What exactly are sports journalists qualified to do?!

[Moderator1]

In my years with a PM paper, I had slot duty on New Year's Day. There were three of us who could do it and we alternated it. My turn. It meant a 4:30 a.m. start. So I said my good-byes early at the neighborhood New Year's Eve Party.
One clown couldn't help repeating over and over: "4:30? 4:30? There's no games at 4:30."

So I asked him if he thought that's all we did, go to games. "Yeah, it IS all you do."

Uh, when do the stories get written? How do those pages get put together, in time for the paper to get to you in the afternoon?

Someone else does that, he insisted. Not us. We just go to games.

It is a very common impression, unfortunately. Most people have zero clue.

If you are good enough to be a quality journalist - journalist, not just a "sports" journalist - you are good enough to do many, many things. You have a good work ethic, you are organized, you have a mind that can process a lot of information quickly, you can communicate.

I'm hiring now. A journalism background is a very big plus. VCU has hired a number of people from the newspaper over the past couple of years in several departments.

 

[fremont]

If you have:

-- above-average written communication skills
-- initiative
-- a sense of urgency
-- the ability to make deadlines
-- solid research skills

you can learn the rest of whatever it is you want to do.

For some reason it seems difficult to get those points across on a resume. People don't really seem to get that I'd be used to working tough hours, meeting deadlines quickly and being as accurate as possible the first time through.

They don't get it because the image of a sports writer is some lazy asshole who watches sports for a living instead of working a "real" job.

There is definitely a stigma attached to this. There was a similar thread a while back where someone talked about interviewing for a hospital PR job and being hammered on whether he would be able to handle "the pressure" of the job, the implication very much being that he had spent his life on easy street covering games people play.

I think next time this comes up I'm going to play up my desk and page-building duty and making deadlines, and that I at least dabbled in multiple capacities within the workplace - I shot photos, even did the odd general news piece here and there - If I eventually get asked if I got to write or cover games then I can just strike a smile and say "Yeah, well, sometimes." I've never been strictly a "sports reporter" or "sports writer" though that's what the official title is. Nobody has anything so specialized anymore, at least as far as small papers go. In any case, the hiring manager is not going to give a rat's ass that you can cast a catchy lede and score a baseball game, so no need to bring that up. Leave out the easy/fun/glamorous parts of the job, such as they are, and focus on your willingness and ability to trudge through ****.

Myself, I'm at a crossroads professionally right now, and most signs point to distancing myself from journalism as a line of work, at least for now. The mass media establishment, as it were - newspapers, the Big Three TV networks, major radio broadcasters now on the brink of consolidation of a single entity - it's dead. And eventually something solvent will emerge, probably on the Internet, and likely not on newsprint. I'm getting the feeling the clueless publishers and corporate drones have missed the boat. Right now writing for websites is spotty stuff, since it is heavily freelanced out and there's another topic here on that...

Thing is, before taking a part-time retail job a year or so ago, I had never done anything as a regular job other than working in sports at small daily newspapers and doing freelance sports writing, as something that sprung directly out of a high school internship and nine years later I still haven't been as much as enrolled in a for-credit college course. The plan was to work and go to school at the same time, but it just didn't work out like that. I decided to stick with what I had rather than risking half-assing school and work and end up losing out with both. Slowly the grim reality of the whole business was sinking in and my idealistic view of the way I expected things to be gave way to the jaded pessimism of reality that permeates most newsrooms today. It can be a toxic environment, or at least one that I tired of being around for 40+ hours a week. Now I'm on the ground level figuring out what to do. As far as education is concerned I'm basically an autodidact with on-site journalism training. I have no tangible education credentials for many jobs - hell, the positions I filled asked for degrees when they were open, but being that the logistics of getting college graduates to work for ~$8/hour while getting compensated at less than half of IRS rate for a fair amount of road miles for a four-digit-circulation daily were a bit difficult. So that's where I came into the picture. The paper got folded in with a larger sister paper, and did a year there before stepping away. I haven't had a full-time newspaper gig since (and haven't been in active pursuit of one for the most part).

