helpful.

Before, I wanted to know what my chances would be at certain types of jobs. Now, I think the board provides valuable reminders to all of us that we need to seize power over our own careers, before decisions about the future are made for us.

To add a cliche, knowledge is power. Sometimes, it can give you the power to change your situation.

 

[stix]

Yeah, I read threads from time-to-time, but I haven't posted in a while.

I got laid-off from my paper back in October, and it's actually kind of depressing to hear people talk about doing the work that I used to love. Believe me, as much as taking calls and dealing with stupid coaches and throwing together the agate page in 10 minutes ****ing sucks, in a crazy way you miss it when you lose your job. Basically, I miss the camaraderie. I know it counds corny, but you left work every night when the first run came off the press, and you felt like you got something done. There's nothing like when that last page is sent, everyone's done, and the first person says, "Hey, how 'bout grabbing a few beers after we get outta here?" And, one by one, all the sportswriters say, "I was thinking the same thing."

I've done a good deal of freelancing since then, mostly preps stuff, but I also have a gig covering some NFL stuff during football season, which is nice. Still, I actually miss the newsroom and the guys I work with, and my freelancing has dropped off lately because high school basketball season is over in my area.

There's no way to hide that it's depressing to really love doing something and to also be good enough at to make a career, but to have that career pulled out from under you because of circumstances beyond your control. I'm still working hard to stay in sports journalism, but I also work in a warehouse a couple times a week and just took a part-time job writing for the Web site of a nearby university. Pretty corny, PR-driven stuff, but it's work, at least.

It's a tough time for me. I'm getting married in August, so I need to start thinking about making some more money. I don't want to give up on sports writing, but I'm starting to think I should look into a new career. Hell, there's times where I'm not so sure I'd turn down a full-time job at the warehouse I work at if it was offered to me. It's good money, at least. Honestly, I'm not so sure I even want a "career" anymore. Just a job that's enough to make a living and be happy might be enough. I often think being a bartender might not be so bad.

Yet, sportswriting still has such a pull on me. When I'm covering a game, sometimes it doesn't feel like work. Sure, girls basketball games with final scores of 89-14 aren't much fun, but covering, say, a playoff football game that comes down to the last play, then sitting down and having to put it into words all within 30 minutes until deadline...I guess I kind of thrive on that.

Anyways, just the ramblings of a semi-employed sports writer debating on whether to stay in the industry or not. It's a tough time, no doubt, but you just gotta believe you'll be fine, whatever career or job you wind up in.

 

[imjustagirl]

I'm never on here any more.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

It has become kind of like the Richard Jeni riff about TV news shows: "Good evening. I'm Biff Anchorman, and here's the baaad news ..."

I was talking to a friend of mine a few days ago and it occurred to me that I couldn't remember the last time I got any good news, either in my life or with the industry in general. As a whole, journalism is in a pretty dark place. I don't know if it's altogether healthy to avoid that fact, but by the same token, I think it is healthy to seek out the positive things, no matter how small.

Are you a wuss? Nah. There's only so much hammering most people can take. Doesn't mean you have to give up your man card or anything. Now, if you listen to Metro Station or John Mayer, that's a whole nother sitcheyashun.

 

[Double J]

I'm never on here any more.

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." ;D

 

[I Should Coco]

Yeah, I read threads from time-to-time, but I haven't posted in a while.

I got laid-off from my paper back in October, and it's actually kind of depressing to hear people talk about doing the work that I used to love. Believe me, as much as taking calls and dealing with stupid coaches and throwing together the agate page in 10 minutes ****ing sucks, in a crazy way you miss it when you lose your job. Basically, I miss the camaraderie. I know it counds corny, but you left work every night when the first run came off the press, and you felt like you got something done. There's nothing like when that last page is sent, everyone's done, and the first person says, "Hey, how 'bout grabbing a few beers after we get outta here?" And, one by one, all the sportswriters say, "I was thinking the same thing."

I've done a good deal of freelancing since then, mostly preps stuff, but I also have a gig covering some NFL stuff during football season, which is nice. Still, I actually miss the newsroom and the guys I work with, and my freelancing has dropped off lately because high school basketball season is over in my area.

There's no way to hide that it's depressing to really love doing something and to also be good enough at to make a career, but to have that career pulled out from under you because of circumstances beyond your control. I'm still working hard to stay in sports journalism, but I also work in a warehouse a couple times a week and just took a part-time job writing for the Web site of a nearby university. Pretty corny, PR-driven stuff, but it's work, at least.

It's a tough time for me. I'm getting married in August, so I need to start thinking about making some more money. I don't want to give up on sports writing, but I'm starting to think I should look into a new career. Hell, there's times where I'm not so sure I'd turn down a full-time job at the warehouse I work at if it was offered to me. It's good money, at least. Honestly, I'm not so sure I even want a "career" anymore. Just a job that's enough to make a living and be happy might be enough. I often think being a bartender might not be so bad.

Yet, sportswriting still has such a pull on me. When I'm covering a game, sometimes it doesn't feel like work. Sure, girls basketball games with final scores of 89-14 aren't much fun, but covering, say, a playoff football game that comes down to the last play, then sitting down and having to put it into words all within 30 minutes until deadline...I guess I kind of thrive on that.

Anyways, just the ramblings of a semi-employed sports writer debating on whether to stay in the industry or not. It's a tough time, no doubt, but you just gotta believe you'll be fine, whatever career or job you wind up in.

Excellent post. You've said something that a lot of us should keep in mind. I hope you're able to stick with sportswriting, even if it's just a moonlighting gig while you work at another job.

 

[Fudgie the Whale]

The hardest part is reading about people you know getting laid off. Even if they're just acquaintences, people you say "hi" to or whatever. Putting a face -- and a family -- to a name is rough. I remember the congratulatory e-mails sent around about a fellow scribe's new son. I remember another round of e-mails wishing him good luck after being laid off a few months later. Ouch.

Survivor's guilt I suppose. But I like Joaquin Andujar's advice: At least I'm not dead.

 

[Herky_Jerky]

To answer the original question, yes, you're a wuss.

Stop soft-cockin' it.