Sports Writer

Have you met a lot of athletes in real life, and which of them were the nicest guys / biggest jerks?

Asked by Talia Green over 11 years ago

I don't have a great answer on this one, as I haven't met many bigger-name players in real life. Most interviews for me are via email, so I am obviously not going to see much emotion in these guys that way.

However, I did recently see the Dodgers up close as a fan, so I can tell you that all-star pitcher Clayton Kershaw is very outgoing...

Do you get paid by the word, by the article, or are you salaried?

Asked by dan79 over 11 years ago

It does vary depending on your employer, skill, experience, etc. but personally, I am paid by the article, as I believe in most cases, with a range of the amount of articles that should be written weekly. That is why sports media is always trying to stir controversy out of something where it really isn't needed- to have more content, thus more money coming in.

Do you get a lot of hate mail from readers when you trash their team in an article? :)

Asked by DavisR over 11 years ago

With readers being able to interact with writers more so than before, I do see my share of hate mail- or rather "hate tweets".

The great invention of Twitter gives readers an easy path to criticizing pieces, and personally, my account handle is usually listed at the bottom of my articles. I can only imagine what ESPN writers and such recieve everyday from readers. 

Have you ever caught someone stealing your articles? Are there internet services that promise to catch that kind of plagiarism?

Asked by Dofur over 11 years ago

I have never caught any of my articles being stolen. However, sometimes I will see them on sites I have not heard of without my name on it, but they do give credit to the site on which it was originally posted.

As for the internet services, I have not been associated with any in my writing career. I just did a quick Google search on them, and it seems as though they are mainly used for educators who are marking papers.

What's the best way for a college senior to break into sports writing? I'm majoring in journalism, and blog for friends, but don't have any connections. Should I just start sending out articles? That feels kind of spammy.

Asked by Br8nch over 11 years ago

Start online. A good place to start is a network such as Yardbarker. Tell them that you're interested in writing by finding a way to connect with them, which can easily be found on their site.

A gig like this is a great stepping-stool for a newfound career.

What (is the most striking thing that) distinguishes a professional sports writer from an amateur? (Regardless of position, age, college, &c.)

Asked by Coolactual over 7 years ago

What (is the most striking thing that) distinguishes a professional sports writer from an amateur? (Regardless of position, age, college, &c.)

Asked by Coolactual over 7 years ago