Whatever I do, I need to do something before I get as old as I feel after nearly seven years of milking every ounce of energy my wide-eyed kid energy could muster for the sake of trying to be something interesting to read in the morning for a few thousand people. Candles get short pretty fast when you burn them at both ends. The idea of starting from square one going to college - nearly a decade removed from being in any sort of regular "class" setting - is a little intimidating for me. I know this sounds lame, but it feels like walking through miles of flat land to come up to the base of Everest, looking upward. I'll find a way to get over it, just like anything else. The other question is what exactly I want to do, and that's the most uncommitted part at this point. I'm at peace with the fact that I'm not going to have a 10,000-square-foot mansion with two Porsches in the garage, and I don't want the headache. I just want to make ends meet and perhaps even provide for a small family. That's something I've taken a few essential steps for since stepping out of the daily newspaper grind, such as re-establishing a love life. Before that my love for what I was doing (well, most of it) was my love life. Now I have a wonderful lady who wants to have a future with me, whatever that is going to turn out to be.

It's a problem and it's obviously not one I'm alone with, but all in all I have to say I'm blessed. Good luck to those of us trying to find our way.

 

[Tom Petty]

In my years with a PM paper, I had slot duty on New Year's Day. There were three of us who could do it and we alternated it. My turn. It meant a 4:30 a.m. start. So I said my good-byes early at the neighborhood New Year's Eve Party.
One clown couldn't help repeating over and over: "4:30? 4:30? There's no games at 4:30."

So I asked him if he thought that's all we did, go to games. "Yeah, it IS all you do."

Uh, when do the stories get written? How do those pages get put together, in time for the paper to get to you in the afternoon?

Someone else does that, he insisted. Not us. We just go to games.

to be fair, moddy, most sports journalists think the only thing lawyers do all day is sit around court rooms and yell "no, you're out of order." ;)

 

[Moderator1]

Hey, I never said we were above that kind of ****.
That isn't all they do?

 

[93Devil]

I don't want to make this overly simple, but if you can do the following, you are a valuable employee.

Be at work. - Do not spend every day with a sniffle or every other Friday out sick.

Be able to do something correctly when you are only told once to do it. - Boss says he/she wants something done, and if the boss knows you can do it without them worrying about, then you are a true asset.

Get something taken care of before it is a problem. - If you can think two steps ahead and take care of something before it is a problem, then you are an asset.

Don't be a slob in your work or an idiot towards women. - Pretty self explanatory, but many people cannot check these off their lists.

Get things done on time.

Dress properly for an interview and work.

Forget writing, if you can convince a person you can do the above, you will be hired.

 

[Just_An_SID]

If people believe that all you do is write about sporting events, then it is important that you tell them otherwise.

I've seen thousands of resumes in my day -- a bunch being from sportswriters looking for a new career path -- and the thing that amazes me is how poorly they do the job of presenting themselves in their resumes. Most people feel like they have to tell you the basics in their resume. I want to see what separates you from the rest of the journalists out there.

As for the future, don't wait for it to happen. Everybody can see the direction that your profession is heading so try to stay ahead of the game. Welcome change instead of fighting it and you'll make a place for yourself.

 

[fremont]

Should I mention in an interview that, after putting the paper to bed, I'd put on a superhero suit and fight crime on the streets?

Maybe they'd hire me on as a security guard.

 

[trifectarich]

1) What is it that you WANT to do with your life?

2) How hard are you willing to work to do that?

 

[Ace]

In addition to the obvious SID and PR jobs, if you are a writer or copy editor, there are plenty of jobs in technical writing or corporate communications that you might be suited for.

Of course, it's a trade off. You might get the 9-5 job and a better salary but be writing about widgets and such.

