Sports Writer

Have you ever heard from someone who was angry that you wrote about them in a negative light?

Asked by Dynamo over 11 years ago

No, or at least not yet. This is rather uncommon for a writer at my level (as opposed to a New York Times writer, or something of that sort), and I also try to not cause any dissension within my pieces.

Is it hard to think up original ideas for articles, or have you just gotten used to the idea that there's a hundred people writing about something at any given time?

Asked by David J over 11 years ago

 Truthfully, many of my articles are on subjects that don't require much originality, such as predictions, recaps, and analysis on roster moves, draft selections, etc.

As for the other articles- yes, thinking of original ideas may sometimes be a challenge. 

But when you watch a football game, or any sport in that matter, you are always going to have a thought process. You are always going to question something that's going on, and you're always going to have an opinion on something. This becomes even easier for me with my interest in the game- I'll always have an opinion on something. It's just a matter of putting it into context and ultimately on paper.

Who are your favorite sports writers? Who do you think is really overrated?

Asked by boourns over 11 years ago

All the variety amongst writing in sports makes this a tough question to answer but everybody in their line of work does have a certain understanding on who does it well and who doesn't.

Peter King, a fairly well-known Sports Illustrated NFL columnist, is one of my particular favourites, mostly because of his persuasive debates and all-around good writing. He is one of SI's longest-tentured writers, and rightfully so. Reading just one of King's pieces, you can tell that this guy does his research and has a keen understanding of the game. That is definitely the criteria of being a good sports writer- good insight, thoughts, and appeal. Another columnist who I favour is Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, an outspoken personality who also happens to be a best-selling author.

As for overrated writers, this is a little easier. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, who has been with the newspaper for about 30 years would likely top my list. He has created far too much controversy, including recently accusing the beloved Red Sox hitter David Ortiz of using performance-enhancing-drugs. His articles are not very well written- or at least not as good as somebody on his level should be- and he comes to conclusions far too fast. This is shown in his Ortiz accusation article, as his piece shows no evidence whatsoever besides the fact that Ortiz was born in the Dominican Republic and "has had injuries consistent with steroid use".

Try looking up the names of these writers and see what you think on the subject.

 

Are you hoping to make this your long-term career, and do you have a goal of working for ESPN or the like?

Asked by Dave over 11 years ago

With a major in journalism, the ultimate goal for me is certainly to write at a higher-up level. This goes for any profession- you always strive to be the best at what you do.

Did you read the old Fire Joe Morgan site? I thought that was the best-written, funniest site / blog out there. Do you know any others that are like it?

Asked by Gfort over 11 years ago

Oh, you're in luck. I did read the old FJM site, which I believe ended about four years ago, and I can certainly tell you sites along the lines of it.

Awful Annoncing is basically the same, as they critique annoncers and always have a funny clip in store, such as this one:

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/july/thom-brennaman-on-pirates-pitcher-this-guy-sucks.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I also enjoy Deadspin (which has become rather famous by now with their Manti Te'o girlfriend story), and WalterFootball, a site that gives weekly football picks, mock drafts, with a dose of hillarity on the site.

What is the most difficult part of being a sports writer?

Asked by rsmith over 11 years ago

I believe that the most difficult part of being a sports writer is, quite frankly, thinking up content.

This becomes more of an issue in a job like mine- writing about the NFL. This is because the season only lasts from early September to early February, meaning that there is a much larger span where, truthfully, not much is going on in the world of football. After free agency in March and the draft in April, there comes a period where it's simply hard to produce content at the rate you'd like to. A rate that helps make yourself more money and to garner a succesful career.

Have you ever been called out for bias towards a team/individual in your writing?

Asked by rsmith over 11 years ago

Once again, no, or at least not yet. However, I sometimes do add a little extra detail and opinion about my lifelong favorite team, the Arizona Cardinals.

Bias is certainly an issue that needs to be adressed in modern sports, as there have been just too many cases of it. Advancements in technology have been made, meaning folks can observe pieces from around the world, thus reading the bias of local writers.

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

How do you think that social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter have affected sports journalism?

Asked by Justin about 11 years ago

50 people voted for the Associated Press All-Pro team one person voted David Carr as an All-Pro but five of the same guys voted him MVP, how in the world does that happen?

Asked by jharlor almost 8 years ago

What was the most exciting moment of your career

Asked by SP over 8 years ago