Watching the SB without turning "it" off

[didntdoit19]

Like any red-blooded American, I watched the Super Bowl.

But, like what happens to me when I watch any other sporting event I'm not covering, I started thinking about what I would do if I were covering the game. Things like what sidebars I'd pitch, angle to my gamer, questions I'd ask, et cetera...

Is this a good thing for my career, that I'm always thinking about my craft? Or does it have the potential to drive me crazy and ruin my mind?

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who deals with this.

 

[hockeybeat]

Like any red-blooded American, I watched the Super Bowl.

But, like what happens to me when I watch any other sporting event I'm not covering, I started thinking about what I would do if I were covering the game. Things like what sidebars I'd pitch, angle to my gamer, questions I'd ask, et cetera...

Is this a good thing for my career, that I'm always thinking about my craft? Or does it have the potential to drive me crazy and ruin my mind?

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who deals with this.

I think it's a very good thing. It shows that you're thinking and coming up with angles. And maybe it's something that the staff writer at your paper who is at the game didn't think of. I can't fathom how that would every be a negative.

 

[John]

I think it's a good thing, sure. I didn't think too much about that stuff tonight, namely because I was working on recruiting capsules while I watched it, but I did think near the end that it would have been a fun game to cover.

At the same time, it is nice to disengage from time to time.

 

[GBNF]

Hell yeah it's a good thing, I watched the whole game thinking about that.

Got into an argument about it. One of my coworkers said that you need to go with the typical underdog type coluymn.

Today, I'd write about the premade 19-0 shirts that tell the whole story. I believe they send them all to Africa, and I think nothing is more fascinating...

 

[Jeremy Goodwin]

Is this a good thing for my career, that I'm always thinking about my craft? Or does it have the potential to drive me crazy and ruin my mind?

I'd say it's a good and a bad thing. Thinking that way during a game means your passionate and always trying to improve. On the other hand, if you're always thinking about work and not enjoying sporting events as much as you used to, it could lead to burnout.

I used to think about stories and angles when watching a team I used to cover on TV. It got easier to enjoy the game as the season went on because I realized that I could enjoy watching them and that I didn't have the info anymore that I used to have as a beat guy.

Our biz is stressful enough that you must give yourself time to relax and enjoy your off time. That might need to include not watching sports (though who doesn't watch the SB?). Our profession is tough though because we get into it because we love sports, but what we used to enjoy for fun is now work and you have to draw the line somewhere.

So yeah, my answer is a little of column A, a little of column B. It's good, but it can be bad if you don't give yourself a break and start to dislike sports.

 

[spnited]

I'm old and jaded, but I think it is a very, very bad thing.

It's one thing to think that way when you're covering a game but to not be able to watch any spoirting event without thinking "what would I do" conveys to me an obsessiveness that will burn you out before too long.

 

[BillyT]

I think the thing to do now is read as many stories -- mainbars, sidebars, columns, etc., and see how other people did it.

 

[Some Guy]

The original poster reminds me the guy who answers the "what are you weaknesses?" interview question with, "Sometimes I just try too hard and care too much."

 

[didntdoit19]

The original poster reminds me the guy who answers the "what are you weaknesses?" interview question with, "Sometimes I just try too hard and care too much."

No, I'm worried that it's going to kill my enjoyment of sports. I'm not trying to sound like one of "those" people.

I even do the same thing when I play sports video games. That can't be healthy.

It's a problem I'm concerned about, that's all.

 

[Ace]

The original poster reminds me the guy who answers the "what are you weaknesses?" interview question with, "Sometimes I just try too hard and care too much."

No, I'm worried that it's going to kill my enjoyment of sports. I'm not trying to sound like one of "those" people.

I even do the same thing when I play sports video games. That can't be healthy.

It's a problem I'm concerned about, that's all.

That's over the line.

 

[Jeremy Goodwin]

The original poster reminds me the guy who answers the "what are you weaknesses?" interview question with, "Sometimes I just try too hard and care too much."

No, I'm worried that it's going to kill my enjoyment of sports. I'm not trying to sound like one of "those" people.

I even do the same thing when I play sports video games. That can't be healthy.

It's a problem I'm concerned about, that's all.

That's over the line.

Yeah, plus we all know video game characters suck at post game interviews and the access sucks. So half your story ideas won't work anyways.

 

[Joe Williams]

This is the main reason I finally abandoned "film critic" as a professional goal. I would never again be able to just sit back, stuff my face with popcorn and enjoy a movie as sheer entertainment.

Well, that and the miserable job prospects these days for "film critic" wannabes.

 

[forever_town]

In the early stages of development as a journalist, there are a lot of benefits to that sort of thinking. It helps keep your mind sharp for the time when you have to cover a similar event and gets you thinking in terms of how best to cover your beat.

However, I also see what spnited is saying about burnout if you can't just enjoy a game for its own sake without coming up with angles to write about for a game you're not covering.

Like anything else, everything in moderation.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

No, I'm worried that it's going to kill my enjoyment of sports. I'm not trying to sound like one of "those" people.

It should definitely be a concern. And from a strictly work-related angle, your original question is not a bad thing.

But you do have to think about life outside of work, too. There should be some sort of detachment from sports in your personal life. Without it, it will lead to burnout quickly.

For me, I really only watch teams that I am an active fan of. And I won't necessarily turn on sports just for the sake of watching sports.

 

[Bullwinkle]

My Super Bowl gamer was rough.

I couldn't swipe enough good quotes off the TV from Belichick's presser.

 

[awriter]

The original poster reminds me the guy who answers the "what are you weaknesses?" interview question with, "Sometimes I just try too hard and care too much."

No, I'm worried that it's going to kill my enjoyment of sports. I'm not trying to sound like one of "those" people.

I even do the same thing when I play sports video games. That can't be healthy.

It's a problem I'm concerned about, that's all.

That's over the line.

That's also hilarious.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Slight video-gaming thread jack...

Anybody ever pick two teams, set a point spread and simulate the game?

Used to be some good fun. Especially on NCAA.

 

[jakewriter82]

Slight video-gaming thread jack...

Anybody ever pick two teams, set a point spread and simulate the game?

Used to be some good fun. Especially on NCAA.

Um no. It sounds fun in theory but I've come to find it ranks right behind watching someone play miniature golf or watching 12-year-olds bowling.

 

[BB Bobcat]

I often find myself watching a game and looking at the time and thinking "Man, must suck to be on East Coast deadline tonight."

the boston and Ny beat writers must have had their hands full with so much of the game changing back and forth after 10 pm.

As for your question, I think it's good that you think that way. Sure beats the alternative, which is sitting at a game you ARE covering and thinking "What the hell am I going to write?"

 

[Barsuk]

Don't worry too much about it; maybe it will go away. I used to be the same way, couldn't turn it off when I watched a game. It got to the point where I enjoyed watching sports less and less, wouldn't let myself get too emotionally involved with my favorite teams, etc.

And then something clicked, and it turned off.

Now I'm back to watching sports all the time in my down time, and I enjoy it as much as ever. I root like hell for my teams (yeah, I'm a fanboi looser) and I turn it back on when I go to cover a game.