If you are an editor or in any kind of leadership role, there are lots of corporate jobs that look for that kind of experience. If you plan daily budgets and such that's strategic communications or project management.

Lots of big companies look for project managers to herd all the sheep. They just use different words than we do.

Journalists have lots of good, real-world experience. It's not all just writing a story from a ballgame.

 

[captzulu]

In addition to the obvious SID and PR jobs, if you are a writer or copy editor, there are plenty of jobs in technical writing or corporate communications that you might be suited for.

Yup, very true.

As for the stigma thing, NEVER refer to yourself as a "sportswriter" in your resume or cover letter. Call yourself a journalist. Really sell your experience with deadlines. Don't just say "I'm comfortable on deadline". Tell them how you turn around 600-1,000 word stories in the span of an hour every night. Recount stories about how you handled big breaking news to show you can deal with unexpected emergencies. In my experience, when most interviewers from non-newspaper fields say "we work on some pretty tight deadlines here", their deadlines are like comfy long-term assignments for a sports journalist. Being specific about what you mean when you say "deadline" will help impress them with your grace under pressure.

If you're sending in clips, pick a nice mix that shows off your ability to write things other than just game action or jock features. Ever helped out and wrote a news story? Send that in. It doesn't have to be amazing; just as long as it's not embarrassing and has good grammar and no typos. When you're trying to get out of sportswriting, a clips package stuffed with APSE-winning sports stories doesn't do as much for you as a portfolio of some good sports stories and some solid/decent news/feature stories. Applying for a technical writing job? Tell them that you're no stranger to organizing vast amounts of information and communicating them to the public in a clear, concise manner (what else would you call taking all the action and stats from a 3-hour prep football game and condensing it into 500 words, all in 30 minutes no less?). Up for a job that involves some customer/client interaction? Tell them how you massaged your sources to get them to cooperate. Look at the attributes that make you a good journalist and ask, "Why am I good on deadline? Why am I good at getting sources to talk?" Oh, it's because you are organized and don't panic under pressure, and you're at reading people during a conversation. Those are the kind of traits that will apply to other jobs, and you need to draw a line between the trait and your work to show the hiring managers the connection.

Cite examples that illustrate your ability to adapt quickly, because it indicates to them that you know how to take the skills you have and apply them to different things, not just sportswriting. If you took photos, shot video, edited copy, did design, play up all of those just as much as your writing. Portray yourself as someone who's good/solid in a lot of things, with writing being your strongest skill. Don't portray yourself as someone who's looking to get out of a dying industry. Convey the idea that you "chose" to apply your considerable repertoire of skills toward journalism for a while, but now you are "choosing" to apply them elsewhere (this works better if you haven't been in newspapers for decades). And, of course, tell them a reason that you actually want that position because you're interested in what that position does, not just because it's a lifeboat off a sinking ship.

 

[93Devil]

Lots of big companies look for project managers to herd all the sheep. They just use different words than we do.

Journalists have lots of good, real-world experience. It's not all just writing a story from a ballgame.

100 percent correct

 

[Shark_Juumper]

There is some solid advice here.

Some other things you might have to work hard at selling yourself on include:

1) Hours. If you worked nights for many years try not highlight this as a reason you want to change jobs/careers. If it comes up in an interview, emphasize how it will not be a problem for you to work 9-5, Monday through Friday. You would be surprised at how many non-newspaper people see that you worked on the night shift and think you did this by choice or because you can't function 9-5. Play up that you always reported to work on time in the past and that will not be an issue in the future.

2) Salary. Depending on where you are in your newspaper career, yes salary will be an issue. Many entry-level PR jobs are seen as dues paying and don't pay very well either. If it comes up in an interview, play up how your are eager to use your skills in a new area and feel the company will give you a chance to grow, etc. If you are told the company has had issues with employees taking a pay cut to work there and not working out, that is a red flag that said company pays poorly AND treats its employees bad.

3) Grades. Yes, even if you graduated from college 20 years ago they might want to see a transcript. During your undergrad years, if you majored in the school or local paper and barely maintained a 2.0 you will be either passed over on the spot or need to really play up your real-world experience.

 

[alleyallen]

I left the business three years ago and the transition was not as difficult as I thought. I had the good fortune, however, to have a nearly 10-year military background backing me up, and that means a lot to prospective employers.

The way I sold my skills to a completely non-journalistic company was to stress my ability to work well with others, to be a self-starter and self-motivated, to be handy with different computer programs, etc., and my ability to deal with daily deadlines and stresses.

You know more than you think and can do more than you think, too. Have faith.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

In addition to the obvious SID and PR jobs, if you are a writer or copy editor, there are plenty of jobs in technical writing or corporate communications that you might be suited for.

Of course, it's a trade off. You might get the 9-5 job and a better salary but be writing about widgets and such.

Widgets' parents don't leave long voicemail messages about how their widgets work just as hard as all the other widgets and deserve more coverage in the manual. :D

Seriously, though ... there comes a point at which the "boredom" of writing about widgets is a tremendous tradeoff for more money and time.

 

[Ace]

Widgets' parents don't leave long voicemail messages about how their widgets work just as hard as all the other widgets and deserve more coverage in the manual. :D

Seriously, though ... there comes a point at which the "boredom" of writing about widgets is a tremendous tradeoff for more money and time.

I only got two of those calls and three emails today. Pretty good Monday. Every single person used the works as hard line.

To me "works as hard" is code for "We know they're not as good but my kid should be in the paper, too."

 

[editorhoo]

One thing I've noticed about my job is that it has kept me young.

That may not sound like much to go on, but A LOT of people get a job doing repetitive work, get a daily, weekly routine, settle into a groove and never change.

The very nature of what we do — seeing different things, experiencing different people and different emotions — allows us to keep growing as we, well, grow.

Bottom line — we're built to adapt.

 

[captzulu]

The very nature of what we do — seeing different things, experiencing different people and different emotions — allows us to keep growing as we, well, grow.

I guess it's a matter of different experiences for different people, but when I was in the biz and covering games on a regular basis, it got to a point where it was repetitive. All the games were pretty much the same. Sure the faces and scores change, but the storylines all fell into one of a handful of categories. And on desk, your routine was the same every year -- FB preview, FB season, hoops preview, hoops season, March Madness, NBA & NHL playoffs, baseball, golf & horse racing, plus community sports crap, during the summer. Take a breath for 2 weeks in July, then you do it all over again. And covering prep games several years in a row, from the time I got out of high school to about 6 years after college, was enough to make me feel old knowing that I've seen some kids play for 4 years and then watched their younger siblings for 4 more years. It also gave me a feeling of being static, watching so many people move through stages in their lives and then seeing myself still in the same spot, watching them go by.

 

[crimsonace]

I've seen a handful of ex-journalists become teachers -- including myself.

Because so many schools are union jobs, where salary is tied to experience, the possibility of hiring an older person at an entry-level salary (which is still more $$ than I made as an SE) makes second-career teachers look very attractive to schools. That said, I had *7* interviews before I was hired in my current job, and the fact that I lived in/worked in the community for eight years didn't hurt, as the people I interviewed with were either coaches I covered or parents whose kids I covered.

The nice thing is, I get a few freelance nibbles during my rare free time, too, so I can stay in the game, but I don't deal with the burnout and the corporate BS that I used to.

Interestingly ... I coached in a tennis match a few weeks ago against one of the top programs in our state. Both me and the opposing coach were ex-SEs-turned teacher/coaches.

 

[Peytons place]

A couple years ago I thought I might like to try something else and went to a job fair in a pretty big city to see what else I was qualified for.
Let's just say, I left pretty depressed.

 

[Tom Petty]

drink beer and *****. a lot. of both.